Wheel Hub Bolts.

[bige386]

How big of a job is it changing out wheel hub bolts on the front end. I put my new tires on today and on the front drivers side three of the nuts gauld taking them off.I was able to chase the treads on the nuts and run a die over the studs and get the wheels back on but they need to be changed. Are they just pressed out and pressed back in ? Should I use heat on them or will that warp the drum ? Better yet I'm taking my car in for a front end alinement Tuesday maybe Ill just have guys there change them for me.

[19Fordy]

As I understand it, the threaded "lugs" have to be pressed out so don't let anyone try and use a sledge hammer.

[Ken/Alabama]

They are swedged in place locking the hub to the drum. If your not familiar with that ,the stud is placed through the hub and drum and then a swedging tool is placed over the stud which has a shoulder on it and placed under press and it swells the stud to the hub and drum. At least thats how I saw it done.What I did when I replaced mine was press the new studs in the hub and then slipped the drum over the studs . Now the drum can be removed without removing the hub like on the late model cars.

[PeteVS]

If your car is an early V8 with factory hydraulic brakes, changing studs is a big deal. As built, studs are pressed into the hub and the brake drum is then placed over the studs. Then, a shoulder on the stud is pressed down and into a chamfer in the brake drum. Removing the old studs requires using a special tool in a drill press to cut out the staked portion of the shoulder without damaging the brake drum. Another way is remove the head of the stud from the inside and then press it out from the inside. Later ('46-'48?) have the drum on the INSIDE of the hub, but it's the same deal to remove the studs. Trying to remove the studs without going through all of this will ruin both the drum and the hub.

[Charlie Stephens]

My understanding is that it is a job best left to someone that knows what they are doing. If you included your general location in your profile or post maybe some could make a recommendation as to where to go.

Charlie Stephens

[Tony, NY]

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I've done it as was said. Grind off head and drive out from inside. Buy the right replacement studs and press them in. No swage.

[Dec211975]

The tools required to do the job are fairly expensive for a one time job, I would recommend taking your hubs and drums to an automotive machine shop most of them have the tools and expertise to do the job. It you decide to buy the tools it would be best to use the stud removal tool in a drill press or a Mill, you would also require a sizable press to swedge the studs. Mac's has the tools listed in there catalog A1107T stud removal tool and A1109T swedging tool. Pictures of the tools attached.

[mrtexas]

What I did on the back of my 36 woodie was to buy new MT Products drums and use the modern style studs that go along with them. The studs index on the drum and aren't pressed into the drum. Only the studs are pressed on the hub and they have a serrated profile and need just a simple press to install. You will save postage as you don't have to ship the drums/hubs two ways to a special early Ford garage, only one way. The new drums are a lot thicker and sturdier than the originals, cheap too.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by bige386

Better yet I'm taking my car in for a front end alinement Tuesday maybe Ill just have guys there change them for me.

bige386...Since you DIDN'T (before now) have a clear understanding of how the studs were ORIGINALLY installed, hopefully (from what the guys above have tried to explain) you will realize that stud-replacement on these old Ford drums is NOT to be taken lightly. Drums and hubs can be warped and ruined if studs are beat-out or even improperly pressed-out. Replacement studs that fit properly CAN be almost impossible to find. If these "mechanics" that you intend to ask to replace your studs have never had any experience with THESE studs, you MAY end-up one very unhappy camper next Tuesday evening after you've had to have your car taken back home on a rollback because you were left with no useable drums to bolt your wheels onto. I hope it doesn't come down to that...be very careful. Good luck! DD

[Karl Wolf]

If you want to save both drum and hub, you MUST drill the studs from the back... Center punch the stud, start a hole with a 1/4" drill... Use hand held drill, you can correct for off center by angling... Go deeper than the surface of the drum back by 1/4" or so... I just measured an old stud on my bench @ .640"... Next, you could use a 9/16" drill, watch the hole for signs of off center... When your 9/16" hole is past the drum surface, you can take a hammer and punch to drive the stud out the front, the remnants of the head can be removed from the back...

Measure the new studs against the old ones, they should be within maybe .005... I have used a drill press, emerycloth, a file to size the new and sometimes too large studs...

I put the hub in a vise and use a file to go over the holes for the studs, you will find that the previous stud swaging (riveting) will have pushed the metal around the hole up, it will keep the drum from sitting tight to the hub... Take 3 of your new bolts, put them in and nut them to hold the drum to the hub... Press the last two in and swage them... Pull the nut from one of the first 3, press and swage it, then press and swage the last two...

Now, machine the drum...

Karl

[Butch11443]

Remember it takes 30 ton to swedge those studs, so need a very good press.
Butch

[deucevikki]

Just want to thank you guys for your help. My '32 had a couple of broken rear wheel studs and I couldn't find a machine shop I trusted with my hub and drum. Then I check here and found this thread. Thanx, Karl and everyone for your input. I wouldn't have tackled it without your help.

Center punch, pilot hole, 9/16" drill bit, punch, hammer and they're out. The existing studs didn't look very good so I'll replace those too. Make sure the pilot hole is center, as I scored one of the holes a tiny bit. Here are a couple of visual references. Mike

[DICK SPADARO]

Evidently you guys didnt pay attention to a previous post on replacing Ford swedged hub studs. Yes you are all correct about not hammering them out or using a big press to distort the hub. The easiest way to remove the defective stud is to go to the hardware store and by a 5/8" circle saw for steel that has a 3/8" mandrel boss. This easily fits in your hand drill or drill press. Remove the drill pilot and slide the circle saw down over the lug stud start the drill and lower the saw bit slowly down to just kiss the brake drum flange and wisk about 1/16" of the hub swege off and stop. Remove the cutter and strike the stud with a hammer and it should pop right out.

The real issue is swedging the new stud in place, it takes at least a 30 ton H press and a special tool. If you have limited tools and are using an original stud the best way to secure it is with a tack weld to the head of the stud and the hub body.