vette_jim

Any tricks of the trade on getting the rear rotor to release from the spindle. I drilled rivets, chiseled heads off and drilled down to outer surface of spindle flange. Used 1/8, 1/4 & 5/16 bits from advice I found on the forum. I had soaked for several days with PB blaster and as I rapped on the back of the disk I could see rusty liquid weaping from behind into the holes I drilled.... appears that the rivets are free of the spindle flange from that I assume. Still after a couple hours rotating and banging with block of wood and 2 lb hammer this thing hasn't budged AT ALL. 73, car is on the frame, Georgia car, normal rust for it's age. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Condo_454C3

Make sure your parking brake isn't set. Otherwise the hammer should do the trick no problem

Dodosmike

Take the lug nuts off.

Id agree, PB pads are holding you up. Try a "bigger" BFH.


dodosmike

MelWff

did you try backing off the parking brake shoe adjuster?

vette_jim

It won't rotate, rusted up. The rotor spins with no drag, half shafts are off. Been
measuring around spindle end with depth gauge, hasn't moved .001. Which way does cog rotate to loosen shoes ?

thegazman

if the rotor spins freely, it doesn't sound like the parking brakes are holding anything. Are sure you have all of the rivets out?

C3 Stroker

If everything is free, as it seems to be, and your rivets are fully drilled out, then some good whacks with a 5 lb. hammer will finish the job. Don't be afraid to get aggressive.

GRipp 73

Very aggressive! Those suckers have been attached for a very long time. It doesn't sound like you plan on reusing the rotors anyway, otherwise you could have left them on the car and found a shop that would turn them while still on the car.

Take a picture or two to share with us. There might be something someone sees that could help.

Good Luck!

68notray

Can you use a spindle press and push out the whole assembly? Much easier to work on it then. In my experience the shank of the rivit is holding it as much as the heads. The wheel studs are a very close fit & might help hold it too.

vette_jim

I've got the holes drilled down to the spindle flange, bits wandered off center maybe 1/10 " on a couple, would this have it seized up. Don't have a spindle press, plan to rebuild using my shop press. I think I haven't been aggressive enough, maybe some lateral blows along with in & out. Got it soaking again tonight. I'm a newbie, not familiar with posting pics yet. Thanks for the input. You guys have some great looking cars.

LT-1 kid

maybe redrill the rivets out with the next size drill bit, those rivits have to more than drilled out. than use the BFH

C3 Stroker

Yes.....5/16" bits are not large enough. I used 3/8" bits on mine, then popped off the remaining sliver ring of rivet, then smacked the rotors with the hammer..........they fell right off.

vette_jim

Sounds like a plan, l'll go with a 3/8 tomorrow and see how it goes

my 76 ray

Use a punch to knock the rivets out of the spindle. That way you'll be sure they aren't holding the rotor on.

vette_jim

The 3/8" bit as stated above is the final size to use. For other newbies to this procedure, if any of the rivet's shank is left in there you will have a tough time getting that rotor off. Whereas the stud holes have clearance built into them for straight forward removal the rivets do not. If any substantial rivet remnants are left in there then you have a tremendous amount of side to side wedge holding the rotor to the spindle. This is my take on it anyway. Also I made several raps around the e_brake drum to loosen it up side to side, used a piece of 1/8" aluminum to cushion hammer blows. I put plenty of Pb blaster into e-brake adjustment holes, this also helped drum part of rotor slide over e-brake shoes. My adjuster was frozen with rust. Thanks for the help guys.