TR4/4A Knock off wire wheels procedure..basic questions

[scottkilpatrick]

I am new to these on my 62 TR4 - I have gathered some info from the forum but a few questions remain

I want to remove the wheels to analyze and maybe replace the brake pads/shoes.

My guess is that one could use a rubber mallet and whach until tthey are loose? Is that the primary method?

What about putting them back on - I am guessing there is no torque method. Do i just whack until they are tight and stop moving? Also I read somewhere I should use grease when putting them back on. What type of grease and where do i grease?

Thanks all

 

[bobhustead]

You need a lead or copper hammer, which were original equipment on wire wheeled cars. A rubber hammer is absolutely not the right tool. Ebay and walmart both offer lead on line. Same tool to install. No torque. There are aftermarket tools that grasp the spinner, but I have no experience with them.
Bob

 

[CJD]

Although I do have lead and copper hammers, I found they tend to mar the chrome finish on the nuts. I have been using the rubber side of a rubber flooring hammer (steel hammer with a rubber cover) for many years with good results. I do use a bit of grease on the threads and also the tapered areas where the nut contacts the wheel. Just a thin wipe is all. I also hammer on and off with the wheel off the ground. I think that allows it to seat better, and puts less stress on the spokes. Hammer on until the nut stops turning. If it is going to loosen, it will be in the first few miles, but usually only with new wheels or nuts. Once they have been seated a few times, they tighten easily and have no tendency to loosen. Of course, the corollary to that statement is...if you have relatively new wheels and/or nuts, it is best to check them after the first short trip on the road.

 

[donbmw]

I use this for mine.

 

[NeilRogers]

Resist the urge to hit them too hard to get them tight as that just destroys the spinner and damages the wheel. The hubs and spinners are right and left handed making the spinners self tightening. If right hand hubs are mounted on the left side and vice versa, the spinners will loosen and likely come off when you drive the car. Be sure to apply some grease to the hub splines as this stops the wheels from rusting onto the splines.

 

[mctriumph]

The wooden wrenches work well if you are careful. They will splinter if not affixed nicely.
The trick then, is to pull up on the end away from where you are hitting (and are not
Conan.) This all assumes that you have nice knock-offs and dont want to beat them up.
Clean and grease the splines , if they are sharp , they are no good.....
Mad dog

 

[scottkilpatrick]

Mad dog - are teh splines the threaded parts?

 

[bobhustead]

Didn't consider the composite 'dead blow' hammer Don suggests. Good idea, as is John's floor hammer. Splines are the longitudinal grooves.
Bob

 

[mctriumph]

Little known trick , when the splines are beaten up and sharped from a bad wheel, they can
be worked back into shape with a steel hammer. The splines are not hardened , actually
just mild steel .Careful re-shaping can get you back on the road in a pinch.
Poor men have poor ways.....
Mad dog

 

[JHaydon]

Mad dog - are teh splines the threaded parts?

No, the splines are the straight grooves that run parallel to the axle. They transmit the driving or braking force to the wheel, like the teeth on a gear.
The threads are the spiral grooves at the end of the axle. They accept the spinner nut, like the threads on a bolt.