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General MG Thoughts on removing a stubborn 2-ear spinner

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J

Jrmandella

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Car: 1965 MG Midget
Issue: Driver-side front spinner will not budge. I tried a few things and found some interesting solutions

What I have tried
  • I have a clark and clark spinner wrench. It worked perfectly on the other 3 wheels
  • I have tried a soft blow, sand-filled hammer
  • I tried a few whacks with an iron hammer
Comment: I plan to replace the spinner, please no lectures on using the iron hammer.

Questions:
  1. What would be a good way to heat the spinner? Propane or Butane? For how long? I don't have access to acetylene
  2. Any tips on cutting off the spinner? I don't plan to reuse it even if it comes off cleanly. If it won't twsit off in my garage, I'm not trusting on the side of the road
  3. I saw a video on using a 2-prong tool to engage the ears and loosen with an impact/pneumatic wrench -- It is a $300 tool (interesting but I could buy 4 spinners at Moss)
  4. I saw a few videos where someone used a handheld pneumatic hammer. The hammer was held at an angle and the pneumatic action made the spinner move. Thoughts please?
Appreciate your comments. Many thanks in advance
 
Just a thought - use the wooden spinner wrench *backwards*. In other words, mounted on the spinner. use a hammer as tho' you're *tightening* the spinner. One blow should break the thread grip enough to allow using the wooden wrench in the normal *loosen* direction.

Tom M.
 
Thank you . My spinners have "UNDO" arrows on. I am following the direction of the "UNDO arrow". the other 3 spinners can be removed with minimal effort. I tried hitting the long Clark and Clark wrench with hammer, it figured extra force with 2ft of leverage would work. Nothing

I think the hubs are original from the factory, so the possibility of a hub that was made for the opposite side is small
 
Impact is going to be more effective than leverage. Your description of the suggestion of an air chisel (with a blunt bit) on Utube is interesting, but I don't know if the mass of the tool would be enough. If you could put hands on a heavy brass hammer you might have some success. My suggesting brass is not concerned with the spinner. A less elastic collision than that with the steel hammer you used would provide a more effective transfer of force to the spinner. I am thinking of a hammer weighing about 3 pounds.
Bob
 
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Tom's suggestion was to deliberately whack it in the direction you do not want it to go to induce a tiny break in the corrosion that has it locked up. Not a bad thought. But I would whack it directly without the spinner wrench.
Bob
 
'Nother thought. Use one you have off to guesstimate where the spinner threads and spindle threads meet in ref to the round face of the spinner. Drill a couple holes there and soak with aerosol penetrant.
Bob
 
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