Jim;
I think that ordeal was Mike Trettin's adventure as I read it yesterday. He
did mention that he tried using heat with a pair of propane torches, he had
the right idea but used the wrong tool. Heat can be very useful in removing
stubborn bolts or press fitted items but you need to heat it till it's
cherry red and you need acetylene to do it. Propane does not produce a hot
enough flame to heat something the size of a wheel hub. That being said
there is no substitute for using the right method to pull a tapered hub,
which you already know, but its nice to have a plan B to fall back on for
the really tough customers. A friend of mine told me that the proper name
for this tapered fitting is a Morris taper, they are also used on bicycle
cranks and old Volkswagon drums as well. The fortunate part about the brake
drums and hubs is at least they are both made from ferrous metal so that
they don't weld themselves together. The cranks on bicycles are often made
from aluminum fitted to a steel shaft so you can guess what happens when a
little moisture sets in, hence why you smear grease between them before
putting them back together.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing a Left side taillight bezel and other trim parts.
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