stuck rear hub help
 

My mate has a 48 that the rear wheel cylinders are leaking ,so he tries to remove the rear hub,we have the car on the hoist, proper puller on the hub ,no luck, tried every thing ,heated the hub ,no luck,the puller is a good quality Ford puller, it now needs a fix up as it distorted trying to get the hub loose.
We then heated the hub nearly red and still not loose.
Any ideas,
Our next step is to sacrifice the hub and cut it off, and save the axle.
Lawrie

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

I didn't know that Ford made a puller? I thought all of the pullers were made by KR Wilson. How about a picture?

Charlie Stephens

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Lawrie, The only hub puller for that job is a KRW puller, and they do not distort. Your hub, if it is loose from the axle but still won't come off, may be held in place by the shoes hanging up on edges worn into the hubs. If that is what happened, then yes, drastic means must be taken to remove them. If, on the other hand, the drums are still stuck on the axles, then use the correct KRW puller and it will break free.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

I have the KR wilson puller, It wont break free.
It just started to swell the steel tube that holds it all together.
Brakes are not hung up as the wheel turns easy.
Lawrie

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Lawrie, I don't understand what could have happened. Please post pictures!

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

one method i saw mentioned was to loosen the axle nut and drive the car in circles i a parking lot.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

I had it happen. And with the krw puller it would not budge.

The key was gawlled and jammed it together. Ended up splitting the hub. That's better then ruining the axle

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

had a hub that had "spun" on the axle and the only way I could get it apart was to heat the hub to cherry red and pound on it with a 3 lb hammer, of course the hub and the axle were junk after that.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Cherry red doesn't always help, most of the time it works against you. You want the hub to expand and not the axle.

Problem I had was the key turned into a fish hook and wouldn't come off. Even after splitting the exposed area of the hub it would wobble but still was a fight getting it off.

I split it inline with the key to keep from booting up the axle

Mine had a near perfect brake drum so I just swapped the hub after getting it apart

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

This was what I found on one of the hubs on my '41. I distorted an aftermarket puller trying to get it off. finally got it to break free by locking up the brakes and working between first and reverse. Needless to say the hub and axle are now junk so have replace both.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Ewwww! That looks bad!
I had one that was really stubborn on my 35, the shoes were grooved into the drum enough that would not let it pull off. I used the KR Wilson puller but had to put a spacer in there to pull it out more to figure out what was going on. A 3/8” quarter inch drive socket worked for that. It still ended up ruining one of the brake shoes. The drum was already shot, but it looks like I can save the hub.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Patiance is the key word here a good quality puller and some penetrating fluid that wont dry out you've done everything right just give the penetrating fluid time to work if your going to heat the hub best get some boilermakers heat crayons so you dont overheat the hub and damage it. Had this problem several times when working on older VWs same setup just keep the pressure on and give the joint a fresh squirt every time you go past it will let go just sometimes it takes longer than others

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

I did this with a 28 model A before using a puller on the rear. Loosed the axle nut slightly and put the cotter back on. drove it for a day or two. Drums/hubs popped off. No idea if that helped...but.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

The best puller I found is a Snap On Blue point.
I guarantee this would pull them. It is the long
taper that is very dry along with the key. I found
a 39 coupe in the woods that sat there 40 or 50
years. The hood sides and the steel grill were
completely gone and the Stainless moldings were
laying on the ground all in like new condition. The
body was rotted off the frame and I was able roll
the body on it's side by myself. I dug the rear drums
up out of the dirt and my puller tore the drums off
bending the backing plates. Brute Force. G.M.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Will keep you informed, yesterday ,after buggering two pullers, we have made up a setup that we can fit in a 10 or 20 ton porta power cylinder,
I have a grand parents morning at school this morning so will know more after lunch.
Lawrie

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Consider this. If the hub and axle are welded together so hard that a KR puller and heat won't budge it, they are both junk. Cut it off with a plasma cutter or torch and get on with the fix. BE CAREFUL TO NOT NICK THE AXLE HOUSING WHEN CUTTING.
Check the under side of the housing for pitting. It may be junk also.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

seen more than one axle ruined by those KRW pullers. you need one like this never failed me yet.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Those are good for ruining studs and bending hubs.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

Everything I have ever heard is counter to post 17. The Ford hubs are designed to be used with a KRW puller (the flanges on the hub fit the puller perfectly). Back when I had pre-49 Fords, I had a KRW puller and never had a problem pulling a hub. I did quite a few between myself and friends and folks that just heard I had one.

Re: stuck rear hub help
 

This is a snapon blue point and grabs the hub the same way a KRW does but opens and closes like a clam