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MG MGB Technical - Stuck front hub grease cap

I'm in the process of renewing kingpins, and can't get the grease cap off on the right side. I've tried prying with a screw driver, and I installed a 5/16" nut on the stud (atch to the grease cap)and jerked it with a slide hammer, to no avail. I was at it a good portion of the day, and am at the end of my rope! Anyone had a similar problem, or devised a special tool to extract these grease caps?? I've taken these off before without too much trouble, but this one is stuck good. I also applied heat with a propane torch, also to no avail. Thanks in advance

dave
David Tye

David. Find a long 5/16" nut, thread it on the hub stud, screw a 5/16" bolt long
enough to extend outside the hub into the nut. You should be able to lever it
out or place some large washers between the bolt head and the hub and
tighten until it comes loose. 68 and on cars originally had a long nut on the
thermostat housing. Clifton
Clifton Gordon

Clifton,
Thanks for your comment. I feel a bit silly...too frustrated yesterday for my own good. Had the same thought you suggested while lying in bed last night, but forgot about the long nut adjacent the thermostat housing. Thanks for the reminder. Saves a trip 'round town. BTW, one end of that nut is 5/16", and the other is larger. Will still work fine, just need a larger bolt. I'll definitely have to rig a plate or something across the opening of the hub, and a nut I can screw down onto the plate to pull the cap out. It is definitely tight! Thanks again

dave
David

Both of mine were firmly stuck. The slide hammer got one; but I wound up using a cold chisel and cutting up the other one till it was in small enough pieces to get it out. That was a pain.
John Hubbard

David, assuming you have SU's with the stock air filters, the long bolts from the air filter fit the large side of the Thermostat nut. The small side of the thermostat nut will fit the stud on the grease cap. Screw it all together; clamp on some vise grips; and some gentle persuasion with a hammer should solve the problem.
Mack Sneed

Thanks for all the comments. This website is great. I used the nut adjacent the thermostat housing, and purchased some 'all-thread' to screw into that (didn't see Mack's comment regarding the air filter bolts till after). I put a stout metal plate (actually, one of my wishbones) across the opening of the hub, inserted the 'all-thread' through the plate, and screwed into the thermostat nut that was already screwed to the grease cap. Then I threaded another nut onto the all thread, all the way down onto the metal plate, and started wrenching. It took quite a bit of torque on the nut to break the grease cap loose, and when it popped, it made a 'popping' noise. I thought I'd probably pulled the stud out of the grease cap, but thankfully did not. The cap slid right out. Thanks again for everyone's comments.

dave
David

This thread was discussed between 17/02/2002 and 18/02/2002

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