1200 ft-lbs of torque... on the rear wheel bearing nut.
06-04-2005, 07:17 PM
#1
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Member Since: May 2002
Location: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes
on
16 Posts
1200 ft-lbs of torque... on the rear wheel bearing nut.
That's what it took to break my rear wheel bearing nut loose. The other side was at about 600 ft-lbs.
The craftsman ratchet 1/2" drive sheered off at about 700ftlbs. The craftsman breaker bar is pretty stout though. I put a 4' long cheater bar on that, and jumped on the end of it... no budge.
Finally I put it on towards the back of the car, put the floor jack under the end of the cheater bar and jacked it up... I'm guessing about 300 lbs on the jack, it wasn't picking the car up off the jackstands, but it was much more than I could dead lift. After doing that, the nut cracked twice, then finally broke loose.
This was after soaking it in wd-40...
I put the car in reverse and pulled the parking brake up, so I don't think the rear end saw any of that torque.
(Although 1200 ft lbs is nothing for the rear end, it sees probably 3000 ft-lbs or so on the dragstrip, once the motor torque is multiplied through the tranny and rear end...
The craftsman ratchet 1/2" drive sheered off at about 700ftlbs. The craftsman breaker bar is pretty stout though. I put a 4' long cheater bar on that, and jumped on the end of it... no budge.
Finally I put it on towards the back of the car, put the floor jack under the end of the cheater bar and jacked it up... I'm guessing about 300 lbs on the jack, it wasn't picking the car up off the jackstands, but it was much more than I could dead lift. After doing that, the nut cracked twice, then finally broke loose.
This was after soaking it in wd-40...
I put the car in reverse and pulled the parking brake up, so I don't think the rear end saw any of that torque.
(Although 1200 ft lbs is nothing for the rear end, it sees probably 3000 ft-lbs or so on the dragstrip, once the motor torque is multiplied through the tranny and rear end...
06-04-2005, 08:51 PM
#3
Melting Slicks
Member Since: May 2005
Location: Atoka Oklahoma
Posts: 2,730
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
St. Jude Donor 06
Originally Posted by CentralCoaster
I put a 4' long cheater bar on that, and jumped on the end of it... no budge.
06-04-2005, 09:52 PM
#4
Man, you guys are scarin' me here. First Corvette Kid with his story about the bias spring, then you with the bearing nut. 1200 ft-lbs !!!????
The car is currently up in the air waiting for me to install the rear bearings and C5 calipers, including a bias spring.
Man, I'm glad that I have air tools ........... maybe I should go borrow my friend's 2000 ft-lb air gun???
The car is currently up in the air waiting for me to install the rear bearings and C5 calipers, including a bias spring.
Man, I'm glad that I have air tools ........... maybe I should go borrow my friend's 2000 ft-lb air gun???
06-04-2005, 10:03 PM
#5
Race Director
Member Since: Jan 2003
Location: Summerland B.C. Canada
Posts: 19,667
Likes: 0
Received 36 Likes
on
32 Posts
I needed 6 feet of pipe on a 3/4'' breaker bar. The pipe bent over before the nut broke loose. The 3/4'' impact didn't even scare it
I would fight back too if someone was trying to remove my left nut
I would fight back too if someone was trying to remove my left nut
06-04-2005, 10:04 PM
#6
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Jan 2002
Location: Jenison MI
Posts: 5,556
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06
Originally Posted by Z51L9889
Man, you guys are scarin' me here. First Corvette Kid with his story about the bias spring, then you with the bearing nut. 1200 ft-lbs !!!????
The car is currently up in the air waiting for me to install the rear bearings and C5 calipers, including a bias spring.
Man, I'm glad that I have air tools ........... maybe I should go borrow my friend's 2000 ft-lb air gun???
The car is currently up in the air waiting for me to install the rear bearings and C5 calipers, including a bias spring.
Man, I'm glad that I have air tools ........... maybe I should go borrow my friend's 2000 ft-lb air gun???
Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones like me and not have a bolt anywhere on the car that comes off hard..
Now if I would have had to do what CentralCoaster had to do I would have been feaking out. Jacking up on the breaker bar to turn the nut?
Just think of what would have happend had the nut/stud broke and sent the breaker bar flyin... 
Glad to hear you got it done and no one was hurt, even the car.
06-04-2005, 10:21 PM
#9
Melting Slicks
Member Since: May 2005
Location: Atoka Oklahoma
Posts: 2,730
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
St. Jude Donor 06
Originally Posted by eschoendorff
PB Blaster is your friend! Did you do a victory lap around the garage after that nut cracked?
and if that don't work then i use the flaming blue headed wrench and it that don't work then i mash down on the oxygen lever. works ever time 
06-04-2005, 10:57 PM
#10
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Member Since: May 2002
Location: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes
on
16 Posts
Funny though, how I was able to undo all those T-55 torx bolts with just the 1/2" ratchet, by hand. 
Oh, yeah, upstate, the spring showed up on Friday! I got the info I need from it, I need to post that pay-it-forward thread for you, unless you have any takers for it already.
Oh, yeah, upstate, the spring showed up on Friday! I got the info I need from it, I need to post that pay-it-forward thread for you, unless you have any takers for it already.
06-04-2005, 11:08 PM
#11
Safety Car
Member Since: May 2003
Location: [Quote=WOEII] Is dried brown doodie powders man! [/Quote]
Posts: 3,789
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
[HIJACK]
Nope, no takers. I was abused by that thing before I even got it out of the package
You could smash it with a BFH a few times and send me the pics
[/HIJACK]
Nope, no takers. I was abused by that thing before I even got it out of the package
You could smash it with a BFH a few times and send me the pics
[/HIJACK]
06-05-2005, 12:00 AM
#12
Large Impressive Member
Member Since: Jul 2003
Location: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
Posts: 65,789
Received 68 Likes
on
34 Posts
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Originally Posted by AGENT 86
I needed 6 feet of pipe on a 3/4'' breaker bar. The pipe bent over before the nut broke loose. The 3/4'' impact didn't even scare it
I would fight back too if someone was trying to remove my left nut
I would fight back too if someone was trying to remove my left nut
A 3/4" ratchet or breaker bar is 10 times more effective than anything in 1/2" drive. Everyone should have one (with an adapter) even if they don't have the first 3/4" drive socket. 
06-05-2005, 12:10 AM
#13
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Member Since: May 2002
Location: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes
on
16 Posts
Originally Posted by Upstate
[HIJACK]
Nope, no takers. I was abused by that thing before I even got it out of the package
Nope, no takers. I was abused by that thing before I even got it out of the package
06-05-2005, 02:53 AM
#14
Team Owner
Originally Posted by CentralCoaster
The craftsman breaker bar is pretty stout though. I put a 4' long cheater bar on that, and jumped on the end of it... no budge.
I wish I had been there. With a camera. Then I woulda jumped on that pipe and broken something.
06-05-2005, 12:07 PM
#15
Melting Slicks
Yikes, that was one tight nut! I guess I was lucky, mine came right off using my electric impact gun. My T-55 Torx bolts also came out fairly easily using a 1/2" ratchet. Then my car rarely sees wet roads and has never seen salty roads.
06-05-2005, 01:03 PM
#16
Melting Slicks
I remember reading stories about what Tony of Tony's Corvettes does for these. He has a 4 foot long (or is it 6 foot) wrench for just this purpose. Of course he gets a lot of this kind of work. Helps to have a special tool handy.
06-05-2005, 01:21 PM
#17
Racer
I was really worried about this when I changed my rear bearings while rebuilding my rear suspension including poly and coil overs. Went with the 3/4" drive got impact quality sockets...
then the bolt just came off with close to no real resistance... I was shocked. But I had one hell of a time with the torx(star bolts).. I needed a breaker bar extension and a bit of might to just hear that initial crack on each one.
Harry
then the bolt just came off with close to no real resistance... I was shocked. But I had one hell of a time with the torx(star bolts).. I needed a breaker bar extension and a bit of might to just hear that initial crack on each one.
Harry
Last edited by lawcorvette; 06-05-2005 at 01:24 PM.
06-05-2005, 01:50 PM
#18
Just came in from the garage. I was lucky on the spindle nuts. They came off so easy the impact gun didn't even hammer. Hope the bearing retaining bolts are that easy too ......
06-05-2005, 02:00 PM
#19
Le Mans Master
CC, I had the exact same problem. Except I was smart.... 
I put a 3' cheater bar on and just put all my weight and muscle into it, yeah it gave way....and I fell and smashed my face into the side of the car. Luckily noses are softer than fiberglass. (wait, why am I happy I KO'd my nose instead of my car?
)
I put a 3' cheater bar on and just put all my weight and muscle into it, yeah it gave way....and I fell and smashed my face into the side of the car. Luckily noses are softer than fiberglass. (wait, why am I happy I KO'd my nose instead of my car?
)
06-05-2005, 02:58 PM
#20
Drifting
Member Since: Feb 2004
Location: Santa Maria CA
Posts: 1,277
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by eschoendorff
PB Blaster is your friend! Did you do a victory lap around the garage after that nut cracked?
in our shop we call that stuff,"WONDER SAUCE!" its great stuff!