Who knows big, old truck axles?

Buddy of mine just found a sweet 1941 GMC 2-ton truck. Has some leakage from the rer axle, and he wants to do the brakes anyway, but he's stuck trying to get the rear drum off and the axle apart. Outer cap came off fine, then the floating axle slid out fine, but then he was expecting a snap ring or something holding in the housing cap. But it almost looks like there's been some brazing or something done there holding in the threaded housing cap.

Anyway, he's stuck at this point. any input on what the next step is?

It sure looks like that inner bearing race unscrews from the spindle. It looks like someone has taken a cold chisel and hammer to it to knock it loose once before.

I can have a look in my manuals at work tomorrow but I don't think any of them cover 2-ton trucks.

Tell him to be gentle, that engine has babbitt bearings and splash oiling. 45mph is about all she will suffer.

This will only disassemble with careful destruction. Are new collars available? I doubt it. They will probably need to be made by his friendly local machine shop. Note that this may be a left hand thread!

Herea a video on a dodge if that helps. 

That looks cobbled.  Has he pulled the other side to compare?  I fear he may find that someone has done something to repair a tragedy.

That Dodge video is what I remember.  They bigger trucks had the giant nut screwing on the the axle. Sometimes two.  Behind the single nut or front nut if two was this fold over lock ring thing that kept the front nut from unscrewing.  At least that is what I remember from the 70's when I used to work on 1950's vehicles in my grandpa's shop.  

Yours looks like someone  did braze it to keep the nut from unscrewing.  If true its because someone lost that fold over lock ring thing that prevented the nut from unscrewing.  My opinion anyway.

Thread appears conventional--righty tighty, lefty loosey.  Hard to tell if that brazing is relevant.  I think I'd try to coax it off with a hammer and primitive pointy metal tool.

I like the suggestion of pulling the other side and having a look.

^ what he said.

The braze doesn't appear to go into the thread. If that collar simply unscrews, an industrious person might have brazed on a little tab to allow some leverage in tightening the collar, then cut the tab off once the part was installed.

I've looked in my Motors manuals from the era, they don't cover any medium duty truck stuff at all.

The axle-specific service information I have is all earlier than that as well.

Sorry, that's all the info I have.

You've got enough meat there to file a couple slots into the collar and then unscrew it with piece of flat bar like a giant screwdriver blade, spanning the slots.

Semi-related comment.  A buddy of mine has a '49 GMC about the same size as this '41. Brake drums are very NLA, and good used ones are $$$$.  He might want to inspect for cracks and measure the ID of the drum and compare to spec.  There are companies that can spray new metal onto old drums. Getting into the antique (like pre-WWII) car community should help him find those vendors. 

I have used oversize drums by welding a little material to the shoes so the wheel cylinders are working in the proper range.  It would have been nicer if i had an old school shoe arcer, but practically speaking a handful of extra thousandths is not that big of an arc change on a huge shoe, and it will wear in quickly regardless.

Heck the drums on my old Subaru were .125" oversize on an 8"-ish drum and the brakes worked just fine!  New drums were about $250 each so I made do.

Any resolution to this yet?

I'm curious.

Hello all you wonderful people!  This is my 1941 GMC truck, I asked JG for some help and he (very wisely) posted it on the forum.  I’m a real bone-head and should just post on here myself…. Like a big boy.  

Update on the truck- there’s no update.  I’m spending time with my parents in Montana bouncing between the main house (where the truck is) and the farm (where my 1957 VW project cat is).  I have not been to the main house in over a week.  I will keep this community updated as the truck progresses along.  Also, I might add- it’s very inspiring and helpful to have support from internet strangers that just happen to be hardcore gear heads.

My action plan with the ’41 GMC

-take the other floating axle off to compare 

     -Maybe someone did a cruddy field repair on the axle.  

     -I’ll bring my Oxytocin’s/Acetylene torch and carefully heat up the brazing

-make a tool to remove threaded collar

     -Maybe carve out some key slots to fit a tool in there to extract

     -Maybe weld in a couple little nubs?

Once I get that thing off I’ll consider replacing that part, this part of the vehicle shouldn’t be that hard to access.  

Updates will be coming along!  Thanks again =)

Matthew

Wait.... actually, watching that youtube video of the guy removing the 1941 Dodge rear brake drum I might have missed something.  He takes an extra piece off that exposes that big nut around the shaft.  That piece, if I have it on my truck, is really glued in there with gasket maker.  Okay... that's my first plan of action when I get back to it.  

Thank you "Fueled my Caffeine" =)

Don't take brazing levels of heat to that bearing until you're 100% sure you can get a new one.

Okay... that YouTube video was right!  There was a cover over the axle nut.  It wasn't obvious because there was so much seal maker gluing it in there.   Success!  Now to find where the axle oil leak is coming from...

In reply to MatthewSetzer :

It was nothing as interesting as your truck, but when my B2500's floating rear axle starting dumping gear oil into the drums, it was because the inner hub seal had died running on a pitted surface on the axle housing (the part you'll see just inboard of the bearings when you remove the hub). That was when I found out about Speedi-sleeves (thanks, Trent!) for adding a new seal running surface without having to find some way to smooth the axle itself. Because of the depth of the housing, I had to find a suitable length of exhaust pipe to drive it on instead of using the supplied installer cap thing.

Maybe you'll get lucky and it'll just be a deteriorated seal on a serviceable surface.

...and glad you're finally on the forum! I enjoyed the video you did with J.G. on engine sounds.

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

Oh yes!!  That muffler car sound interview with JG was fun!  I love sound, it's my thing. 

MatthewSetzer said:

I love sound, it's my thing. 

You say that so casually as to criminally undersell the truth.

Here's you at your job:

And here's me at my job:

Yeah pretty obvious which of those screams "Professional at the top of their game"

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

Are you sure that's your best side?

That LS must have a plumbing issue

JG Pasterjak said:

MatthewSetzer said:

I love sound, it's my thing. 

You say that so casually as to criminally undersell the truth.

Here's you at your job:

And here's me at my job:

Yeah pretty obvious which of those screams "Professional at the top of their game"

If it's any consolation JG at least you're wearing a cooler shirt. 

In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :

Too bad the shirt wasn't a little longer.

Hey awesome update.  Glad I could help. The video was what I remember about these old axles. 

MatthewSetzer clearly the twin brother of Brian Setzer!