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Need help from a car guy/gal/person


eseemann

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Good Morning all, 

 

I have been getting parts together for a Rusty style hammer and I have come up against a problem with terminology. The item in question is the stationary shaft at the rear of a front wheel drive car. I have been told this is called a "spindle" or a "spindle knuckle" for the entire assembly that bolts to the car. I have seen ads for a "stub axle" that seem to do the same job as the spindle. If one (or more) of you good folks have any information on this please let me know. I have wheel hub/bearing assemblies for a 95-98 Doge Neon and a 1998 Acura TL. The local pull a part has the Dodge part for about $40.00 but I will need to buy a 32mm socket to get it off, not to mention get good and dirty, not that getting dirty is a bad thing. So I thought before I go play in the mud I would see if I can order the part used online. 

 

Very long story short if I see someone selling a "rear stub axle" for a 95-98 Neon is it a good be that will be the same as a rear spindle. 

 

Thanks for putting up with the rambling question.

 

Ernest

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 The local pull a part has the Dodge part for about $40.00 but I will need to buy a 32mm socket to get it off,

 

I can't help you with the part, but you might want to check with local auto parts stores as far as the socket goes. Some places will rent or loan out "specialty" tools like this to do various jobs. I managed to borrow the specialty socket I needed to change out the torsion bars on my old Plymouth years ago. I know I've seen signs at one of the local chain parts places near me that they have tools for loan/rent. Usually you need to leave a deposit equaling the value of the tool and then they refund that deposit when you bring it back.

 

 

You might also check with rental places. Some smaller rental houses will rent specialty automotive tools, or if you are really good friends with your auto mechanic, he might rent you his vs you buying a tool you'll probably never use again. He might also know where you might be able to rent one, as often it's impossible for them to own every specialized tool needed to work on every model car today.

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Depending on the original manufacuer, the part in question goes by all of those names, including "hub asembley" now, if you are looking for the hub, stub axle and baring assembley you will not need the 32mm, it will be held on by 3 or 4 smaller bolts, closer to 19mm
This is usualy sold as an assembley. Might check your local parts house for a price before you go to the bone yard. Some times the diference in price is minamal.

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32MM = 1 1/4" almost. It works.

 

Front knuckle for front wheel drive. Front spindle for rear wheel drive.

Rear stub axle is a rear spindle. Some are bolted to the rear axle (most are), some not.

 

You are building a Power Hammer and are concerned about getting dirty?????

Get off your keyboard and wander around the wrecking yard. They are a great source of ideas when creating something.

 

just my $0.02

 

Neil

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Neil, 

I am not worried about getting dirty, I have never disassembled the rear breaks of a car and if I did not have the right tools to do it I did not figure I would get very far. I do not mind getting dirty but I like to have a chance of success to show for it. Now I will crawl around the junk yard and get in to all sorts of scrap/junk yard funk and enjoy every second of it. I did not want to work in 2 inches of mud (last time I was there) to figure out I did not know how to take it apart. I can get on of the other dad's from group my daughter is in to go with me if need be. He will have the tools and the know how. The problem is getting the schedules to mesh up is not always so easy.

 

Ernest 

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Believe it's the same. The 95-98 Neon's are one of the reason I swore off of Mopar for 10 yrs. The Mitsubishi 3.0 motors they put in the Caravans and Voyagers are another. So you're planning to put this in your hammer somewhere???

 

Dissassembling drum brakes is easy. It's putting em back together with wrong tools that's a pain.

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charles is not joking,

I can buy a stub axle and a hub to suit an unbraked trailer axle 250mm long, square or round shaft, taper roller bearings, seal, dust cap, wheel studs and nuts for less than $40.

 

It may not have the DIY rustic charm of using bits and pieces but in this case standardized parts can make home engineering and repairs  cheaper, easier and more robust.

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I've spent a lot of years doing jobs that require working in snow, slush and mud. Usually fixing broken equipment or plows, or having to crawl under houses to do repairs to plumbing. A few sheets of plywood or foam board can be your friend. In snow/slush foam helps keep you up out of the wet and isn't as cold as laying on frozen ground. In tight spaces, thinner plywood lets you stay out of the worst of things and still not loose too much working room.

 

I've almost always got 2 or 3 2x4 foot sheets of form plywood on the truck just in case I need to end up in the mud under a house. Also makes a great work bench on the job site.

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Charles and Yahoo, 

Thanks for the information, the reason I was looking at the Neon rear axle is I (impulse) purchased the hub/bearing sets for about $8.00 each for 2 brand new and now in true to my (hard headed) way of doing things I am trying to get some type of axle go with them. I was half thinking about buying this small (890 lb cap) utility trailer from harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/870-lb-capacity-40-inch-x-49-inch-heavy-duty-utility-trailer-with-8-inch-wheels-and-tires-42708.html) and using it for parts. It comes with 2 hubs, 2 small rims and tires, a non-break axle, 2 small leaf springs and steel. 

 

Can you point me to a good place for the unbraked trailer axle 250mm long, square or round shaft, taper roller bearings, seal, dust cap, wheel studs and nuts for less than $40?

 

DSW

 

I do keep a tarp and a large roll of thick plastic drop cloth on the car as part of my OSK (Oh S$%T KIT) so I might need to add the padding as well. 

 

Ernest

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As we started out talking about a power hammer build, assuming a tire/clutch set up, start with the econo spare and call all the auto parts houses for a quote on the rear hub assembly (just make sure its a self contained bolt on unit. If you are an on line shopper sometimes online parts houses can be good to. If your building a trailer, with out breaks, almost any farm store (tractor supply etc.) carries traitor parts, as dose northern tool, granger etc.
A good junk yard axle comes from crystler mini vans, as its leaf sprung, and not in high demand.
If your looking for salvaged hubs, the absolute cheapest place is to check frame and body shops, as well as suspension/alignment shopts. Wreacks and curb checks often bend the rear axle on front well cars. It may damage the one hub, but usually the other is serviceable.

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What's your time worth? Is it worth it to you to spend money to rent tools and time to root through and remove parts hopefully in good enough condition for the build? Is it more profitable than driving to the auto or trailer supply and just buying a properly matched trailer spindle and hub? If you're not sure how to measure the wheel take it along, the guys at the supply store are used to folk bringing parts they need to match.

 

As I recall the spindle and complete hub for a 5" 5 lug wheel cost me around $30.00 here in the Mat Su Valley in Alaska, shipping included. I got a square receiver type spindle because the guy I'm helping build for needs the hammer to break down without serious problems.

 

I bought a space saver spare tire and wheel for $5.00 at the wrecking yard down our road but didn't have to pull it off a wreck, it was in a BIG pile of tires/wheels.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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Frosty, 

 

i think you have hit it right on the head. I do not have the flexibility to go play in the dirt nearly as much as I would like. I was just given a spindle/hub bearing set that I have been able to connect to one of the larger break rotors so I may be able to use that. I will post a photo if I can get it in some kind of shape.

 

 

Ernest 

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