I am picking up a 62 panel van next week which has been sitting in a paddock for 20 years. Any suggestions on how to unseize the wheels as it will be a lot easier to roll the bus onto the trailer rather than dragging it. I tried tapping with a hammer around the rear wheel drums but this did not work. I did not tap that hard.. The drums are fairly stuffed based on external apearance so it does not matter if they get damaged. What isze is the locking nut for the drums- 36mm? Any advice would be appreciated
Cheers Nicko

hit them harder, i picked up a bug with siezed wheels and just a solid hit with a decent sized hammer got them moving.
cheers

Don't try and get the axel nuts (36 mm) off. If they've been sitting for 20 years, you can imagine their state. I tried to get my 36 mm axel nuts of my '71 super Beetle and I need to blow them off with the 'gas axe'. Remember the nuts are torqued up to 217 ft/lb, then rusted to buggery, over time. Forget it, they won't come off. Keep bashing away with a large hammer.
Regards,
Mark:thumb

you'll probably have to put new brake drums on anyway so bash with the biggest hammer you have. probably a 10lb if you have one. just lay into them

Squirt heaps of Inox or the equivalant into the drum . It'll stuff the shoes but I'm sure you wont use them again anyway. Good Luck.

If you can get hold of an oxy-set or LPG torch, they respond well to heat. Play the torch over the drums & they may expand enough to let go. Good luck!!

[Edited on 5-7-2003 by geodon]

When I picked up my project bug all wheels were siezed.....no size hammer helped (believe me I tried). I backed off all brake adjusting stars then rehit with hammer, still no go. I had to remove the axle nuts (it was under a house so had access to power - used an electric rattle gun) rear and front. Then used a huge puller to rip the drums off. Took half a day but once the drums were off, I took the brake shoes off put the drums back on and away we went (obviously on a trailer). No handbrake made it a little tricky Hope yours is easier than mine was!

I have a piece of angle iron with 2 holes in it so I can bolt it to the wheel nuts then I stand on the end of it to get those stubborn drums loose
if that doesnt work heat and wd 40 helps
marcel

Jack up the front end and undo the brake adjustors first if you can, although you may have to remove the wheel and use a bar bolted in place where the wheel bolt go. you make be able to turn the wheel on lock to appply more pressure to the wheel drum.

Try doing same to the back, but be care full hitting the drums as good Kombi drums hard to find.

Get a length of all-thread (12mm?) to suit the wheel nut holes & cut it up to make in effect 3 or 4 EXTRA long wheel nuts. You'll need to clean up the damaged threads with a die nut (maybe the bolt place can do that if you don't have one) and you can weld a nut on the other end (they may also do that too). You may even be able to buy the bolts ? Obviously the axle nut has to come off & then you use the long wheel nuts to go on & PUSH the drum off. Take off the shoes , put the drum back on & Robert's your fathers brother as they say!

Yeah thats a good idea Geodon, they would act as a puller.

If they do happen to moove try and back off teh brake adjusters as well if you can get the drum mooving

Nicko,

The advice above is good, but I have been in this situation, and when your in the bush/paddock the answer is - just pull/drag/tow/push. If the wheels don't come loose don't worry, get it out and fix it when you get home where it's more convenient!

ive had that problem though and we needed a tractor to get the thing out of the paddock ( my truck kept loosing traction due to the seized wheels) and took us ages to get onto the truck once we had it in front of the ramps
its much easier if the wheels are all turning freely
marcel

Hi

The longer wheel bolts would only bend the brake shoes and backing plates. Heat and hammer will work also try pouring a bit of oil in through the wheel nut holes or brake adjusting holes, sump oil would do.

1302Steve

Thanks for all the responce. I got one wheel turning and one wheel partially turning which was enough to allow the car to be chain blocked onto the trailer.
Now that it is home I will have to get a bit more serious so that I can the car into the garage. I wil post some pics soon
Nicko