Rear Wheel Nut Size

[Ozmello]

Sanity check, please. The rear wheel nut is 36mm, right? Nothing different on a Safari? Thanks!

[FJBLF]

36 MM on both, GRB and CVJ transimissions.

Here is a video when I reconstructed my 72 GRB trans. Feel free to like and suscribe


Link

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1972 VW 181 SAFARI 1500 cc GRB Trans-axle

[Ozmello]

Hmm, my 36mm socket only fits the castles on the nut, and doesn't engage the nut's faces. There's some corrosion on the nut, so I will hit it with a wire brush to see if that makes any difference. Nothing else of which to be aware, is there? Righty righty, lefty loosy, right?

[Ozmello]

When I started this thread I was only looking at the driver's side rear wheel. Just popped the hubcap on the passenger side and it's the same story. Socket fits the castles on the nut but doesn't seat on the faces. This car is a Safari, which shouldn't make a difference...

Any tips from the gurus on the forum?

[FJBLF]

You have a few of options, you should anyway get some new nuts. I boughgt mine from cip1.com

SAFETY FIRST. These nuts are hard to remove without the proper tools.

1.- Safest and best, Buy and use a torque multiplier, like the one I use on the video below, those nuts are tight so it is a tool that you would use every time you take the drums off and install them back. It is quite useful. It can also be used to remove the crank nut, but I won't get into that now.

2.- Use a 36 MM socket and the biggest meanest breaker bar you can get at least 3/4" drive. Make sure the car is on the ground, parking break well engaged, battery disconnected. I've seen wheels spin before the nuts give way

3.- 36 MM Socket and a BIG pneumatic impact wrench. 3/4 drive

Feel free to like and suscribe, and good luck


Link

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1972 VW 181 SAFARI 1500 cc GRB Trans-axle

[Ozmello]

Sigh... Finally found time to get back to this. Bought a torque multiplier from a Thing specific vendor. Found that the holes on the multiplier for a 5-bolt pattern wouldn't fit my lugs. The holes for a 6-bolt pattern were large enough, but not spaced correctly. As my lugs are pressed into the drum, that was a dead end.

Hit the castle nuts with a wire brush, but a 36 MM socket still wouldn't fit. I've tried two different sockets, so I'm sure that it's the nuts and not my tools. Tried a 38 MM socket, and it fit loosely, but I was afraid to horse on it for fear of rounding off the nut. Took a large cresent wrench and opened the jaws to fit the nut and measured 1 1/2". That's roughly 38 MM. Anyone heard of a SAE castle nut on the rear axle.

The car's a Safari and spent most of its life in Mexico, coupled with the fact that the aftermarket parts that are available for these cars just 'sorta' fit, but I'm scratching my head. Next stop is Harbor Freight for an impact gun and some big SAE sockets. I've been overly liberal with the application of penetrating fluid on the nuts, so when I find the right combination of tools and torque...

Stay tuned! Any insights welcomed!

[RWK]

Try a 1-7/16 socket, 6 pt. works best
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73 Type 181
63 Type 113
63 Type 261- 428 071
62 Type 241-378 025 178 530

[Hot Rod Harp]

Did you remove the cotter/split pin ?
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74 Thing 1600DP
76 Westfalia 2.0L FI
69 Beetle 1500SP sold
88 Goldwing GL1500/6 sold


RinTinTin in Waldorf Astoria 1956

[Bruce]

[Ozmello]

The cotter key was removed LOL! I will see if I can post a picture of how the nut and socket fit tomorrow. This morning I took the car to a local repair shop. The owner hit the nuts with an impact gun that had 1200 ft/lbs of torque. That loosened them.

While driving to the shop my steering suddenly became vague, but I will start a new thread to ask for opinions on that problem.

[Ozmello]

Finally had a chance to upload pictures of the installed wheel nut which seems larger than 36mm and a new nut that fits the 36mm socket perfectly.

Removed the rear drums today and imagine my surprise when I found a spring washer installed between the axle nut and the drum on the driver's side rear but nothing on the passenger's side. Referenced the shop manual and it makes no mention of a spring washer. Threads look good on the rear axle... Any thoughts?

[wbailey2112]

Who knows why a previous owner added this lock washer, but I'd check both the threads on the axle and the threads on the nut that you removed. You may find that it is the nut that has damaged threads, and the previous owner tried to use the lock washer to move the nut out enough to grab a few undamaged threads on the nut.

I had to replace one of my rear axle nuts a few years ago because the threads became damaged (I'm guessing because it worked its way loose, but I don't know how it could with the cotter pin in place). Thankfully the threads on the axle were fine so I was able to torque the new nut without any issues.
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'74 Thing
'83 Westfalia