Tom,
As someone who has had a similar experience, I can readily empathize with
your predicament. A lot of others on the List have related similar
experiences as well. It's been quite a while since this problem has been
discussed here, but there may be some help in the archives. I just have two
things to suggest: First, BE DAMNED CAREFUL!! The amount of energy your are
storing up in the puller can do a lot of damage. Be sure and leave the axle
nut in place, just loose, so the hub won't fly off. The reason the hub
won't come off is, of course, it's rusted and corroded in place. I've heard
about something that Sears sells that's great for loosening stuck items
like this. Of course there's the normal stuff made for breaking things free
like Liquid Wrench, WD-40, etc. My recommendation would be to apply some
product like this around the hub/axle junction and then use a heavy duty
hub puller to apply a hefty amount of tension. Then, just leave it alone
for a few hours, maybe add some more penetrating fluid from time to time.
Hopefully, sooner or later it will just quietly succumb to the constant
persuasion.
I'm sure others on the List will have more helpful suggestions. Oh, BTW, I
really enjoy your sense of humor. : )
Bob
At 09:35 PM 6/1/00 -0700, Tom Witt wrote:
>Dear List,
>Having mentioned the excessive amount of play in the rearend some of you
>recommended that I replace the bearings in the differential. I have embarked
>on that process, but to all of my ability have not been able to remove the
>axles. Using slide hammer as the manual states didn't do anything. I then
>constructed a more agressive slide hammer by attaching a hub puller to to
>the hub. Instead of attaching the treaded bolt as a puller is normally used
>I put a piece of half inch pipe 3 ft long into the puller hole and capped it
>so it wouldn't slide out. I then attached a 5in. pulley over the pipe (I had
>to have something to hit) and capped the back end as well. Then applying
>tension as I should I began wailed as hard as I could on the pulley, which
>pulled on the hub puller, hub, axle, bearing. NOTHING. Well I shouldn't say
>nothing, I did a nice job of bending two lug bolts, maring most of them,
>shattered the steel pulley and bent the steel pipe. The heat that I applied
>probably cooked the inner seal not to mention that the seemingly good
>bearing is now probably thrashed. I then took my coil spring compressor
>hooking it to the back side of the hub running the bolts through holes for
>the brake mount pivot and the cylinder. I then positioned two pipe wrenches
>between the leaf spring and the frame rail to act as I beams to force the
>compessor bolts against. Results: The compressor bolts bent about an inch
>before I stopped, the car was creaking from the force. I would pull the
>rearend, chain it to a tree stump and throw it off a cliff, but being I'm a
>Crash Test Dummy for Murphy's law the stump would pull instead of the
>bearing, I'd loose the rearend and chain and someone from "Save the Trees"
>would have me fined for destroying a perfectly good stump. Even if the
>rearend was pulled I can't see how it could be mounted in a press and have
>pressure applied at the right points, so that seems out as well. I have
>heard that the Postal Jeeps have the same rearend, but the drive shaft hub
>and wheel hubs need to be changed. Is that true? Do the spring mounts line
>up? Is there a difference in track width? There are a couple of these Jeeps
>at the local Pick a Part and "Going Postal" would be cheaper than what I
>have spent on bearings already. Mind you on my budget I don't restore, I
>arrest decay. Ironically years ago I did this same task on my girlfriends
>Celica and after removing the backing plate bolts the Axle/Bearing slid
>right out. Results: She married me. Finally on the off chance that I
>actually proceed and get the axles out I think I will need to replace the
>gears as well (pitted). A while back I saw someone selling 2:88's for $50
>and said he had about 10 sets. Does anyone know who this was? But thinking
>of all that work I think I would rather go postal jeep if it will work.
>Thanks to any of you who can help. Tom Witt
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