VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Remove front wheels with wooden spokes

Good morning, I am writing from Italy.
I have a Chevy 1929 whit wheel with wooden spokes.
I need to remove the front wheels from the hub but I do not know how I can do it.
I have read the Chevrolet Repair Manual Serie AC-LQ (pag.90 "How to remove the front wheele) which says to "insert a bar through the hub so that one end rests againist the bal cup. Be tapping lightly at several point aruond the circumference of the cup, it can be removed whithout dammage".
It will be simple, but I did not understand how to do it.
Can anyone help me?
Thank you and sorry for the my bad english.

Hello alfredo demo,
I do not have experience with wood wheels. With that being said, I am guessing that the hub and axle remain on the car when the wood wheel with the bearings are pulled off/removed. If the manual says to use a bar ( through the hub ) to tap on the ( bal cup ) in several places, it sounds like you need to be under the car to get to the back side of the hub to put the bar ( through ) and tap on the ( bal cup ) in several places around it's circumference. Is the ( bal cup ) the ( ball bearing cup/race ) within the black part of the wheel that is in your picture? Other people here with experience should be able to guide you. Please let us know what you did when you are successful so we all can learn the procedure.

Hello alfredo demo,
I may be all wrong with my previous post if you cannot put a bar ( through the hub from the back side ). I do not know if the axle backing plate has openings to be able to do that. If you cannot tap outward from the back side of the hub, then I suppose the manual wants you to loosen the ( bal cup's ) tight fit to the axle by lightly tapping the base of the bearing at the axle and wiggling/shaking the tire and wheel to slide it off the axle. Lightly tapping so as not to deform the bearing. It could be that the bearings have sealed themselves to the axle over a long time period. I was wrong to think that the backing plate was the hub.

I think Harry has it right in his last post.

I think the repair manual is telling you to use a large diameter punch (or round bar) and tap lightly on the inner part of the bearing which is directly behind the threads sticking out on the spindle.
A bar made of brass is preferable.
Be very careful not to let anything hit the part of the bearing behind and around the inner part. DO NOT touch the balls in the bearing.
Tap lightly several places around the bearing to loosen it, then rock the outer edge of the rim from side to side as Harry says and hopefully the inner part of the bearing will slide out on the spindle.

Good luck!

Also...

The "hub" is the black part fastened to the spokes of the wheel.
The "spindle" is the center "axle" that the bearings mount on.
I think the "ball cup" means the inner race of the bearing.

I'm a little late joining this thread, but I also own a 1929 with wood wheels.

First to confirm what the others have said, the manual is telling you to gently tap the inner race of the ball bearing to free it from possibly being stuck to the main spindle. To be honest, I've never had that problem. If it is stuck to the spindle, you can use a small pin punch (about 2mm) to lightly tap the inner race at four different spots (left, right, top, bottom) to free it up. Be careful to hit only the inner race of the bearing and not to hit the balls or the cage which holds the balls in place. Then proceed to the next step below....

More likely, all you will need to do is grab the tire at the top and the bottom and pull it hard towards you to slide the hub and the bearing off of the spindle. If it doesn't come at first, then wobble the wheel back and forth so it forces the inner race to slide outward.

Hope that helps. Let us know how it works out.

All the Best,

Chip

Thank you all.
I didn't answer earlier because I tried to pulled off/remove the wheel.
I wobbled the wheel, I kicked her, but no result.
The problem is that I can't use a bar (from inside to external side) because on the inside there is the brake drum that covering the bal cup (as seen from the photo). I cannot remove the brake drum because it is fixed whit pins fixed on the inside of brake drum (steel pins on the pitcure).
I could "tapping lightly at several point aruond the circumference of the cup only from external side to inside and this pushes the wheel further into the hub.
Do you have any ideas?

Yes, you will seem to be pushing the wheel further on the spindle.
But try it anyway.
If there is any bearing clearance at all, the bearing will snap loose on the spindle and then be free to slide off.

Hello alfredo demo,
From your photo, I do not see a tire on the spoke wheel. Are both left and right front wheels having the same stuck problem? To be creative, you might try to make a home made wheel puller. Before that, try cleaning the area between the axle and the bearing cup, so you can spray penetrating oil there. Using imagination, put the base of a hydraulic jack ( or screw jack ) against the end of the axle. Note: protect axle threads by putting the nut back on flush with end of threads. With jack being horizontal, you will need to have a platform for the jack to lay on. Now, take a bar ( something strong ) for the jack to push against. Put straps/rope around the bar and the wheel spokes, ( close to the wheel hub ). Wrap a tie strap around the straps/rope at the bar to keep them an even distance from the jack to get a balanced pull. Start extending the jack to tightening the straps/rope while using a rubber mallet to hit the top and bottom of the inside of the spoke rim. With more and more jack pressure applied, you should be able to get the bearing to move free of the axle. There are many ways to do things, this being one way to try.

I suspect that you need a hub puller. On my '27 and '28 trucks, the bearing cover threads are 2 3/8 inches in diameter and 16 threads per inch (2 3/8 -16). You thread the puller onto hub and then you screw in the bolt that pushes on the end of the spindle or axle (for the rear wheel). Tighten up the puller bolt and then give the end of the bolt a whack with a big hammer.

Here are a couple of photos of my puller:





If the threads on the hub are messed up so that the puller will not thread on, then you have to get creative.

When I started working on my '28 Canopy Express, I couldn't use a regular wheel puller because the previous owner used a sledge hammer and smashed all the threads like you wouldn't believe.

He milled the key slot wider and shoved a piece of hex rod in as a key. Then came the sledge!

Anyway, I made up the rig below to get the wheel off. I put spacers in the back so the pressure was close to the hub. I tightened the gear puller a fair amount and then whacked the gear puller bolt with a sledge hammer. After three or four whacks, the wheel popped off with a boing!! ;-)

Cheers, Dean

P.S. Can you tell that I admire Rube Goldberg? ;-)

Hello Rustoholic,
It looks like you created a $9000.00 prototype wheel puller to me. I don't see any tires in these photos. They must be easier to remove then the wheels. Now, if only I could invent a puller to get my head out ...

Dean --

I LOVE that device. It works....very clever.

All the Best, Chip

Congratulations to all.
You are fantastic.
Thank you very much for the explanations and for the beautiful pictures.
Now i have many ideas on how to work.
Un caro saluto dall'Italia

P.s. I admire Rube Goldberg, Chip, Harrys31coach, Stovblt and all the others
P.s.s. And I admire the Chevy

I think Rube Goldberg admires Dean (Rustoholic)

Mike

. The front wheels from 1923 - mid1960s used the same New Departure ball bearings on the front wheel. They slide off easily unless the brake shoes have attached to the drum. Have you tried loosening the the brake adjustment? If the wheel doesn't rotate freely, that's what's holding it on. .
. .

necessity is the mother of invention