I'm so tired- but so so happy

[Bolts]

For several days I've been trying to get one of the rear hubs to come off. I have to remove them both in order to proceed with removing the rear axles and the ring gear assembly to replace a bad axle and put new seals in the bells.
The first one came off easily. The other one WOULD NOT BUDGE.
The axle nut was tight but came loose and I removed it and installed the puller. But the wheel puller would not break the hub loose.
I found out right away that you need someone to step on the brakes as you attempt to tighten the puller or else the wheel spins and you can't get any torque on it. Even then the brakes wouldn't hold the wheel when I got down on it. I tried a couple of different impact wrenches. I tried heat and impact wrenches. I tried removing the puller and putting the axle nut on loose and driving around on it. Nope. Didn't budge.
I was getting ready to destroy the hub and axle just to get it apart.
I'm writing this to help others who may be facing the same problem.
What DID work was to put the puller on (no axle nut) with the wheel on. Leaving the weight of the car on the wheel I tightened up the puller using a big cheater pipe and standing on it. Then I jacked up the car using a floor jack under the banjo center until the wheels were about 10 inches off the ground (no stands under the car)..
Then I relaxed the jack and let the car fall on it's weight. After three times of doing this, it broke loose. Then the puller took it right off.
What a relief.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Bolts

For several days I've been trying to get one of the rear hubs to come off. I have to remove them both in order to proceed with removing the rear axles and the ring gear assembly to replace a bad axle and put new seals in the bells.
The first one came off easily. The other one WOULD NOT BUDGE.
The axle nut was tight but came loose and I removed it and installed the puller. But the wheel puller would not break the hub loose.
I found out right away that you need someone to step on the brakes as you attempt to tighten the puller or else the wheel spins and you can't get any torque on it. Even then the brakes wouldn't hold the wheel when I got down on it. I tried a couple of different impact wrenches. I tried heat and impact wrenches. I tried removing the puller and putting the axle nut on loose and driving around on it. Nope. Didn't budge.
I was getting ready to destroy the hub and axle just to get it apart.
I'm writing this to help others who may be facing the same problem.
What DID work was to put the puller on (no axle nut) with the wheel on. Leaving the weight of the car on the wheel I tightened up the puller using a big cheater pipe and standing on it. Then I jacked up the car using a floor jack under the banjo center until the wheels were about 10 inches off the ground (no stands under the car)..
Then I relaxed the jack and let the car fall on it's weight. After three times of doing this, it broke loose. Then the puller took it right off.
What a relief.

YOU done GOOD, Bolts! I'll guarantee that if you had not been using that GOOD puller, it would still be glued-on tight with no hope for removal. DD

[deuce_roadster]

It looks like the collar of that puller is on backwards to me.

[Charlie Stephens]

Be sure to check the axle on the side that came off easily, they aren't supposed to come off easily (magna flux?). An it goes without saying run safety hubs or clips.

Charlie Stephens

[Jack E/NJ]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

YOU done GOOD, Bolts! I'll guarantee that if you had not been using that GOOD puller, it would still be glued-on tight with no hope for removal. DD

Hmmm? Do you think it would've worked if crazy-glue had been used on the taper? 8^) Jack E/NJ

[supereal]

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My Winfield puller has never failed to get the hub off of the taper. The biggest problem is when someone left off the clips on the backing plate that hold the shoes in place, allowing the brake shoes to move with the drum, preventing removal.

[34fordy]

I made a home-made puller a couple years ago with a 1-13/16 nut welded to one side of the puller. This allows the driving bolt to pass inside to the force nut that is welded to one side of the body. The holding wrench can either go to the floor or may be supported horizontally with a block of wood or jack stand etc. This keeps the hub from turning. It works like a KR Wilson and its copies except instead of a sleeve I use 4 bolts that just need to be finger tight to hold the sides together. Only used it a couple times but worked very well.

[Mart]

I used my vintage precision puller yesterday. this is on a newly acquired 41 pickup. One nut had no splitpin in and was kind of tight. That side popped off easily, in other words kinda tight was nowhere near tight enough. The other side had a splitpin in, but I could see traces of oil around the nut. This one was hardly tight at all. It came off with the slightest torque on the puller nut. I can see why people say a universal puller worked for them - any puller would have got these ones off.

It'll take a good puller to get them off next time round, though.

Mart.

[Jack E/NJ]

>>>any puller would have got these ones off. >>>

I wonder how many miles they went that way? Jack E/NJ

[fortyonerag]

When I went to replace the wheel cylinders on my newly acquired 41, I found a loose castellated nut (still had the cotter) and a big fat ring of grease on the inside of the hubcap.

Hub came off in my hand. I went and bought a lottery ticket that very day.

[deucemac]

Back in the dark ages right after electricity and indoor plumbing, we were trying to remove the rear hubs on my '46 tudor. An old retired Ford mechanic sat on his porch across the street from our scene. Finally, he strolled over and offered his advice. We had the wheel off and the puller on the hub. He said to put the tire and wheel back on, reinstall the puller, and set the tire on the ground. Had we not been exhausted and frustrated at this point we might have chased him off. Desperation won and we did as he said. He then said to jack up the rear wheel opposite the one we were fighting. We did and he said to rock the car sideways and give the puller a sharp rap with the sledge hammer we had right on the end of the puller. We did a he said and POP! The hub instantly broke loose! We quickly repeated the operation on the other side and bingo, it came off just as easy. That was now 47 years ago and I have repeated that operation on lots of old Fords and they always popped on no more than the second rap with the sledgehammer. Everyone I tell to do that, gives me a look like I escaped from the home when the nurses weren't looking. But, when they try it, they are as surprised as I was all those years ago. It is a 2 man deal though, one to rock the car and the other to whack the puller. Might give it a try sometime.

[Ian Crawford]

Originally Posted by Bolts

For several days I've been trying to get one of the rear hubs to come off. I have to remove them both in order to proceed with removing the rear axles and the ring gear assembly to replace a bad axle and put new seals in the bells.
The first one came off easily. The other one WOULD NOT BUDGE.
The axle nut was tight but came loose and I removed it and installed the puller. But the wheel puller would not break the hub loose.
I found out right away that you need someone to step on the brakes as you attempt to tighten the puller or else the wheel spins and you can't get any torque on it. Even then the brakes wouldn't hold the wheel when I got down on it. I tried a couple of different impact wrenches. I tried heat and impact wrenches. I tried removing the puller and putting the axle nut on loose and driving around on it. Nope. Didn't budge.
I was getting ready to destroy the hub and axle just to get it apart.
I'm writing this to help others who may be facing the same problem.
What DID work was to put the puller on (no axle nut) with the wheel on. Leaving the weight of the car on the wheel I tightened up the puller using a big cheater pipe and standing on it. Then I jacked up the car using a floor jack under the banjo center until the wheels were about 10 inches off the ground (no stands under the car)..
Then I relaxed the jack and let the car fall on it's weight. After three times of doing this, it broke loose. Then the puller took it right off.
What a relief.

What works is to do what you did, leave the wheel ON, but remove the nut and put it back on upside down or use a non castelated nut just proud of the axle end. Jack up the OPPOSITE side rear just off the ground. With a 4lb hammer hit the loosened nut 2-3 times square on the end. The hub will be loose. I have never owned a hub puller because I have never needed one.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by Ian Crawford

What works is to do what you did, leave the wheel ON, but remove the nut and put it back on upside down or use a non castelated nut just proud of the axle end. Jack up the OPPOSITE side rear just off the ground. With a 4lb hammer hit the loosened nut 2-3 times square on the end. The hub will be loose. I have never owned a hub puller because I have never needed one.

In a situation with the puller dead nuts tight like that, a few hard whacks on the tire with a dead blow hammer gives the assembly the shock it needs to sometimes break free.