35 Terraplane rear hub removal

farmermike

Gentlemen,

I am trying to remove the rear wheel hubs on my 35 Terraplane to look at the brakes and rear bearings. For the life of me I cannot get the hubs off. My mechanical procedure manual says to use a " J-446 Wheel puller " which of course I do not have. I fabricated what I think is a close idea of the puller out of scrap metal I had but I cannot get either one to budge.

Before I break something I cannot replace I thought I would ask you guys for some advice. To recap, I have removed the axle shaft nuts and washers, I have sprayed WD-40 as well as a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF on the shaft and let it set for 24 hours. Is there something else that needs to be removed before you can get the hub off?

If it was a piece of farm equipment I would take the torch to it and heat it up until something moved but when I have no idea what is behind what I would be heating I thought it best to get a second opinion.

Geoff Clark's article in the last WTN "If it don't look broke, it probably is" was so close to what I am dealing with my 35 T that it is crazy.

 

Thanks,

Mike Schlepp

Jon B

This is a subject that keeps popping up and, frankly, I thought just about everyone in the Forum knew the procedure by heart now, it having been discussed and re-discussed again and again!

Here is the illustrated how-to, showing the correct puller, as photographed by Paul Schuster:

http://www.hetclub.org/index.php?option=com_simgallery&view=album&aid=26&Itemid=656

Lee ODell

Heavy duty puller on Ebay. One bid $19.99. 2 days left. Several other pullers on ebay similar style like HUDSON puller.

I would recommend getting or borrowing the right tool, the right too keeps the screw centered on the axle with equal pulling pressure from all legs of puller. If the screw does not stay centered on axle the threads will get damaged. Also, put the nut back on castellated end on first until nut is flush with end of axle. That will help eliminate mushrooming end of axle. Also, the nut will prevent personal harm when the hub lets go.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hunt-No-195-Universal-3-Leg-Heavy-Duty-Wheel-Hub-Puller-Made-USA-/231487827833

Lee O'Dell

35 Terraplane

And as mentioned prior, don't completely remove the axle nut while using the puller. Just loosen it slightly. The hub can come off with force and hit you with force.

bob ward

Mike, if your Terra is still mobile, put the nuts back on the axles, leave them half a turn loose, put the split pins back in.

Drive around the block a few times.

The ATF etc is achieving nothing, you are dealing with a long shallow taper, metal to metal stiction.

What I find to be a good hub puller is a piece of 3/4" or 1" plate drilled to suit the PCD of the wheel. Bolt the plate to the wheel, the centre of the plate bears on the axle nut. Go round the bolts with a rattle gun and tighten them a little at a time.The hub flexes slightly as you tighten round and round, makes it easier for the hub to break loose from the taper.

farmermike

Thanks for the feedback guys,

Jon's point is a good one. I knew there had to be something on the forum about pulling rear hubs. I kept searching for 1935 Terraplane hubs and needed to look up just hub removal.

I have attached a photo of the puller I made up. I bolted it to the hub with just two lugs but can drill holes for all four. After reading your feedback I will buy or borrow one or make up a plate so that I can keep the castle nut on the shaft for safety's sake. I had so much pull on the hub yesterday that I was wondering what kind of projectile I was setting in front of.

Once I get the vehicle mobile again I will take Bob's advice and drive the car around with the castle nuts loosened and see if that helps. Here in North Idaho the highway department is using so much road salt that pickup and truck rims corrode to the point that rims just weld themselves to their hubs. We loosen the lugs and drive around to get the rims to break free. I never thought to do that with the terrplane to get the hub off of the axle.

 

Jon B

Another thought: after you tighten the nuts on the puller, go around the perimeter of the drum with a hammer, lightly tapping to set up a vibration.  This might help to break it loose.

By the way, make sure that your brake shoes are not holding the drum on!  Does the drum turn freely, when the car is in neutral?  If not -- and this is true of the later 1930's models but I don't know if it is in the 1935's -- there is a star adjusting wheel you can turn to back off the shoes..

farmermike

Success, I adapted my homemade puller to use all four lugs and made room for the castle nut to be on the shaft. I had that puller bolt as tight as my rattle gun would go and I still had to use Jon's idea and tap on the rims for awhile before they broke free. By using a grade 5 bolt instead of something harder it did not mar the axle.

I am glad that I made the effort. The brakes on both wheels are down to the rivets in places and will need to be replaced or relined. A thorough check of the rear bearings and seals is in order.

Again, Thanks