My current restoration project has a broken front wheel stud - instant fail, so the whole wheel drum had to come off so the stud can be accessed and a replacement sought. Getting the wheel drum off a 60 year old bus is, to say the least, not for those who lack experience or perseverance. But eventually (a couple of hours) it started to come off. But hang on, why is one of the OTHER wheel studs coming off with the drum? The answer is that it has corroded and snapped off.
The area of the fixing where that stud should be attached to the drum is a mess of built-up weld and general corruption. So the wheel centre will have to be removed (a full day’s task) so it can all be ground off and cleaned up. And now I have two wheel studs to find, not one.
But at least now I can see the brake linings - and of course, they’re worn down! Not illegal, and fine for a while, but it seems logical to replace them while everything is off. Thankfully after measuring up, I find that I have a spare set - but that’s all for another day.
The area of the fixing where that stud should be attached to the drum is a mess of built-up weld and general corruption. So the wheel centre will have to be removed (a full day’s task) so it can all be ground off and cleaned up. And now I have two wheel studs to find, not one.
But at least now I can see the brake linings - and of course, they’re worn down! Not illegal, and fine for a while, but it seems logical to replace them while everything is off. Thankfully after measuring up, I find that I have a spare set - but that’s all for another day.
