im trying to remove the wheel studs on the front drivers side drum, i tryed hammering them out, putting penetrating oil and they still wont any one got any idea how i can get em out? the car is a 50 pontiac, thanks in advance
First off do you have access to a press? With drums that's what I'd go for... Second, did you try REALLY hammering them out? I know it sounds sarcastic but I'm serious. Last week I gave up trying to get em out of my axles. Sat back for 30 minutes went back and put the wrath of god into the hammer strike and they popped out. I was scared to hit em so hard at first...
I got a harbor frieght 12 ton floor press for $50 off craigslist, it comes in handy for this kinda crap. And I can't even believe I'm asking this in seriousness, did you use a big enough hammer? I have one I use for ball joints and such that's real heavy, not thhe ol ball peen type. Just a heads up from somebody with tinnitus, hearing protection is a very good idea when y ou're banging stuff like this.
Don't know about your Poncho, but some manufacturers swedged/peened the stud shoulder over to retain the drum to the hub. If it is a swedged/peened assembly the studs will have to be cut. The right way involves special a special tool kind of like a large valve seal cutter. The work around is to drill the stud out or cut the head of and press it out from inside the drum. I've seen people tear/bend up drums trying to hammer the stud out, make sure you support the drum well.
When I popped mine out I soaked them with penetrating oil, heated up the area around the stud with a propane torch until it was nice and toasty, then hit 'em good with a 10lb sledge.
Be on the safe side and take them to a local auto machine shop to be pressed out. Shouldn't be very expensive.
If you can you need to support the area around the stud so the force from the hammer is concentrated on the stud and not flexing the drum. I use a piece of pipe cut to the right length with an ID large enough for the stud head to loosly fit. If you don't have access to pipe you can use a socket and some spacers to ensure the socket touches the inside of the drum. This always worked for me and requires less impact force because all the force is directed to the stud.
They probably are swedged. You can probably press them out without the special tools that grind away the peened over shoulder of the stud but be sure to support the underside of the hub with the smallest deep well socket that will fit over the head of the stud so that you don't bend the hub flange and drum. I've seen more modern hubs and drums ruined by guys beating on rusted studs with no underside support. A bigger hammer isn't always the answer.
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