Removing rear brake hubs

ole_Bill

ole_Bill

Member
I have a '36 Tudor Sedan with what I believe are '39 juice brakes. The brake switch had been made before I bought the car. I have developed a strange noise at the right rear when the car is moving. It makes this little cherping noise with every wheel rotation. I removed the hubcap and wheel/tire and checked everything I could see, but the noise was still there after I put things back togather. So, my next step is to disassemble everything at that end of the rear axle, but I haven't done it before and don't know how. It was suggested that a brake part has come loose and I will need a "hub puller" (whatever that is) to get at it. Does this sound reasonable? Any suggestions and/or instructions would be welcome.
 
Yes, you will definitely need a hub puller. You want one that will grip the hub in the center, at the notch in the snout, not one that grips the hub by the studs. They will break the hub. You need to remove the nut and cotter pin on the rear axel at the center of the hub. You will need to loosen up on the brake shoes as much as you can, then use the puller. Attach it to the hub, put tension on the bolt through the center, then hit it a good hard blow with a BFH and it should come loose. You may have to do that several times. It will sound like you broke something when the hub pops loose, but not to worry. When it pops loose, remove the hub and drum and look for scratch marks inside the hub, lose springs, worn out linings etc., etc. Keep us posted on your progress and we can walk you through it. Good luck,
 
Ole Bill, I'd like to add my 2¢ worth to the above:
The puller is available from a vender in the V8 Times. Not cheap, but it's exactly what you need.

With regard to the advice "hit it a good hard blow", you must remember that you will be stiking a blow directly to the spider gear and on to the axle on the other side of the car. The axle should be jacked up only as much as required to support the weight of that wheel. In other words, the tire should be firmly on the ground, but not supporting the car, thereby aiding in the tightening of the center bolt.

Strike the blow only after you have cinched up the center bolt (with a cheater bar) to the point that you cannot reasonably exert more pressure to it. In this way you will minimize any danger of damage to the spider gear, as you will need only a nominal blow to release the hub.

Another tip, check behind, and you may find a retaining clip bolted to the backing plate, intended to retain the hub should you break an axle on the road. This clip will prevent removal of the hub until the clip itself is removed.

In addition to loosening the brakes, don't forget to release the handbrake!


EDIT: Lawson, I just looked up BFH, 'cause I wasn't familiar with that kind of hammer. Ats-a-wot-Ima-talkin-bout, ya donna haffa smak it dat hard!
 
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Jack you are correct . HF pitman arm puller & grind the jaws to fit behind the snub of the hub. Not much grinding either Go slow & check the fit often.
B-O-B
 
If you do not want to invest in a hub puller, you can remove the cotter pin, slacken the nut to finger tight, the drive your car around in a tight circle with the offending drum to the outside of the circle. This usually frees the drum/hub.
When you put it all back together, the tapers must be clean and dry, preferably use a new key, and tighten the nut to around 200-220lbs.
 
has any one actually seen a hub hurt or broke by using the 3 arm puller on the wheel studs, or are you just repeating an old wifes tale or some one just told you that happened? i have been using the 3 arm puller for 50 years and have never damaged anything, im just curious
 
ford1>>>has any one actually seen a hub hurt or broke by using the 3 arm puller on the wheel studs>>>

No, but I broke a hefty 3 arm puller once. 8^)

Jack E/NJ

PS to lotsagas4u: I was told you're supposed to put them on dry. But I ignored the advice and used a thin coating of Never-Seez anyway. 8^)
 
I knew instinctively that Lawson was referring to the Big Ford Hammer (BFH)
 

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The gear puller you see in this pic had been in my tool box for years without being used. The hub came off easily without using the BFH.

So now I got the hub off and various damaged/worn parts laying all over the floor. Is there a pic somewhere that shows me what this thing should look like when I get it back together?
 

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Here's a link to the Ford "exploded view" drawings. Mac Van Pelt has a whole series of these drawings. Good source of info!

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/FH_images/FH_brakes-pics/Flathead_Brakes_passenger_1939to42.jpg

Also, if it came off that easy, it could be that its looseness could have been the problem. I'd clean up the tapered surfaces and maybe put some thin coat of dye (machinist's dye) on the axle end and put the drum on without the key. Just put it on by hand and turn it back and forth and see if the dye is worn off evenly or if there are high spots that could be taken down with a file or fine sand paper. Before I put mine together, without bearings or anything, I used some valve grinding compound to get a good fit axle to hub. I welcome any corrections or comments here!
 
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B-O-B said:
Jack you are correct . HF pitman arm puller & grind the jaws to fit behind the snub of the hub. Not much grinding either Go slow & check the fit often.
B-O-B
Click to expand...

I just bought one of these for $10 at Harbor Freight. Ground the jaws a bit then installed, tightened the screw tight then tapped on cone of the axle about 10-20 times and it popped. This was on a 34.
 
Yeah, I lap mine on to the taper with valve grinding paste. Do it until ya get a near flawless finish between the hub and the axle.
OP, looks like your emergency brake lever has fallen off.
 
I used the cheaper puller meant for 29-32 Fords to pull the hubs on a 39 rearend about a month ago and it worked good. I tried to use it on a 37 rear hub and it would not work on it.If I were at home I could take pic's of the differences so you would know if it would work for you. Rod
 
OLE BILL, that is a one handed BFH, not to be confused with the popular two handed BFH, yeah looks like the E brake clip n pincame loose . ERNIE n tx
 
I also had some noise coming from a rear wheel on my 1932 and found that the axle taper was not in the best condition and worn enough so that the drum would lightly contact the backing plate, especially when making a turn. There was no question, because you could see the rubbing mark on the backing plate. The solution was to clean the taper, use a new key and use a taper shim before putting the drum back on. Tighten the axle nut, I think I have read to 100 ft-lbs., and the problem and noise was gone. Ed
 
Ed in Maine said:
I also had some noise coming from a rear wheel on my 1932 and found that the axle taper was not in the best condition and worn enough so that the drum would lightly contact the backing plate, especially when making a turn. There was no question, because you could see the rubbing mark on the backing plate. The solution was to clean the taper, use a new key and use a taper shim before putting the drum back on. Tighten the axle nut, I think I have read to 100 ft-lbs., and the problem and noise was gone. Ed
Click to expand...

100 foot pounds is not enough.
 
ole_Bill said:
I have a '36 Tudor Sedan with what I believe are '39 juice brakes. The brake switch had been made before I bought the car. I have developed a strange noise at the right rear when the car is moving. It makes this little cherping noise with every wheel rotation. I removed the hubcap and wheel/tire and checked everything I could see, but the noise was still there after I put things back togather. So, my next step is to disassemble everything at that end of the rear axle, but I haven't done it before and don't know how. It was suggested that a brake part has come loose and I will need a "hub puller" (whatever that is) to get at it. Does this sound reasonable? Any suggestions and/or instructions would be welcome.
Click to expand...

Below is the stock 1940 Ford Pass. side rear brake. Same as 1939.
 

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