Hi guys,
Doing my first XK120 rebuild and have got so much from the forum archives- thanks.
However, need a steer on the axles hubs and half shafts.
Got the big “Jesus” nut off the shaft end relatively easily (compared to some).
Hub is so far immovable but it seems the better strategy to take out the half shaft, backplate, shims and hub together and then use a proper hydraulic press to get off the hub. That way you are applying force to the whole shaft cross section area and not just the centre point with the allied risk of distorting the shaft end.
Manuals talk about undoing the five bolts on the seal retainer and then “withdrawing” the half shaft assembly. So my shafts have not read the manual and don’t want to withdraw.
Is it just the bearing interference fit that is retaining the halfshaft at this point?
Can I just rig up a slide hammer attached to the hub (cos that is the only thing you can grab hold of) and bash away or am I going to damage something?
what happens if the hub comes off but the shaft remains stuck? Nothing to get hold of now.
Apologies that this is an known problem, but I couldn’t find clear direction on this and I only have one try at it.
I rented a hub puller. The guy at the rental place said there’s not many that know how to use this tool anymore.
I put the nut on backwards leaving it backed out two threads, and put a sacrificial steel block between the nut and the puller screw, so there was no damage to the nut or shaft.
Yes…it is the bearing cup’s interference fit holding the shaft in place once the thick bearing retainer is unbolted from the end of the axle housing tube. I did not have a bearing puller (slide hammer) at the time I disassembled my 4HA, so I used studs and coupling nuts to push the assembly out of the tube, relying on the spring mounts to press against…took the hubs off later…another trial.
The wire wheel hub removing tool threads on to the end of the splined hub threads, It has a big stud. bolts through the centre which is woulnd in to push against the end of the half shaft [ or not and sacrificial plate as rob mentioned]
It is important not to stand in front of the 'line of fire’when it comes loose.
On the subject of putting these back together I was talking to a friend from Boeing regarding laser cutting and shims. [ No I can’t remember why that got started] But we tend to have to obtain [ buy] various thickness shims in the hope of find some that will make the right thickness. He said that with aeroplanes they make shims from a laminate, A number of this plates of shim 'glued’together. This is cut [ lasered] to the shape required and one can peel off any number to leave the desired thickness.
This seems it would be useful for us. It’s probably somthting one doesn’t need much up front cost to do .
Here is a very heavy duty hub puller, model number is 4567-G. This one branded as a Bluepoint, but you also see them marked with the Snap-On brand. Good ones can be easily found on eBay for $50 and up. These were sold to separate the two-piece Dana-Spicer hub and axle shaft assembly that was found in half-ton truck rear axles used from the mid 1940’s up until the mid 1960’s in Jeep, Willys, Ford, Studebaker, International and on and on. The early Dana-Spicer hub and tapered axle design is identical to the Salisbury 2HA and 4HA, They come with three legs, but additional legs can be purchased and added, up to a maximum of 5.
dont know if ur in the USA, but the JCNA loan the official Churchill tools to their members
our club does this as well, I have used the correct Churchill tool, which has 5 holes in a very solid threaded centre, its awesome…I have heard of them becoming bent using other than the correct hub puller
Thanks for your comments gentlemen.
I decided to invert in buying a heavy duty puller from Sykes Pickavant, similar to the examples given. I avoided the (very) cheap look-alikes that come up in an internet search.
The problem of simply “withdrawing” the half shafts was solved when a specialist axle/differential builder told me they usually had to use oxy-acetylene heat to break the bearing interference fit to get them out. Unless you are lucky, a slide hammer is not going to do it.
Mike H
here is a pic of the genuine tool, I have used it quite a few times with success.
its a serious beast with 1-5/16" nut (3/4" drive gear)…it makes light work of most cases and wont distort the hub, due to 5 attachments
On the later IRS, at some point, it would seem a fix for clunking axle sound and breaking jesus nut was too loctite the spline…I came across one, and used this tool, with 6ft pipe and all my strength to get the hubs apart
