locked castella hub

[hemichin]

hey i cant get the driversside castella hub off of my 74 superbeetle do you guys have any tips to getting it off i have already broken two wrenches craftsman wrenches well any tips would be greatly appreciated

[boschmann]

Are you talking about the rear 36mm castle (axle) nut that holds on the drum? If so usually you would use an air impact & socket. If you don't have access to that you can get a special tool that you hit with a hammer to break it loose (remember it must goback on that tight too). They are widely available & inexpensive, here's just one of many examples;

http://www.bus-boys.com/tools.htm

[Doug Rodrigues]

What boschmann said about putting that axle nut on back as tight as it was originally is very important. That nut should be at least 250 ft. lbs. torque. We used to use a 4 foot long handle and torque that nut as tight as it could go, otherwise eventually the splines in the axle shaft will wear out the splines in the softer metal of the brake drum. For those people who didn't torque the axle nut tight enough, eventually the splines in the drum will be totally gone leaving only a smooth hole. The complaint then is, "The axle nut is turning but the car isn't moving." Well duh !