Need help with rear axle

I have a 66' CJ5 with a Dana 44 rear axle. I'm rebuilding the axle and I'm trying to remove the hub. I used heat and the correct puller, but no luck so far. I used a breaker bar with my floor jack handle and I also tried a 1/2" air impact wrench. I have destroyed 2 lug nuts after they were ripped from the studs. I have the lug nuts 90% on the studs and I'm still tearing out the threads of the lug nuts. Any ideas?

 

I use the same puller on mine, but have 5 legs instead of 3. When you get it as tight as you can with the impact wrench, smack the puller bolt with a 3 lb sledge. The hub will pop right off (usually), always have for me anyway.

 

And make sure you are not standing in line with the hub or you may have a very painful injury...

 

When you had the puller set tight did you give the puller center bolt a couple of hard hits with a BFH. Then tighten it up and give it another couple of hits?

 

I didn't try the BFH approach...I will let you know how it goes. Thanks

 

Put the nut back on that thing before you get hurt!
Leave it about 3-4 turns loose so it stops the hub from flying when it pops loose.

Don

 

Have you tried heating it with a torch?

Do you have the cover off the diff? Have you tried loosening the c clips on the carrier?

Try driving it in and out of the driveway a little it should pop right out!
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He said he already tried heat

There isnt any c clips in the carrier on the 44's Ive torn apart

Not sure how driving it would be safe


Use the bfh trick and keep tightening and shell pop right off but as others said put the nut back on and stand to the side.

 

Replaced bearings in my rearend just before summer. found a puller at a local garage looked like it was a hundred years old. I also tried the 1/2" impact to no avail. It took a 3/4 impact, 8 lb sledge and soaking it in PB blaster everyday for four days.

 

Here are some pics of the hub puller I build when I still worked as a Millwright.





That center bolt is a 1" fine thread grade 8, with a grade 8 nut welded on the inside of the puller. Originally I buillt it with just the 1/2 thick top threaded for the bolt, but I stripped the threads using it on one particularly stubborn hub.

After I put in the nut and got a new bolt I tried it on the same hub again. I used anti-seize lubricant on the threads and turned the bolt with a 3/4 drive air impact gun. You should have heard the BANG when it finally popped.

Don

 

I had one on my old 64 CJ-6 that would not budge. We reached in back of the hub, un bolted the backing plate and pulled the axle with the hub still attached out. My friend took it to his shop and tried to press it out in a hydraulic press and only succeeded it flaring the end of the axle. Finally ended up slitting the hub down to the key way with a hacksaw. I had a machinist recut the axle threads in a lathe and clean up the keyway in a milling machine. Don't know how the hub got stuck on so tight. Like having a flanged shaft.

 

By the way, those chrome lugnuts aren't nearly as strong as a stock lugnut. Get some stock type lugnuts at the auto parts. They won't strip out. As stated before, you need to smack the end of the puller bolt after you have a lot of pressure on it.

 

How much heat did you use--a propane torch or oxy/acet? When I pulled mine I had to use the puller as you have, banged on the center shaft of the puller and then sat there with an oxy/acet torch till it came off like a gunshot. In an unusual inspiration for me, i had the nut threaded on the shaft to prevent it from flying off, just as the others said.

 

I've heard of people torquing down the puller screw and just letting it sit there under tension for a while then coming back later to find the whole works lying on the garage floor.

 

Hub removal was a success! Thanks for the BFH trick. I attached the castle nut to the axle as recommended, used a heavy duty 1/2" impact and beat the puller bolt about 6 times and she came right off. The drivers side hub was bent from PO, so I will change that one out. Eventually I will be changing over to a full floater kit, but that will have to wait for now.

@Don...I like your custom hub puller, I might have to copy your idea. I will need to pull these hubs again when I'm ready for the FF kit.
@Posi...I'm definitely changing those lug nuts. I'm not a fan of chrome parts.

 

Don's ho-made puller looks very similar to the one I built.
My version has countersunk lug holes to fit the lug nuts and does not use a center bolt.
Mine just has an end cap that pushes against the end of axle shaft just when the lug nuts are well onto the lug bolts.

 

Great that you got it off. Often, it's the shock from the BFH that does it.

 

I got the idea from an illustration in the FSM of the factory hub puller. I thought Hmm I could make one of them....
I scrounged the metal from the boneyard at the mill, cut a section of 4" schedule 80 pipe and a couple of pieces of 1/2 plate, some torch and grinder work and drill press to cut the lug holes and borrowed the tap for the threaded center hole.

I also saw the picture of the axle housing spreader and had the same idea, but that is a story for another thread.

Don