• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Rounded hub nut on my 63 BJ7

Share this page

J

J7Bill

Freshman Member
Offline
Hi All,

I just finished rebuilding my Girling calipers and getting the brakes bled is proving to be a tricky business, for me at least. I have just learned the proper sequence for bleeding the brakes. Left rear, right rear, left front and then right front. I am hopeful that this will make the difference. I had also read that some folks have had to resort to leaving a weight on the brake pedal over night? Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

New issue. I am installing new wheel hub nuts because several were rounded, broken and all were over tightened. Was successful with all except the last one! It rounded to the point where the socket was no longer effective. I purchased a damaged wheel nut socket kit and that didn't work. I did apply heat. I have since used a cold chisel and a smaller mechanics hammer and have failed there as well. I am sorry to say that I think that I am to the point of removing what is left of the bolt and nut with a hack saw and drilling out the rest. Does anyone have another idea? If not, which drill bit should one use on a case hardened stud? Another solution would be to put my tail in between my legs and take the car into my Healey mechanic and go ahead and endure the abuse that will most certainly ensue.

J7Bill
 
Assuming you're talking about the splined stud in the rear axle shaft.

I once watched a guy remove a stud with 2 vice grips and kroil. Maybe you could get 2 on the nut. Once the axle is out you can back it up in a large vise with a large socket and press it out.
 
Have you tried what we call over here a Stilson wrench, it is like an adjustable wrench but the jaws tighten around the nut the more you the apply pressure, dose the nut/thread with WD40 or what ever you use over there for several days or so then try it.

:cheers:

Bob
 
Or drill two holes diametrically opposite and parrellel to the thread down through the nut, then cold chisel through the outer edge. The nut will split open and be free of the thread.
 
haasad,

Want to make sure that I understand explicitly. On opposite sides of the bolt and parallel to it, 180 degrees apart, I drill through the nut. I can then cold chisel the nut off of the stud and remove it at that time. Is this what you mean?
 
Yep that's it. Removing the metal forms a weak point that the nut will fail along when split with the chisel you may only need to chisel one side. It's not necessary to drill right through the nut just nearly.
 
Just rethinking this. That stud is not a screw in stud, but is pressed in from the rear of the hub. While you may be able to cut the nut off flush and drift the remains of the stud out, you're going to have to do some more disassembly in order to do that and fit a new stud (btw, Moss shows them as not available but AH Spares carries them.) While Hassad's method will work at removing the nut, it may booger up the the stud. I'd still try cutting a flat or two off with the dremel, as it's likely to be less work than replacing a stud.
 
You will probably need to remove the axle shaft to replace the stud. Do not use a new paper gasket from Moss Motors or your wheel bearing will eventually loosen and spin in the hub.
I replaced a stud 10 yrs ago. Last week I repaired
the spun hub. Excellent info available in previous threads regarding rear hubs. Good luck.
 
I just did that. I made my own gasket. But what is the problem with the Moss gasket? Where do you get a good gasket? I am awaiting the drums to be returned from Hendrix so I have not driven yet.
 
Just did this job mid-summer. The Moss gasket is way too thick. IIRC, it measured 0.01" thickness fresh out of the bag. Just to be certain, I dry assembled everything and torqued down the hub nuts. I then took it apart again and measured the Moss gasket. It did not compress enough to alone be within the workshop spec. The workshop manual states that "the outer face of the bearing spacer should protrude from .001" to .004" beyond the outer face of the hub AND THE PAPER WASHER when the bearing is
pressed into position." Went to our local grocery store and asked for some brown paper bags. It measured around 0.007" Used the Moss gasket as a template. With the grocery bag gasket (BUT without the O-ring) I was right at the upper limit of the spec. Put in the O-ring, smeared some Hylomar on both sides of the gasket, no leaks.
 
tahoe healey said:
I just did that. I made my own gasket. But what is the problem with the Moss gasket? Where do you get a good gasket? I am awaiting the drums to be returned from Hendrix so I have not driven yet.
Click to expand...
The gaskets are too thick and the outer race of the bearing is not sufficiently clamped to keep it from turning in the hub. The o-ring should be sufficient to keep the oil in the axle. You may also use something like Permatex. If you made your own gasket, it's probably too thick.
 
Rick,
Unfortunately, I think that the stud will need to be replaced. Unless I'm wrong, I did see a new one for sale through Moss. As soon as I remove the what's left of the nut, I hope to use a cold chisel and push it out. I am hopeful that I can simply push a new one into place from behind. A little frustrated at this point, but this is to be expected if one wishes to mechanic on a 53 year old Healey; I suppose. Thanks for your help,
Bill
 
Bill

If that stud is anything like the studs in the front hub - you do not just push them in. You need a ram or a ****** large hammer.
But on second thoughts you may just be able to pull it in using a nut and a spacer or spacers.

:cheers:

Bob
 
haasad,

Update. Your suggestion worked! I did damage the study and need to change it. It is not budging with a hammer and drift. I am assuming that I will need to remove the hub and have them pressed out? The remaining studs appear to be "stressed". I assume this would be from years of exposure to air guns?
 
Don't pull the stud in with a nut and washer. Puts lots of stress on the threads and more torque than they can handle. I have seen cars with broken studs and the majority pulled them in with nuts instead of a press.
 
Back
Top