How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

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Paul Giganti
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How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#1 Post by Paul Giganti »

I have a problem removing the left and right rear axel nuts on my 356A. They do not appear to be rusted on, just very tight. These are the things I've tried without success:

• My impact wrench won't budge either nut. I've held it on each nut a good two minutes with zero rotation.

• Penetrating oil applied several times over several hours and a few days made no difference on either side.

• I tried a 2 foot 1/2" breaker bar & socket with 3 foot pipe extension and only managed to break the breaker bar!

At this point I don't know what to try next :( . Any advice would be appreciated.

Geoff Fleming
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#2 Post by Geoff Fleming »

Try a very long breaker bar in order to increase the leverage. Sometimes these nuts can be very stubborn. An impact wrench rarely works.

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Bil Brown
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#3 Post by Bil Brown »

you need a 3/4" breaker bar/socket..... with a 4 ft cheater pipe......here`s my rig I`ve been jumpin on for 45 years.....Hazet 1056 6 pt socket with a tapered end to get a full bite on flywheel nuts too!
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Eric Wills
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#4 Post by Eric Wills »

4 ft. 3/4" bar/torque wrench. But you probably just need a bigger compressor or better 1/2" impact. My Snap On 1/2 impact hooked to an 80 gallon tank Ingersoll compressor has never failed to remove an axle nut. If you have a small compressor, turn the gauge up to 120 psi and only use the impact for about 10 seconds at a time, then let the compressor regain pressure. Keep trying.

We did have a recent situation where the aforementioned previously invincible impact gun rated at 1100 lbs. torque in reverse, for the first time did not remove a flywheel gland nut. Had to do it the old school way using the 4 ft torque wrench plus two flywheel locks and two FAT guys (according to Berardelli, I have become one now after getting married).

Most certainly not an impossible to fix situation. Good luck, sir.
Eric Wills

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David Jones
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#5 Post by David Jones »

One thing to remember after having to remove the nuts the old school way for many years at the track is to THROW your weight on the breaker bar. Come down on it like a pro wrestler trying to squash his opponent. Leaning your weight on the breaker bar is not sufficient. I found that a 1/2" breaker bar actually becomes a broken bar very quickly. After exchanging about 4 Craftsman bars I went out and bought a 3/4" "T" bar and 3/4" drive 36 mm socket. I also eventually bought a toquemeister and now never have and issue removing any 36 mm ATF fasteners.
Just in case I would throw in the fact that the nuts are both right hand thread as I have seen folks try and remove the left side nut thinking it was left hand thread. That only applied to 58 and previous front left axles.
If I had known I would live this long I would have pushed the envelope a little harder.
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Jack Walter
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#6 Post by Jack Walter »

I use a Proto 3/4" drive Ell Handle - part number J5686 - you can stick a piece of 3/4 pipe on it and you won't bend it - it's about 1" diameter and a solid piece of steel.

http://www.protoindustrial.com/en/indus ... dle-16%22/
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Ron LaDow
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#7 Post by Ron LaDow »

To confuse the thread:
I bought a 'Torque Master' geared torque multiplier years ago. It seems by that time, there were two on the market, and I got the one that didn't work, so I never got the chance to feel really clever.
But many people got the good one, and I think Ab ("Afterwerk") modifies them to fit the 205 stud pattern. Comments from those who have the right tool moded the right way?
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Neil Bardsley
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#8 Post by Neil Bardsley »

What Ron said but try one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Labour-Savin ... =R40&rt=nc


I have both this and the tool Ron mentions. I find this easier to use.

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Adam Wright
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#9 Post by Adam Wright »

Years ago we had the same problem, nothing would budge axle nuts. The problem was compounded by the fact the gearbox was out of the car so you had limited leverage because the drums weren't anchored to the car, but just flopping on the floor. We need something with huge impact power, so we bought one of the big two handed impact gun. It kind of looks and feels like the gun Jesse Ventura carried in the movie Predator. You need a big compressor to run it but if you have access to a big compressor I recommend getting one of these. We only use it a few times a year, but when you need it, you need it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-alum ... 61901.html
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Felix Macaluso
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#10 Post by Felix Macaluso »

I found an interesting tool at a VW parts shop: it is a casting with a 36mm hole at one end and a 1/2 inch drive hole about 4 inches away. It has a spot to tap with a hammer. Idea is to apply many ft/lbs with a breaker bar and then whach it with a hammer. The impuls, added to the applied tourque, broke the nut loos easily.
 

gregg hake
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#11 Post by gregg hake »

The first time I had to take mine off, I couldn't do it by hand, so I took em to a gas station. They couldn't do it with their impact wrench. So I took it to a truck stop facility. Their impact wrench removed the nuts easily.

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Dave Wildrick
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#12 Post by Dave Wildrick »

Ron LaDow wrote:To confuse the thread:
I bought a 'Torque Master' geared torque multiplier years ago. It seems by that time, there were two on the market, and I got the one that didn't work, so I never got the chance to feel really clever.
But many people got the good one, and I think Ab ("Afterwerk") modifies them to fit the 205 stud pattern. Comments from those who have the right tool moded the right way?
Ab Tiedemann made some of these about 13 years ago. I bought his prototype, where he modified the sector gear that comes with the Torquemeister clone from CIP1, so that it fits the lug spacing on C cars. It works very well on the rear axle nut on my C coupes.
Here's our original email interchange where he describes (in great detail) what he did. Not sure if he has any left, as they are costly to manufacture, and demand & profit are low.
[David:

I never received a lot of "interest" originally, but I proceeded anyway.

I have attached some pictures of the part. One is cobbled together and is a modification of the segment gear that you receive with the Torque-Meister kit. It will work with both brake systems. The other is a welded assembly of two machined components of known material composition. This is a configuration of my design. The gear teeth on the latter are heat treated. I have tested both on my car [disc brake] to both loosen and tighten the nut.

I originally put the rear axle nut on with a especially made reaction bar, a 3/4' drive 30-36 inch long strong bar and a 3/4" 36mm single hex impact socket which were both of Snap-On manufacture. I leaned on it until it was "tight" and then some more to line up the holes for the pin. This has been my way of doing it for nearly 45 years. With either adapter, you mount it to the drum or disc. Then you find a 5 gallon can and sit down with a 3/8 " drive [I used a small strong bar{see picture} with a 10 mm [yes 10 mm 3/8 drive] socket attached and just turned it effortlessly loose. Well, about 45-48 lb ft of effort. And, I tightened same with a 600 lb-in rated torque wrench to the specification of 400 lb-ft. Result? The holes lined up perfectly and I installed the pin. See picture. My neighbor and son-in-law did not believe their eyes and tried it for themselves. They are now believers. This welded assembly also requires use of some of the components that are supplied with the Torque-Meister kit from others like CIP. These are actually clones of the original offered--so I am told.

The present welded design adapter will cost $115 delivered. I only made three. It is a lot of work. The "cobbled" one, $75 + the postage and quite frankly, this prototype was more work. The Torque-Meister components are all cast elements of unknown material. All I know is that the as cast parts have a very hard skin and are difficult to machine. It is designed originally for VW but the large pattern holes are too small and the small pattern holes are not at the correct location. A lot of tough machining to do and a small quantity is not cost effective to laser or EDM. The welded assembly is much better looking, but the material cost is high and there are secondary operations involved which further increase the cost. So, some money is saved cobbling one together at the expense of looks.

Results of a Value Engineering Analysis might find that there is another solution which may be less costly, but I suspect that it will still be around $100. But this is much less than purchasing the components that I mentioned at the beginning of the post.


-----Original Message-----
From: dwildric@mdanderson.org [mailto:dwildric@mdanderson.org]
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 1:30 PM
To: afterwerke@comcast.net
Subject: RE: [356Talk] Rear Axle and Flywheel nuts/Reply to the list


You wrote:
[If there were enough interest to support a prototype/pilot production
run-- say 30 units, I will study the existing design and configure one
for 356 applications. This will be a USA tool with alloy/tool steel
components and will not likely be cheap. Perhaps >$150. Still
interested?]

Ab,
I would pay $150 for a quality Torquemeister clone, as long as it will
work on both the rear axle nuts and the flywheel gland nut on 6V C cars
without further modification.
Best wishes,
Dave

David M. Wildrick
Lone Star 356 Club
Houston, TX
64C coupe
65C coupe
#10230]
Ab'sPrototype+CIP1arm-InAction.jpg
AFT TMA  disc and drum.jpg
IMG_0437A.JPG
Dave Wildrick
Houston, TX
#10230
64C coupe
65C coupe

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David Jones
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#13 Post by David Jones »

Here is the cheap way to do it if you already have a torquemeister. Procure a used 12 volt VW flywheel. Get a machine shop to cut it in half and also drill holes to fit a 356 drum and 356 disc brake hub. Share the cost with a friend and you have a tool which will remove axle nuts easily. You could also use the whole flywheel if you are feeling selfish.
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If I had known I would live this long I would have pushed the envelope a little harder.
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Paterno Bigcas
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#14 Post by Paterno Bigcas »

I just had the same issue and used a "Torque Dude" that I purchased from Zimms, worked like a charm.
Pat

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Jim Nelson
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Re: How to remove two VERY TIGHT rear axel nuts??

#15 Post by Jim Nelson »

I have a 3/4" impact gun from another application that does the trick.

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