Hey all, I'm (finally) getting the brakes on the wife's future grocery-getter sorted out. Fronts are done, but the rears are already a pain, and I'm only on step two, or three... The rear axles on my '52 Studebaker are of the tapered variety that we all know and love, this one is a Dana 25 to be exact. I went ahead and bought a Studebaker-specific hub puller, got it on there tight, beat it with the ol' dead-blow, and nothing. Then I got the hub good 'n hot, soaked the area with penetrating oil, re-did the puller 'n dead-blow method, and nothing. Damn thing is on there good. I guess I've been spoiled with the likes of my Model A, but I haven't had a hub stuck on there as good as this before. Anyone got any magical methods?
Hit the center screw with a regular BFH. It's the only way I've found to get a sharp enough rap on them to break the taper. (Stand to one side.)
You could leave the hub nut loose and drive around the yard. It took me about 100 times around the house and nothing. Then after spinning about 20 donuts in the grass the taper finally let loose. This was with a 36' Ford banjo rearend.
Check ebay auction number 291021451538 I never tried it on anything but old Mopars but it sure done the trick with their tapered axles.
Dead blow hammer ain't the right tool ,use a 5-8Lb regular type hammer. The sharp shock is what you need,heres a place the larger the hammer the better. A easy swing with a BIG hammer is lots better than beating the piss out of it with a 2 pounder.
Thanks for all the responses guys. Seeing them, I went out and wailed on the puller with my 5 lb. sledge. No joy. So then, I threw the wheels back on and, with both rear hub nuts backed off slightly, drove the car up and down the alleyway, and around the block a few times. Again, no luck. So now I've got the car parked, on its wheels, with the nut still backed off a bit, and I'll just try periodically hitting the area with heat and a hammer blow or two. I'll get back on it in the morning, and in the meantime knock down a few other things on the to-do list...
I was thinking of the heat and wax into the joint trick, or heat externals and CO2 the hole, replace ctr bolt and hit. Anything is fair game here. Long ago as a pump jockey I watched a seasoned mech melt one off one day!
You need to make a sharp turn at some speed. nothing crazy, but not creeping slow. I literally swerve like a nutcase back and forth at about 20mph.
Hey, Rainer; For the drive-it w/the axle nut loose deal; back them off ~ 2 turns, repin them, & drive kinda longish figure-8's. Gotta side-load (in & out) the wheels. Don't have to go real fast (20-30mph?), but probably 20-30 figure-8's should do it. I haven't used a nice puller like yours, so I don't know if this'll help, but on my stude(s) I used the older 3-stud holder-type, that also uses a large wing-nut on a large threaded shaft. (The only drum I couldn't get off was a Dana 27 that was lying in my PU bed loose, so not much leverage, + it'd lain covered in mud for 20+ yrs, rusting.) Anyways, I don't think a 5lb hammer is enough. I used 12lb, & then a 20lb to whack the bolt end, after tightening it w/the 5lb'r then went to the 20lb'r(mine gets used like a knock-off). Tighten, whack the nut - hard, maybe a couple of times,(well, center of the knock-off on mine), & repeat - alot. Think it took ~ 1 1/2 hrs to do the 1st one on my 64 Stude dana 44, but about 1/2 hr on the other side, since I figured out being gentle wasn't going to work. Also figured out someone had assembled the hubs on the tapers w/ an oil or anti-seize, which of course is a no-no, big time(because the applied torque goes way up, & the taper actually spreads the hub - usually cracking it, sooner rather than later), not to mention had probably used a long cheater-bar to "torque" the nut on. Only perfectly dry & burr & rust free for assembly, & properly torqued, thank-you, very much. . Seriously... You could try using a ~ 1/2" drill bit & doing a shallow center drilling of the bolt, say maybe 1/8" deep, & then use a air chisel & a dulled (round-rod-type)bit in that shallow spot, after tightening up the bolt as much as possible - & I'm talking an 18"->24", 1/2" breaker-bar + 3'-4' cheater pipe here to get some torque on that bolt - to set up vibration into the taper. Again, tighten, hit, vibrate, repeat. Or, if you have access to air & a really good (700->1000 ft-lb, 1/2'->3/4" air gun). Shouldn't take too long, but I'd go at it for at least an hour before applying the "petting" trick. . Once you're good & frustrated/mad, then out of desperation, remember this: True story: When I was in collage shop, working on an OT cars' suspension, I had trouble getting a few nuts & bolts to loosen up. My friend Dan watched & heard me for ~ 1/2hr, & came over grinning, asking what was wrong (as if he didn't know. ). Told him I couldn't get the damn nuts off! So Dan started to rub the offending nuts w/his fingertips, chuckling. (He's Irish, w/a little of the brouge, so imagine the accent. ). When I asked him just what the hell he's doing, he laughs, saying, "Hey, everyone knows things come easier if you pet them for a bit 1st. . I told him that if anyone heard him talk like that, he'd get a free stay at the nuthouse. Well, after about 2 minutes of rubbing the nuts, Dan grabbed a set of hand wrenches (I had been using a breaker-bar), & mind you, I'm watching this w/my very own two eyes; & easily twisted the nuts off... !!! . I had to pick up my jaw from the ground, while he cackled... & he was no stronger than I was either. Damnest thing Id seen in a long time... WTH, worth a try... . In worst-case event, break the drum & split the hub w/an air chisel, zizz-wheel, or torch. But these tools kinda ruin things for re-use. Although they do provide an "opportunity for upgrade"... . Good luck, these can be tough. HTH helps. Marcus...
Be sure to have each nut that is holding a puller leg an equal amount of threads down. If the shaft of the puller is at any bit of an angle, the drum will not come off. ---John
Hey, John; Thanks for mentioning that. I forgot, but kinda figured it was self-evident. I kinda like Rainiers' Stude factory puller too. Should work better than the 3-legged one, & he could make a wing-nut by welding on a piece of 1/2" steel to the top of the (or another) bolt. Only thing I'd be concerned over, is mushrooming the axle end w/the threads. A thick washer/disc placed 'twixt the bolt end & the axle tip should take care of that. Marcus...
May not be the case but I have had circumstances where the shoes were what was binding the drum, not the taper or key and adjusting the shoes in did the trick. I also am a firm believer in using the 3 arm puller, putting it under tension and shocking the drum at the taper with a block of wood and hammer.
When I took my Dodge Brothers tapered rear drums off had to buy a LARGE 3/4" drive socket and breaker bar and when everything else failed, I used an 8 foot pipe on the bar and had to jump on the bar. When it broke loose it sounded like a large calibre report. Damn near broke my neck.
Here is a generic link to a picture the dogbone puller I have always used http://www.sw-em.com/Brake_Drum_Notes.htm I have sometimeshad to put pressure on it, and walked away for a couple hours, or overnight, and it has always come off.
The Jalopy Journal
