TR2/3/3A Rear Axle Rebuild

[Tr3aguy]

I read this article a while back about separating the hub from the axle half shaft.
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf...separating-axle-and-hub&p=1035522#post1035522

Checking the information I noticed Dave was about 30 minutes from where I live. I messaged Dave to see if it was possible to borrow his tool. He was more then happy to lend it out and even dropped it off. We chatted for a while and then he was on his way. I am still learning how to tackle the mechanical side of this car and sometimes I research too much before attempting repairs. My trepidation comes from not wanting to mess up 50 year old parts that are hard to replace and expensive. My life schedule was over-complicated and when I circled back around to it, the process got a little muddy for me. I also found out that someone had tried to work on this side of the axle before. It was pretty wet around the seal area and I think this was an attempt to repair a seal issue. Repeated hammering by the DPO or mechanic did not work and had damaged the threads.

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First order of business was to get Dave's tool to thread on and it did not. One side did not have damage and I used it as my pattern to see how many thread rotations I could get on the tool. I wanted to make sure I had enough bite on the tool because of the pressure needed to separate the two parts. I have heard tales of shops using a 40 ton press and still not having success. Not to mention destroying good hubs in the process.
I started by using a triangle file to get the threads cut back in and used several different size and shape files. I tackled this with lots of patience and many hours of hand filing to restore the thread pattern. Looking good:

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I called Dave and we spoke about the process again and he offered to lend his assistance. We set a date for getting together and several attempts later, the time was set. It was this past Sunday, Dave showed up early, met my dog and the work started. I had removed the drum brakes, Pads and all of the mechanism surrounding the hub. The hub was still bolted to the axle along with the Brake backing plate.
Before picture with brake parts:

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Notice all the brake components have been removed and I am checking to see how far I could get Dave's tool on the hub. The tool is now threaded on and ready for the next step. It is removing the axle from the housing.

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There are 6 screws that hold the hub axle and brake backing plate to the end of the housing, they need to come off. This picture you will see the locking tabs peened over the bolt. Once those come off the axle shaft will slide out with the hub assembly attached.

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The next step was Dave taking over and chucking the half shaft hub assembly up in the vise, attaching Dave's homemade tool and after cranking on it with the air impact driver, a couple blows with a 3lb hammer........bam it was done.
This tool is amazing. I think the total amount of time was about an hour, start to finish. Some of that was for coffee and him having to meet my dog. The dog approved...

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I made sure I kept the shims and shafts separated to the side of the car they belong to. I want to make sure they go back in the same location. I am not going to replace the bearing or races because they look fantastic. I need to clean up the rest of the axle housing, do a bit of painting. Here I also need to remove some 50 year old grease.

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I can't thank Dave enough for his tool and expertise on this process. Dave has also offered to come back for phase 2 the reassembly process. I have to get every thing cleaned up and painted. I ordered new locking tabs and bolts. I have the seals on hand. Dave is bringing back his measuring tools so we can check the end float at that point. Stay tuned for the final process.

Cheers,
JP

 

[sp53]

Always nice to work on a TR and have someone to talk with about the hobby, nice job.

 

[DavidApp]

Having a guide always helps on any journey.

David

 

[Sarastro]

Glad you got it off. When you showed the bunged-up threads, I thought, "use a triangular file on it!" So we think alike.

I made one of those hub pullers, exactly as described in the post. It didn't work for me. I think it should be fine in many cases, but some axles are so tight that the only option is probably a really big press. I've been doing some thread calculations, and while I realize they have a large uncertainly (mostly because the calculation is sensitive to the friction coefficient in the threads), I can't see more than about 6-8 tons of force from the tool. In contrast, 20-ton presses are easily available. Also, in a press, you can apply some heat with a torch, which should help. But keep a change of underwear around for the time when it eventually lets go!

Anyway, here's my story: http://tr4a.nonlintec.com/drivetrain/#rearhubremover