Hi, It's not a good photo i know, but to undo these nuts on the rear hubs i take it that i need the 45mm ring nut tool that hill engineering manufacture here in the UK. It seems an awful waste that i have got to spend a total of £60.00 on this tool to use it a couple of times during the restoration and then to leave it on a shelf in the garage infinitum! anybody else got one in the UK or am i being tight? ( i'm bracing myself for the answer on that) Regards G.P. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Buy a socket and grind it to fit - should cost you $20 and at that price, it's worth having in your toolkit. There is the same type of hardware on the steering wheel hub and it worked like a charm. ...Keith
Having access to a milling machine (with a rotary table) would make short work of making the tool you need. Trouble is, depending on the torque value it's tightened down to, the pins may need to be heat treated to be strong enough. Definitely use a small chisel and/or pin punch to lift the deformed part of the nut out of the recess in the stub axle; it will lessen the load on the tool's pins. Here's a couple of similar tools I've made when faced with similar obstacles. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The torque on the steering column ring nut is quite low as it has a nylon insert. The torque on the half-shaft & rear hub ring-nuts is a lot higher, usually takes a string impact wrench to break them loose. A ring-nut tool carved from a pipe will be too soft. People have reported success using ones carved from impact sockets tho. After you carve your socket, I suggest finding a piece of pipe & cutting a ring that just barely slips over the socket & sweat brazing/welding the socket's teeth to it. The outer pipe ring will keep the socket from slipping off of the nut while the wrench is working on braking the nut loose. It will also somewhat strengthen the teeth. I agree that we need good, ring-nut tools for a lot less than Baum charges. These tools would be steel, but intended for relatively few uses (5-15) rathar than daily production shop use. They've been on my round2it list for longer than they should have. I'll see what I can do, probably can't get them down to $20, but still s/b well under $100. I could turn one out by hand on my mini-mill, but to get the cost down will take a CNC mill.
I'll know more in a week or so, just dropped off the 3 most common ring nut sockets with my machinist. He's pretty busy right now, but interested. I told him I was thinking that the iitial order would probably be 10 pieces of each size. Think, he would have been more comfortable with 20 pcs each tho. He had some interesting thoughts on making them. If they pan out, this may be a stronger tool than the Baum one! Believe it or not, the biggest issue turned out to be the 1/2" drive hole. Best way to make it is with square broach @ ~$200! Hmm, maybe I can find one on eBAY tho...
I did one for the steering wheel. Started with a socket. Used glass wheel with high speed grinder to rough it out. Kept cool with lots of dunking in water. Finished with glass wheel in Dremel tool. You have to be carefull to get exactly 90 degree spacing and clean edges on dogs. If you have the time it is not a big deal. If you are going to use an air hammer, finishing in a mill is the way to go. Hand finishing will get at least 3 of the 4 dogs to work. The mill adds the fourth to the push. Sockets are already heat treated so strength is good. Got to have a steady hand and good lighting. John
The surface hardening can be a little tough to break through, but after that, the milling work goes pretty easy. Verrel: wouldn't it be prudent to start off with impact sockets and just do the milling on the face (to produce the pins)? Here's another one use tool that I produced on demand for removing the looong studs that mount a BMW subframe. I have to use a 1-1/8" deep socket to turn it, only way I could get the depth required. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Randy, Great Idea! Had a similar need for a REALLY deep socket and I wound up welding a handle on a socket. The Hex should take less time to mill than my welding. And you have one more tool for life. That extends! That rachets! Both ways! John
LOL! Thanks John, someday I'll compile all my one use tools and do a photo album. They may serve to give other enthusiasts ideas on how to overcome the obstacle they're faced with, or at the very least, provide a few good laughs
