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Spitfire another Spitfire question - stuck rear hubs

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eschneider

eschneider

Jedi Warrior
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Doing rear wheel / hub seals on a MKIII spitfire, and the hub flange is really stuck on the axle. Taking a breather before breaking out the torch tomorrow.

So far have used a hub puller and BFH with some pentrating oil, an impact gun, and a MAPP torch.

I'm sure this is just an elbow-grease PITA, but thought I'd throw it out there in case someone had some words of wisdom or cautionary anecdotes.
 
Heat is one way, caution on too much, as it will bend the axle. I have a couple in the corner that never came apart and one that still had the puller on it when I chucked it, and that's when it busted apart, so good vibrations, (whacking it with a air hammer under load from a puller has worked for me in the past.)
Wait till you try a TR6 one, it involves dipping it in a volcano and two Ford F350's pulling, long story.

Good luck, Wayne
 
It could also involve the puller and 50 ton presses and if you're not careful bent hubs.

Is the axle out of the car? Sometimes it makes this job easier.

run the puller up as tight as you can, spray liberally with penetrating oil, a block of hard wood and bang on the hub. walk away and let the oil work.

come back and hopefully get a little more grunt on the puller, more oil, more banging.

I have it in the back of my head that the "official" way of doing this is to throw the axle nut end down onto a block of wood.

Another way, but you are on your own here, is to loosen the nut, and take the car around the block, slowly. then try the puller.

Soak the whole thing in dry ice for several hours, then use the puller and a torch to warm up the hub. I've used that trick for getting axles out of large gears here at work.

The hub is sitting on a taper, getting it loose from that taper is a PITA.
 
Hateful job. Done 'em with press and whacking, heat-wrench and penetrant. This may be a candidate for the Weasel Pee concoction. 50/50 ATF and acetone. This thread has the skinny on it.
 
I dealt with this recently on our Mk4 project. As above really...

What worked for me was to get everything out of the way (brake parts) and apply heat to the cylindrical portion of the flange casting that is seated on the tapered end of the axle. I used MAPP to get as much heat in there as quickly as possible. Turn the axle as you put the heat into the flange so it "grows" all the way around. In the end it was the combination of quick heat application after the puller was tightened AND a few sharp blows from a heavy brass hammer.

Whatever happens, don't become frustrated to the point that you start pounding on the hub.
 
DrEntropy said:
Hateful job. Done 'em with press and whacking, heat-wrench and penetrant. This may be a candidate for the Weasel Pee concoction. 50/50 ATF and acetone. This thread has the skinny on it.
Click to expand...

The (Weasel Pee), Doc you crack me up :jester: ,50/50 ATF and Acetone, and a little of this :hammer:, was what broke the drums loose on my 55 year old Ford tractor. It took a week of soaking and banging, but they finally broke loose. All I use anymore.
 
You're in Phila. If you feel like making a roadtrip to the Lehigh Valley, I'll loan you my Spit hub puller from Canley Classics.
 
Most of the ones we did for my wife's Spitfire involved taking them to a machine shop to press off (making sure they didn't bend the hub in the process).

Scott
 
trrdster2000 said:
Wait till you try a TR6 one, it involves dipping it in a volcano and two Ford F350's pulling, long story.
Click to expand...

Tease! Do you REALLY think you can post an intro like that, and then NOT tell the whole story?

Get typing..... We gotta hear the whole story. <grin>
 
Scott_Hower said:
You're in Phila. If you feel like making a roadtrip to the Lehigh Valley, I'll loan you my Spit hub puller from Canley Classics.
Click to expand...

I may take you up on that. I'll definitely hold you to a shop tour next time I'm in the area. 8)
 
weasel pee? I thought it was mouse milk!
 
You all have it ALL wrong....here's what you do! :banana:

First, sneak one of SWMBO's good pans out of the kitchen while repeating "Pan, what pan?" to yourself. Then, drill hole(s) in the bottom that just HAPPEN to match the mounting arrangement of the car while repeating "Hole(s), what hole(s)?" to yourself.

Once the vessel is firmly mounted to the vehicle, take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, visiting everyone you know to see if they have an appropriately aged wee one - 3 to 5 works best. Offer to watch over said wee one for 2 hours to give your now BEST neighbor friend(s) a chance to go to a movie or enjoy 2 hours of peace. Return to your domicile, ever watchful for SWMBO to see if the pan, what pan? has been missed. Show the pan, what pan? to the wee one and tell him or her there are jelly beans behind the pan and he or she can have them.

Now go inside and make a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich and get a glass of milk and return to the car. Not only will the pan, what pan? be off the car along with the flange, but in all likelyhood the rear end will be out along with the rest of the suspension and you will find a bewildered wee one who found no jelly beans. Hand the wee one the sandwich and milk after cleaning them up as best you can and slowly walk them home while they enjoy their afternoon snack!!

:jester:
 
The official tool is a "Churchill Press" anything less and you will almost certainly bend the flange and turn it into junk. Perhaps that is the tool Scott has, if so, it would be worth paying freight both ways for the opportunity to borrow it. Bob
 
Shops used the press and I had to find new hubs. When the hub let loose it sounded like a cannon I'm told.The puller, Kroil, air wrench, and lots of time seem to be the ticket.

T.T.
 
I too will go on record saying to get a legitmate Churchill-type puller. I have done six axles (some more than once) and they are the ticket. Pretty much anything else risks damaging the hub. An expensive machine shop ruined some of mine using heat and a press.

I will say that I have learned to hunker down on the puller and give the axles a few good whacks. And leave the axle nut on but backed way off. First time I used the real puller the axle went one way the hub the other.
 
Looks like a great car. I wish mine was in that type of shape. Some day we will have to put on new rear fenders, rockers and floors.
 
Bob Claffie said:
The official tool is a "Churchill Press" anything less and you will almost certainly bend the flange and turn it into junk. Perhaps that is the tool Scott has, if so, it would be worth paying freight both ways for the opportunity to borrow it. Bob
Click to expand...

Not the official "Churchill" tool, but a puller specially designed for pulling small Triumph hubs.
It bolts flat against the hub, so no chance of bending it.

hubpuller.jpg
 
Pretty close to the original Churchill tool

Fig7Rearhubpuller.jpg
 
So....

When I left the shop last night, the axles were sitting by the door, waiting for a *supervised* visit to the machine shop.

When I arrived this morning, I was greeted by a proud, beaming co-worker who had "taken the bull by the horns" and used brute force to seperate the hubs from the axles. He was so exuberant with his victory that he hadn't noticed that both hubs were bent to the extreme that the lug bolts were bowed inward, and one axle shaft bent/buckled at the threaded end.

ugh.
 
The right way is find proper hub puller.Its called a 'Churchhill Puller'A factory device.The only way you won't bust everything to pieces.Their are people over at 'Nass' that concievably could lone you one if your nice.And if you do find one hang on to it they are rare. :winner1:
 
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