Classic/Antique Car Repair: pulling rear hub with wheel puller, grease seal, center hub

Question
Hi Dick!

It's me again;  I cant get the rear hub off my 53 Kaiser.  When I put on the brakes the wheel locks if I put it in revirce a foot or two then it'l go forward until I appll the breaks.
I was going to apply heat along with my puller but I don't know if that will hurt any thing.

Also I want to paint the car later on I bought another 53 for parts I need the hood,fenders and door pluss the gril but the gril on the parts car is rusty inside and out.  I kinda got off track here;  what I wanted to ask was how do I remove the chrome at top of doors, the delux does not have chrome at top of doors?

thanks
Bill


Answer
Well, you've got a lot of subjects here, but let's take them in order:

As for your brakes locking up, you've got contamination on your linings, probably due to a failed wheel cylinder or grease seal.  You're right, you have to get the drums off.

There is no easy way to do this - you have to have the right tool (the type that bolts on using the wheel mounting bolts, and has a knocker type handle on it that you strike with a 3 pound hammer).   You may need to warm up the center "hub" part of the drum with a torch to get it to pop off, after you have tightened the puller as tight as you think wise.  You might also have to let it set for a day or so with maximum tension on the puller - it will come off with a bang when it finally lets go, so be sure to leave the big nut threaded loosely onto the axle shaft so the whole deal doesn't fly across the garage and hurt someone.

If you are going to use doors etc. that have trim that your car doesn't use, you'll have to fill the holes where the trim was mounted - this is going to take someone who knows what he is doing to set little pieces of sheet metal in there to block off the holes.  The easy way to do this is to solder a penny or the like behind the hole, if you can get to it and get the metal all clean (otherwise the solder won't stick).  Then you can use lead or bondo to bring the surface back to where it needs to be so it won't show.   I really think you need to be a skilled body man to do this without making a mess of it.  

To remove the chrome from the body sheet metal, you need to find out if the retainers are bolted through the panel, or if the trim just snaps on.  Ask someone who knows these cars, or inspect the way it is installed carefully - I've never seen a car where you can't figure it out by looking.  You may have to peel away the weatherstrip to see how the trim is mounted.

If you have to use the rusty grill, you'll need to take it to a really good chrome shop and have them build it back up with copper to a level surface before they begin the plating job.   Again, this takes a real pro.  You'd be better off to find a parts car with a good grille, in the long run.  Maybe if you try some of the yards out here in the dry southwest - I don't know where you are, but Arizona has some really dry cars in the yards around Phoenix.

Good Luck.

Dick