Pulling an LT1 Hub - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

ar0ck · 05-22-2007, 03:18 PM

Cars a 96 LT1, and we can't seem to get the crank hub to come off. By the book; Chilton's says to remove the center crank hub bolt and use a a puller. I have the puller attached in the 3 hub screws with ARP screw and the center piece is securely mounted in the center and it pulls straight but we can't get it to budge when we start turning with a wrench. I definitely don't want to ruin anything and I can't seem to get this thing to move.

Am I do something wrong?

WildBillyT · 05-22-2007, 03:20 PM

It sounds like you are pulling it the same way I would.

Did you grease the big screw in the puller (you should)?

Do you have access to an impact gun?

Pampered-Z · 05-22-2007, 07:53 PM

I use a stage8 bolt that is thinner then then stock crank bolt and long enough ( about 4" to bottom out in the crank and ground a divit in the head
so the puller bolt can't slide off. The hub should come right off.

Be careful using a crank bolt, easy to strip out the threads in the crank!

WildBillyT · 05-22-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pampered-Z

I use a stage8 bolt that is thinner then then stock crank bolt and long enough ( about 4" to bottom out in the crank and ground a divit in the head
so the puller bolt can't slide off. The hub should come right off.

Be careful using a crank bolt, easy to strip out the threads in the crank!

Pampered, you pull off of a bolt installed in the crank threads??

deadtrend1 · 05-22-2007, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

Pampered, you pull off of a bolt installed in the crank threads??

on LT1 hubs, if you put a puller on like you would a regular SBC, it would be pulling on itself sort to speak. you need to get a long bolt/rod to fit through the center hole, so you are pushing on the crank, not the threads or the hub. Some people use 1/4" drive socket extensions but I head they got suck on some people.

look at this pic for what the hub looks like
heres the pic, from shoeboxes site

WildBillyT · 05-22-2007, 08:54 PM

Gotcha. Thanks, I didn't know that!

Blackbirdws6 · 05-22-2007, 10:33 PM

1/4" socket extension in the hole worked perfect for me. Had the same issue when removing mine for the first time. It was pulling on itself so it obviously wasn't going to come off.

-Brian

Pampered-Z · 05-23-2007, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

Gotcha. Thanks, I didn't know that!

Yup, another LT1 abnormality. Probably designed by the same engineers that thought putting the distributor on the bottom of the engine right under the water pump was a great idea!

IROCZBeast · 05-31-2007, 02:48 PM

You guys are life savers! lol I finally understand it now but wow thats wierd...

ok so anyway I am a little confused about something though. What do you mean by using a 1/4 socket extension to pull it off? You slide the extension through the center hole where the bolt would be? If so how do you back of the hub by doing that? I have that special tool that bolts onto the hub that triangle looking thing and that has a bolt i geuss you would call it that threads through, do I still use that?

If someone could just explain to me in a little more detail on how to remove this hub using that socket extension and whatever else that be great cause I really want to get this dam thing off tonight.

Thanks again guys.

Pampered-Z · 06-01-2007, 09:32 AM

Once you have the belt pulley off the hub is Y shaped. You remove the bolt from the center that attaches the hub to the crank.

Place a bolt/extention in thru the center of the hub where the big bolt came from so that it bottoms out in the crank, and sticks out about 1+1/2" - 2" from the base of the hub.

Connect your puller to the hub using three bolts. Insert the puller's center bolt and turn it in until it centers in the socket extention. Then start cranking until the hub backs off. The hub sits about 2" onto the crank snout.

Sorry, this is the only pic I have

http://www.97transam.com/harold/IMG_0190_pic.jpg

JB

IROCZBeast · 06-03-2007, 10:35 AM

thanks for all the help guys, I finally got it off yesterday, it came off real easy using the 1/4 extension.

Two more questions for you guys.

Does the oil pan have to come off to get the timing chain cover off?

And did you guys have to remove the headers from the car to get the heads off? Cause I can't seem to see how I would get the those bolts on the heads below the headers.

Thanks.

,Nick

j0n · 06-03-2007, 10:57 AM

you MUST drop the oil pan(not all the way just unbolt it) or the oil pan gasket will tear, at which point you'll have to completely remove the oil pan from the car = not fun.

You should be able to unbolt the headers from the heads and leave them in the engine bay without a problem.

IROCZBeast · 06-03-2007, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j0n

you MUST drop the oil pan(not all the way just unbolt it) or the oil pan gasket will tear, at which point you'll have to completely remove the oil pan from the car = not fun.

You should be able to unbolt the headers from the heads and leave them in the engine bay without a problem.

So all I have to do is just unbolt the oil pan and take the drop the gasket off the timing chain cover then I can pull the timing chain off?

I have the headers unbolted but I still don't see how I'm going to take the heads off without taking the headers out because the bolts are hard to get too plus I need to get a breaker bar in there to losen up the bolts. I'll have to look at it a little more today though I could be wrong.

j0n · 06-03-2007, 12:47 PM

Yes, drop the oil pan so that it's sitting an inch or so below the gasket, then unbolt the timing chain cover, and then pull the timing chain/sprockets.

as for the heads my best advice would be to get creative with universals and extensions and/or make friends with someone that's got a compressor and an impact gun

IROCZBeast · 06-03-2007, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j0n

Yes, drop the oil pan so that it's sitting an inch or so below the gasket, then unbolt the timing chain cover, and then pull the timing chain/sprockets.

as for the heads my best advice would be to get creative with universals and extensions and/or make friends with someone that's got a compressor and an impact gun

idk after looking at it I really don't see how it'd be possible without pulling the headers.

first I'm going to just try unbolting them from the y-pipe and see if I can move them around to get to each bolt, hopefully that'll work so I won't have to completely drop them out of the car.

Pampered-Z · 06-04-2007, 10:18 AM

I have long tubes and I was able to get the heads off with the headers still in the car. It's a PITA, you might need to do some wiggling but it can be done.

Just go slow when dropping the pan to not rip the pan gasket, you will probably need to run a small bead of RTV along the timing cover to make sure you get a good seal again.