Fig. 1
Scrap Parts
Fig. 2
Tacking cap to pipe
Fig. 3
Marking Pipe for welding
Fig. 4
Welding it
Fig. 5
Using it
Last Updated 2-8-2005
When I was researching the knuckle rebuild I came across several references to the size socket needed to remove and replace the axle nut. What was confusing was that they all said if it was a 1976 FJ40 or newer or a mini-truck the size was 54mm and anything older used a 52mm. This agreed with my friend Cliff's axle nuts which were from a mini-truck, they measured 54mm. Ok well when I measured my 2/1971 AND an axle nut from a 1974 spindle they measured 50mm! So off to Sears to buy a $22 2" socket. When I got around to actually doing the job that required the socket the dang thing would not fit! It was not deep enough! So after searching around for someone who sold a 2" hub socket and not finding any reasonably priced ones I took the advice from a LCML member and made my own.
I started by trying to find a piece of exhaust pipe I KNEW I had left over from my exhaust project on my Pathfinder, but alas, I must have gotten too zealous in my fall garage cleaning and pitched it out. However I did have a weird piece of thick walled steel pipe that was 2" inside diameter.
My first challenge was to figure out a way to turn it with the torque wrench. My first thought was to use an old 1/2" drive socket and weld it in place. Problem was I did not have a large socket and did not feel like padding the sides. Next I was going to try cutting a 1/2" square hole in a piece of 1/8" plate but did not want to spend 3 hours with a file making it square. I was going through my junk box of steel when I found an old oil filter wrench with a built in 3/8" drive hole. It looked about 2 1/4" in diameter! Sure enough it fit the pipe perfectly! A few tack welds and it was attached. See Figs. 1-2 .
Fig. 1 Scrap Parts |
Fig. 2 Tacking cap to pipe |
Fig. 3 Marking Pipe for welding |
Fig. 4 Welding it |
Fig. 5 Using it |
My home made axle nut socket
Ok so how do you make a round thick wall piece of steel pipe fit a hexagon shaped nut? I thought of cutting slots in the pipe and hammering it around a nut but the walls were too thick to easily cut. (No torch or plasma cutter) As I was holding the nut inside the pipe I had a vision of that socket set they advertised a while back that claimed no more rounded off nuts due to the fact that these sockets gripped the nut on the flats not the edges. It suddenly dawned on me that the only thing I needed to do was fill in the spaces between the 'corners' with weld then file them flat! (Note: Thanks to Herb Peyerl for pointing out that these are called Flank Drive Sockets and are patented by Snap-On Tools)
I started by holding the nut inside the pipe and using a black permanent marker to mark the corners. See Fig. 3. I then ran some thick beads right on the outside edge between these marks. After filing them down and test fitting I realized I needed more depth and added a second set of beads below the first. More filing and fitting and I now saw the need to add a 'depth stop' to keep the nut on the beads. I added two tack welds almost even with the lower second set but in the opposite 'corners'. See Fig. 4.
I was worried about the wide flange on the welded end and thought I would end up grinding it off but it fits inside the hub PERFECTLY! With a 1/2" to 3/8" adaptor it fits my torque wrench so I can set the initial pre-load on the bearings.
So there you have it: One free except for labor 1971 Toyota Land Cruise Axle Nut Socket!
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