Sidescreen TR rear Hub Puller Instructions

[jsneddon]

User GeneW has created a PDF file describing how he created a hub puller that required no welding but a little bit of machining from readily available parts.

I assume that it would work for the solid axle 4's also but I'm not entirely sure.

He did not have any way of hosting the file but gave me permission to do so. I have added it to the BCF wiki and you can download it from there:

https://www.britishcarforum.com/tikiwiki/tiki-index.php?page=Rear+Hub+Puller

 

[Don Elliott]

FWIW many people think they have to pull the hub off the axle to do a lot of work on the rear axle. You can do quite a bit of work once you remove the axle as shown in the excellect tech. article above without having to pull off the hub.

 

[TR4nut]

How's Gene doing? He offered to help pull my hubs for me a couple of years ago, but I never got to it. His puller looks very well engineered.

I like to keep track of the Wisconsin TR bunch as I am a born and bred Cheesehead.

Randy

 

[jsneddon]

Sounds like he's back into it after a hiatus. Got an email from him this morning regarding the document. Apparently I asked him for a copy about a year ago.

 

[jsneddon]

FWIW many people think they have to pull the hub off the axle to do a lot of work on the rear axle. You can do quite a bit of work once you remove the axle as shown in the excellect tech. article above without having to pull off the hub.

Isn't pulling the hub the only way to get to those bearings in there? I guess it is just another case of the "might as wells" when you get that far into it.

 

[TR3driver]

True, but the original bearings seem to last forever if they are kept greased. AFAIK mine are original and have over 300,000 miles on them.

Given all the issues with poor quality replacement parts, not to mention the hazards of ruining the hubs even with the tool; I sure wouldn't replace those bearings unless they needed it.

And if I did have to change them (or the grease seal that also requires pulling the hub); I'd send them to Herman van den Akker to be split rather than messing with building the tool myself.

 

[TR4nut]

The main reason I contemplated it was not for the bearings - I'm still thinking of going to longer studs for regular rims instead of the short studs for the wire wheels.

The threaded, then peened design of the studs on those hubs is a pain I think.

Randy

 

[GeneW]

Hello,
Time for an introduction. I'm Gene Wellenstein and I am the hub puller person. I built the puller for my use (TR3A) but have since separated about 20 axle/hub assemblies. The nice feature of this puller is that when the hub separates from the axle it does so with little fanfare. I often have to disassemble the puller to see if the items are separated as there is no "jump" or noise to indicate the that the hub is free. I believe this is because of the strongback bolted to the hub which holds the hub very rigid so there is no bending moment on the hub. Feel free to contact me if you want a hub separated. I just ask that you include the cost of shipping the hub back to your location which seems to run about $20 for 2 axle/hubs (one way) to the west coast. I can turn a set of axles around in one day assuming it is not winter (I live in WI) and I can access my picnic table. Thanks to Jim for hosting the article.

Gene

 

[TR4nut]

Hi Gene, and welcome (or welcome back!) to the forum. If I finally do start tearing into my TR4 again you may hear from me on your offer.

Randy (from Rhinelander) DeRuiter

 

[Don Elliott]

Randy - I found some studs on a hub on a late TR3A a few years back that were short. Too short for mounting the steel wheel securely. It wouldn't have passed a safty check at a DMV or MOT test. The other rear hub and both the front hubs had the right length studs for mounting steel wheels. I can't think why only one wheel was like this. Maybe Pedro was asked to work on it by some DPO. We ground off the short studs and slid on new studs which I bought at a NAPA store for about $2.00 each and I MIG welded them where the rounded head seats on the rear of the hub.

I didn't have to remove the hubs.

Like Randall, I too have the original bearings on my 1958 TR3A with 180,000 miles on them.

 

[YankeeTR]

Great to have you here Gene...I'm in Waupaca, WI...hope to hear from you on a regular basis.