Date:         Tue, 7 May 1996 13:51:41 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Tobin T. Copley" <tobin@vcn.bc.ca>
Subject:      RE: drum brake adjustment

On Tue, 7 May 1996, Dan Soiney wrote:

> From: 	Claralw@aol.com[SMTP:Claralw@aol.com]
> 
> you can get these poundy things- its a piece of d*mn sturdy flat metal =
> about
> 1/2 thick that had a place for the big nut, and a place to hit it, you =
> take a
> big hammer and pound the nut  off.  works a treat.  they  come in 36mm =
> and
> 46mm sizes.   I've seem them for sale at vw shops for ~$5, and well =
> worth it.
>   just make sure the wheels are on the ground and the parking brakes on.
>   actually, this could also be used to free stuck rear wheels too.
> 
> It also helps to use a soft (brass, etc) hammer, as otherwiseyou will =
> mar up the wheel (personal experience).  But, these things really work!
> 
> danno

I have one of these, and use it every now and then.  I have two concerns 
with it, though:

1) I don't like delivering that kind of severe percussive shock to my 
wheel bearings.  I use a 5-pound hammer with full-tilt strikes holding 
the hammer with both hands--that's a lot of force.  I actually block the 
wheels and leave the bus out of gear with the brakes off so that the bus 
can roll back and forth with each strike and so I don't stress the 
tranny or brakes.  But should I worry about my bearings?  Replacing rear 
wheel bearings is a dirty, clumsy, frustrating job, and I don't want to 
do it any more often than I have to.

2) I don't hit the wheel with the hammer, but the "wrench" does touch the 
wheel and it leaves impressions/scrapes along the surface where it was 
touching the wheel when struck.  And yes, I have the wrench pushed *all* 
the way back onto the nut, cause I'd hate to have that heavy wrench thing 
flying in my face after I've creamed it with a 5-pound hammer.  I'm not 
going to have it less than securely seated on the nut just to save the 
look of my wheels!

Comments?

Tobin 

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Tobin T. Copley              VW Busses to Inuvik!        =============  
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