Can't find new rear hubs for '74

[Erik]

He swears it's the hubs, so I think I'm going to give that a try. If it doesn't fix it, I'll return the expensive hubs and take it to a shop.

 

[Honky Kong jr]

...your mechanics name isn't Cooter is it ???......if it is I would find another mechanic.

Lol

 

[QBuff02]

I've seen drums get seized over the hubs on big truck brakes before.. But way bigger parts on a semi and not much concern with warping/deforming things in my experience, smaller parts I could see it be possible. My '04 Silverado had disc brakes front and back, and when it came time to replace the rear rotors after about the 3rd set of pads (50-50 brake bias ate those little rear pads up terribly!) the internal parking brake had worn and grooved so badly into the inside of the rotor that we had to pound them off with a sledgehammer, like broke pieces of the rotors off and destroyed the backing cover/dust shields in the process! Like hitting it so hard I was expecting the axle shaft to part ways with the diff with any given swing... Needless to say, when we finally got it all apart, cleaned up and were ready to go back together, we cut all of the e-brake hardware and shoes off of it and cut the cables and put it back together without them. Haven't been that pissed off taking something apart since.. Lol

 

[Snoots]

I don't know who posted this or remember where I got it but I'd like to buy them a drink (or 2) . . .

 

[HotRodPC]

Is it likely that the same hub was used throughout the 73-87 run? If so, it looks like it might be AC Delco RW20-124. Expensive as hell ($175ish each).

For that you're better off to find another complete used rear axle. You can usually find a peg legger 14b full float around here for about $200. I find it hard to believe he could have actually bent the hubs though. I too would first question the bearings and and the races. No bent axles tubes for sure?

 

[Erik]

For that you're better off to find another complete used rear axle. You can usually find a peg legger 14b full float around here for about $200. I find it hard to believe he could have actually bent the hubs though. I too would first question the bearings and and the races. No bent axles tubes for sure?

I couldn't find used hubs at the salvage yards around here, so I poked around and found some in Missouri for $40 each. Much more reasonable. I used a site called car-part.com, which was pretty handy.

My guy swears the bearings and races are good. Not sure about the axle tube, but that will be the next suspect if these hubs don't fix it. That would be the only other thing I can think of it could be.

 

[Erik]

I was surprised to find none of the yards in my area had any old Chevys. What kind of junkyard doesn't have an old Chevy laying around?

 

[Erik]

I've seen drums get seized over the hubs on big truck brakes before.. But way bigger parts on a semi and not much concern with warping/deforming things in my experience, smaller parts I could see it be possible. My '04 Silverado had disc brakes front and back, and when it came time to replace the rear rotors after about the 3rd set of pads (50-50 brake bias ate those little rear pads up terribly!) the internal parking brake had worn and grooved so badly into the inside of the rotor that we had to pound them off with a sledgehammer, like broke pieces of the rotors off and destroyed the backing cover/dust shields in the process! Like hitting it so hard I was expecting the axle shaft to part ways with the diff with any given swing... Needless to say, when we finally got it all apart, cleaned up and were ready to go back together, we cut all of the e-brake hardware and shoes off of it and cut the cables and put it back together without them. Haven't been that pissed off taking something apart since.. Lol

I have rarely seen someone has pissed off as my mechanic has been at my truck. He couldn't even speak. Just smoldering fury.

 

[Big Chip]

I have rarely seen someone has pissed off as my mechanic has been at my truck. He couldn't even speak. Just smoldering fury.

It sounds to me like he may have been a bit heavy handed with it then. It wasn’t messed up when it went in but was when it came out? Smoldering mechanic. Hmmmm......makes a guy wonder where it all went wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Erik]

Perhaps smoldering was the wrong word. Haha. You are correct - wasn't messed up before he changed the drums, messed up after.

 

[CSFJ]

So he didn't try to heat the drum to break the hub loose, just beat the hell out of it? or try to relieve the tension by running a cutoff wheel around the rust build up where the hub passes through the drum? pretty standard stuff.

 

[Dougnsalem]

Like the others, I think it would be pretty hard to tweak the hubs just by beating on them. Maybe screw up the flange where he wacked it. Anything's possible though....

Anyways, recommend that he gets a torch with a rosebud for the future. Heat that drum up, and cool it off with WD a couple times. The hub will fall right out. I haven't had a single one that this hasn't worked on. Including on semi-truck stuff. That beating on crap is just too hard on the body.

@83chevyk10 .... Another good use for a torch.... Lol

 

[Erik]

I'm not sure what all he tried first. I just know he ended up beating on them.

What flange are you referring to? I am trying to come up with other possibilities in case the hubs don't solve the problem. It has to be something that would make the wheel rotate out of whack. All I can think of is the axle housing, but it also seems like it would be difficult to bend that by beating on the hub.

 

[Dougnsalem]

Damn. Now I see I am repeating what @CSFJ just said. Not intentionally....

 

[CSFJ]

Damn. Now I see I am repeating what @CSFJ just said. Not intentionally....

You detailed the heat/quench cycle better, so it still adds information.