Need help with 40 ford rear end.

One axel seems to be stuck. It is not a seized brake as the wheel will come part way off over the brake shoes. Also cannot find how to remove the wheel as it comes off about 2 inches and stops.
thanks,

 

I can't follow what you wrote.

The drum is held to the axle with a taper fit, even after you take the center nut off. You need a heavy duty drum puller.

The axles won't come out unless you take the drums off and then seperate the axle tubes from the center banjo. The axles are installed from the inside of the rear, not like a more modern car that can come out the other way.

 

Just posting this for a buddy and all I know is that one axel will not rotate and acts like a brake shoe is stuck but that is not the problem.

thanks for the info on removing the wheel and axel I will p*** that along.
paul

 

I took apart quite a few brakes on "field find" junked Ford front and rear ends. The sticking shoes were a real bear on most all of them,

There are brake adjuster boltheads halfway down the backing plates...plus there are also 2 more at the very bottom, close together. The lower ones have lock nuts with a center shaft with 2 flat sides to turn with a wrench.

Try working with all 4 adjusters.

You may need to unbolt the wheel cylinder just to get a tiny bit more freeplay.

Maybe someone here has some better tricks..

 

If you have separated the hub from the axle shaft taper and started to remove the drum and it locked up on the brake shoes, the brake shoes have not been retracted far enough. There is a small edge at the outer most area of the braking surface that rusts up and does not wear out because the brake lining does not rub on it. This makes the drum diameter smaller than the brake shoes. Rotate the upper 3/4" hex heads adjusters 1/4 Turn inward or until they stop turning this allows the brake shoes to full retract.. If they do not turn easily, do not force them, they are rusted up or fully retracted. Next release the bleeder port on the wheel cylinder to remove any hydraulic pressure and take a screw driver and pry between the brake shoes and drum to get the shoes to the return position. The drum should now spin and pop off. If the drum still fails to spin or the shoes will not return because the wheel cylinders are seized up, remove the bolts that hold the wheel cylinder to the backing plates to relieve the tension. This should give you enough clearance to remove the drum.

 

A distant possibility is safety hubs, if the car has some history as a rod and you are sure it isn't a hung shoe. Look behind, where backing plate bolts to axle housing. If you have two non-standard looking fasteners there, take'em off and be surprised at what you see when you slide off the drum.

 

Thanks, yes this is on an old rod my buddy just bought. I will p*** all this along, probably print it out and take some pics for you guys later today.
paul

 

If an old rod, the probability of safety hubs is climbing...basically, if this, two of the four fasteners will turn out to be long studs connected to a special collar arrangement around the hub that prevents hub from planning its own travel itenerary when axle snaps. Practically standard if the old rod contained an Olds...
The nuts on the safety studs, if that is what you have, will unscrew and allow removal. The original nuts usually start spinning the bolts and can't be removed easily til the drum is off...

 

Thanks, I will see him after work and he will be very happy to get this information.

 

Thanks guys, it was the safety hubs. Now if we can figure out why the one side will not turn.

Here are some shots of Bob doing your fix.



The rod


Bob's garage

 

There was a disturbing but funny post on one of these boards about two guys destroying the rear brakes on a Ford they didn't know had safety hubs...

 

Bob is pretty cautious thus my post to try and find the answer before the torch

Now he has to build a wishbone spring spreader and take the rear end apart.

Thanks again for your help,
paul

 

He may be able to spread the spring adequately by putting a roughly 2X4 block under the eyes as stop and slider and weighting the pickup bed down until spring spreads enough to allow shackles to come out. With an A spring and obviously light car it will take a bunch of cement blocks, toolboxes, and fat friends. Once shackles are out, cautiously jack up the frame until spring finishes moving. Reverse the process to re***emble. Safe Model A spreaders have to be fairly elaborate constructions.

 

Ok got the spreader made and one side housing off but cannot get axel out, what holds axel in after housing is off?

 

The axle has a gear on the inner end. That gear is inside the differental case.To get the axle compleatly out you must split the diff. case.

 

Whole differential with both axles comes out through the side that clears the pinion. Mark differential inner case so halves go back together the same way. Bearings, gears, etc. may well prove to be reusable, so measure side gasket thickness for adjustment reference...likely both will be 010 compressed t0 009.

 

Bob has some more questions about this 40 Ford rear end.

"Have the axle ***embly apart, axel laying through gear on floor. Questions:

1. Is the axle one piece or stuck (nothing looks broken)?

2. How do you fill with lube, thru the ******?

3. There was no key in the keyway on the p*** side so it free wheeled. Driver side had key so it wouldn't turn - is my ****** stuck in gear?"

Thanks,
paul

 

Time to get a new mechanic I think. To remove each axle from the ring gear carrier you have to split the carrier. The fill plug is on the rear face of the center section.

 

Thanks, we all have to start somewhere John and Bob is just not familiar with this set up so that is why I relay his questions, so he can become familiar with it. I am glad Bob does not have computer to read your aside.