Im in the process of trying to replace my front wheel bearing hubs. Like many other parts ive encountered on this project, the front hub bolts (13mm 12pt) have seen their better days rust related. Threads are visible sticking out the front but not pretty. Both front and rear side have been soaked with penetrating oil for several days now. The first one I attempted to remove this evening the points stripped off the head of the bolt to a point no longer usable with a socket, next chisel/punch/heavy hammer still no joy. Thinking only option left is to get the torch our and cut the heads off?....Opinions, im sure others have maybe seen similar....Thanks for any input
Front wheel bearing hub bolt removal
- Thread starter mkc1962
- Start date
I'd get the torch out, get the bolts cherry red and quench them with penetrating oil. Might budge.
If these bolts are this bad how's the frame and the rest of the Jeep?
Good luck...as the saying goes you're one stuck bolt away from making this job take all weekend...
-Mac
If these bolts are this bad how's the frame and the rest of the Jeep?
Good luck...as the saying goes you're one stuck bolt away from making this job take all weekend...
-Mac
Thanks for the approach idea, the torch is where im headed in the am...but if they wont budge rotating, then I figure I can cut the heads off and hopefully get the hubs out....Frame had rusted out areas in spots, But I spent several weeks plasma cutting all that out, making a few spots large holes for inside frame rail access. cleaning inside of frame rails, soaking in Oshpho then zink priming as well as using rust encapsulating paint. After, flush welded all the cut out spots, and did the same surface treatment with the exterior of the frame. Surface rust here and there also treated the same. Still need to replace the passenger front floor pan. All that should be good to go for a long time. I've been driving it daily for about 3 weeks now and seems to be a good vehicle, considering it was given to me for zero cost. Now that I've gotten it back not rusty and seems to be reliable, I am in the process of replacing all aged or questionable items before I take it to a home we have in the smoky mountains.
Use the torch on the threaded end of the bolt. I would rather ruin the hub with an angle grinder or torch than try to remove the bolt head.
How are the knuckles? Mine are such a pile of rust that I'm just gonna toss the whole assy and install new.
Finally got THAT 1 bolt out, All the rest came out ok. That 1 had some heavy rust on the splines to a point, they wouldnt hold when the 12pt socket was applied. The threads sticking out were so mangled no tool I could get on the head would allow it to rotate . Ultimately I had to cut the bolt with a thin slicing blade from the front side. Even though the other old bolts all still look useable, I have new ones to replace them all.
The knuckles had some rust, but nothing terrible. They've been cleaned up and painted. Also doing new Ujoints while this area is apart.
The knuckles had some rust, but nothing terrible. They've been cleaned up and painted. Also doing new Ujoints while this area is apart.
Might want to wire wheel down the frame and get some rust conversion, then etching primer and paint... probably do the dust shields too and anything else easy to touch. Assuming they have visible rust and corrosion.
-Mac
-Mac
As part of me repairing the frame rust areas, the entire frame was needle scaled, then wire wheeled. All rust areas surface or cut out and repair, as well as new metal were washed with mineral spirits then coated with Ospho rust converter. Next came a zink based etching primer, and finally top coated with a rust encapsulating paint like POR15 or Eastwood.. This was both Interior of the frame as well as the outside. As some of the frame rust areas were large, I just made them larger to gain access to the inside of the frame. Inside of frame was wire wheeled on a rotating flex shaft, vacuumed out, pressure washed, heat dried and received the same surface treatment. Prior to me owning, there had been some rusted areas repaired mainly around the rear frame control arm areas, BUT whomever did that only did the repair never coated it with anything so I fixed all that as well as mainly rebuilding the hole areas where the transmission pan mounts to the Frame. Rather than the flimsy nutserts, I have full size 1/2" grade 8 nuts welded to the inside of the bolt areas that I repaired. The previous owner gave me this jeep Mainly due to the fact that pan had almost fallen off due to those areas being rusted. The overall underside of the tub had light rust here and there mostly at joints/seams, I have been slowly treating those areas the same way but have not finished that as I will after I do that PS floor pan.
As for the front dust shields, I have new ones.
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