Date:         Wed, 10 Jul 1996 01:50:45 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         farchmir@milwaukee.tec.wi.us (Randy Farchmin)
Subject:      Re: Nuts!...Axle Nuts!

>Of course, now I am faced with the dilemma of how to coax those brake
>drums off...The "beat the back of the tyre with a rubber mallet" trick
>that was successful with the front drums had zero effect on these
>babies.

Roy,
The last time I took off the rear drums, I tried hammering, prying, liquid
wrench, WD-40, and a propane torch -- separately and in all possible
combinations.  Then I remembered a trick that a former Mr. Goodwrench told
me that he learned in his "helpful hints to beat the booktime" class. It
worked the first time for both wheels!  There's no guarantee it will work
with yours, but it's easy to find out:

1. Work the star adjuster loose so the rim on the drum clears the pads, if
you haven't already done this.

2. Put the wheel back on the car and finger tighten 3 of the lug nuts to
hold the wheel on.  Leave the axle nut off.

3. Grab hold of the wheel and pull.  The hub *should* slide right off the
splined shaft.

4. If it worked, you now have a wheel in your hand with a brake drum bolted
to it, but the hub is still *firmly* attached to it.

5. Take off the lug nuts and separate the drum/hub from the wheel.

6. Hold the drum with the studs facing upward (about waist high) and drop
it.  The hub should pop loose from the drum.  This worked great on my 86 and
on a few others since then.

7. If that doesn't work, set the hub/drum assembly on the floor (studs up),
put a wood block on the hub, and wack it with a heavy hammer (or an 8-lb
sledge).
(This way, you don't traumatize the bearings, CV's or other parts, as you
might do wailing away at the dirty %$#&@ when it's still attached to the
vehicle.)

Hope this works.  -- Randy     86 GL    84 Wolf


Randy Farchmin    --->            farchmir@milwaukee.tec.wi.us
Dept of Natural(?) Sciences
Milwaukee Area Technical College