TR2/3/3A Newbie wrestling with TR3 rear wheel studs

[Andrews]

I am not an accomplished mechanic, but thought replacing the rear wheel studs on my TR3 would not be too complicated... I don't know why as most things with this car seem more complicated once I get into them due to conflicting information, prior alterations and modifications, my own limitations, rust etc...

The issue is the lugs seem to have been cross threaded on as it took a lot of torque to get them off, and I assume the old studs and lugs are trash... so I bought new lugs and studs and am confused since the studs are not the type to simply be entered from behind the hub and lock into place... They apparently screw in from the front... the Haynes and Triumph shop manuals do not offer much help in removing the old ones without trashing the hub in the process.

Any advice or direction to go for help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Andrew

 

[TR3driver]

It is, unfortunately, not well documented. Apparently the idea was to replace the hubs as a unit rather than individual studs.

Anyway, yes, the rear studs (only) screw in from the face on the solid axle cars. After they are screwed in, the back of the stud is deformed (staked) to keep them from coming out. Once installed, the studs cannot be removed and reused, they have to be replaced every time (tho I'm not sure why you would ever want to remove and reuse them).

To get them out without damage to the hub, IMO it is best to first remove the hub and half shaft from the axle housing (assuming you are working on the later 'Girling' axle). You can leave the brakes and shims in place, but it's best to have a bolt & nut handy to secure them to the axle.

Don't lose the shims, they are important.

Use a Dremel or small die grinder to remove as much of the staked-over part of the stud as possible without cutting into the hub (too much); then unscrew the stud as far as it will go. If it doesn't come out, screw it back in and remove some more metal (the process will have raised the staked portion a bit so you can grind more of it away).

Once the new studs are in place, use a sharp punch and BFH to peen the backs again.

I tried once using ordinary splined studs from FLAPS, but the experiment did not go well. The metal in the TR hubs is very hard, and instead of deforming around the stud splines, it just sheared them off. Better preparation (eg chamfering the holes after drilling them) might have prevented that, but I didn't pursue the project.

 

[bobhustead]

To expound on the removal of the shaft and hub as a unit, you will not be able to get the hub off the axle without special tools. I did mine with the axle and hub in place. What a pita.
Bob

 

[Andrews]

Thank you very much for the quick and thorough replies! Looks like I will have to find a day or two when I have serious time available.

Andrew