Hi Guys,

I thought this would be an easy job.... but indeed I am having a hard time replacing a few sheared wheel bolts on my 49 F2.
Getting the stumps out was surprisingly easy, but the new bolts got stuck as soon as the serrations come in contact with the drum. Is there any convenient way to get them in at home?
I do understand this has to be a really tight fit, but how hard can I whack on them before the cast drum breaks apart..... I tried a mixture of a 1 lb hammer and pulling with a nut and a stack of washers. I have an 10 lb hammer as well, though!. I do not have a 20 ton press, but if it is out of question doing without, I'll have to visit some shop who has one.

As these 12" drums are no F1 parts, I really need to save them, new ones will be hard to get - let alone here in Germany.

Wil in Hamburg

 

Heat the drum as you tighten down the lug nut on the new stud. If that does not work then it's time to use a shop press.

 

That and throw the studs in the freezer, Heat the drum, Give it a shot. C Clamp and a socket? Or as CharlieLed said shop press!

KJ

 

First off you should separate the brake drum from the wheel hub, take the drum out of the equation before you warp it. Those 3 countersunk slotted head screws have to come out to separate drum from the hub. They can be a chore to get out, there are several posts about them on this site. Then take your hubs to a shop with a press. It will be a 5 minute job for them and should only cost you the minimum shop charge, cheaper than getting a new hub if you break or warp one with sledge hammer or heat.

 

I agree but getting those slot-head screws out is not fun. I used an impact hammer and lots of Kroil. When you put things back together back order Allen-head replacement screws (throw the slot heads away) and use anti-sieze compound on the threads. You will be glad that you did at the next brake job.

 

By the look of the wear on the drums, their service life may be questionable. Probably not what you want to hear, and you may already be aware, but I thought it was at least worth mentioning just to be on the safe side.

 

 

Finding new drums will be a challenge. A couple years ago Bill (numberdummy) helped me find the last two in existence. Maybe more have been unearthed since then.

If the studs are too large or the knurling is too deep they can damage the hub. You will notice it by the hub deforming outward at the outer, narrow section of the hub.

 

You will have a lot tougher time removing flat head socket (Allen) head cap screws later. You will round out the shallow socket on flat head screws very easily. The sockets in flat head socket head cap screws are marginal at best for screw removal when everything stays clean and free of rust. They would be much harder to remove than the slotted screws when rusty.
Mark

 

WOW - so many suggestions.

Mulled over it all night and finally I managed to get the new bolts seated with "slightly" improved leverage while pulling them through with a 3ft extention pipe on the ratchet (tough ratched, that is... ). Additionally I did some tapping with a punch on the bolt head every so often between the wrenching, Securely supported by an appropriate size socket from below, but the main action was pulling . So, there is hope the drum remained round. I'm glad I could leave the torch and BFH alone and did not have to remove the hub either, which was my greatest fear in this game. Have been reading enough horror stories about it - I would not even try it.

Wayne is right, the drums might be on the worn side, but getting new ones will be really hard next to impossible. The inner lip visible in the picture is not rectangular but sloped shallow, thus it appears three times larger as the wear actually is. I will remove the outer lip and we will see if they vibrate or chatter when the brakes are ready for service again. Wear limit of the drums is only 0.020, and they are about there. I am aware I will have to save the tiny bit of life in them and not to use them up excessively.

 

I didn't even put those screws back in. I read on this forum that they were most likely an installation aid at the factory and probably aren't necessary. Hopefully that's correct...

 

Actually they aren't necessary. The wheel will clamp the drum tight when it is installed.
Mark

 

 

The hub needs to be supported where it will be receiving the pressure from the opposite side, otherwise beating the snot out of it will probably resort in making the hub wobble. Don't use a nut and lube to pull it through, you'll weaken the stud. Take the parts to a machine shop and allow the pros to do it right.

 

I'll consider your advice for sure, Beav.
I have seen people heating wheel nuts until half the hub was glowing red, followed by two men jumping up and down on a 5ft. extension bar. This was back in my childhood days on farm equipment negelcted for decades. Even those wheel studs did not break. I wonder how the PO's of my Truck managed to shear off five of them. Careless use of a wheel gun could have done that.