Thread: Have you changed a rear hub? How?

I need to replace the right rear hub assembly on my 99 GT from a wreck and must do it at my home. The bearing is too loose to drive it to the nearest person I know with better tools / shop.

In order to separate the hub from the knuckle, it has been suggested that I hit it with a hammer in the correct direction or that I air hammer the mounting flange in a rotating manner to break it loose.

There is no access for either method, parking brake is in the way of both approaches. As far as I can tell, hub has to be off before removing park brake for access is an option. Only options I can imagine are:

Install an unwanted bare wheel and sledgehammer on the rim of that. Like thats gonna do anything.

Drive around with no bolts in the hub until it breaks loose, call a wrecker or change hub in the road when it does, and hope for minimal carnage.

Soak with PB Blaster for as many weekends as it takes, and mount a very long pipe on two lug studs then wiggle that and repeat each weekend until I win.

Replace hub / knuckle assembly with salvage assembly. Still don't know how I'd disconnect park brake from the existing, to do so.

Pay to use the frame equipment where I work so I can clamp the car up on that rack and attempt to pull the hub off with hydraulic ram and chain. Other suspension damage likely with this method.

How did you remove yours?

Aw yeah, he uses a little 1 lb hammer and doesn't show what really got it loose. Wedges and such, he says.

a hammer always removes the hub lol the backing plate is just between the hub and knuckle. its all pretty straight forward. i got faith in you.

I'll give it hell with my claw hammer and / or hatchet then Scotty. Screw the dog lady it'll be hammer noise. FWIW I did make an attempt but was gonna try to re-use the bearing from the GTP so didn't try hard before inquiring here. I have since decided not to try to reinstall that old but OK hub on anything.

put the old rotor on backwards with a few lugs and use it as a beating *****

Originally Posted by Turbocharged400sbc

put the old rotor on backwards with a few lugs and use it as a beating *****

I may have an old rotor! Jeez, thanx sbc I knew I was missing something. Been sanding too long and my mechanical ingenuity is slippin.

I used an IR air hammer to replace a front wheel bearing. It was worth its weight in gold.

Welp, the bearing wasn't stuck to the knuckle on the GT. Came loose with the last bolt. Alright then.

Not like this thread deserves an update but I have one.

I had attempted previously to remove one of my GTP's rear hub ass'ys but was unable to do it without hammering so I quit. As said above, the GT was cake. But I just now took the left rear off the GTP and had to soak, wedge, and generally beat the bejeepers out of it. Good old bimetal corrosion.

The detail I was missing was where and with what to apply force. I actually used the hatchet as a wedge and spanked it with a claw hammer right on top where backing plate meets knuckle. That just baarely cracked it open so that PB Blaster could find a way in. After that, for lack of better equipment, I hammered on a sturdy plastic handled screwdriver to take it the rest of the way. I would have used chisels at work, not a hatchet.

Hit it on top with pointy things then file off the burrs and clean out corrosion before replacement. Its not a press fit its a rot-to-fit. Putting a wheel on and letting it down did nothing. This has been a junky thread amendment lol.

Because needs pics.

After a wire brush-




Then sandpaper by hand and a drum on the dremel, gently. Hub seated easily and fully now, as it should be. Squeaking seems to be gone. Once the caliper was off I put the wheel back on and yep it was pretty loose. Sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut. By the way, a 4mm allen wrench worked great on those torx screws around back for the park brake bracket.