Removing wheels for paint

j.m.jackson · July 24, 2017, 05:57:08 PM

What's the best way to remove the front wheels for paint, or really any other reason on a 5303? The jacking plates are in front of the axles, but what's the process you guys use? Run up on ramps, jack from the plates? How do you get the cribbing under the plate while you've got the jack under there?

PP · July 24, 2017, 06:01:03 PM

I'm not familiar with the 5303, but on our bus, I air up the suspension as high as she'll go, put cribbing under the pressure points, then let the air out of the system and simply jack up the axles until the tires are off the ground. That way I'm only working with the weight of the axles and tires. The air does all the lifting.
HTH
Will

Note- by pressure points I'm referring to the chassis, not the axles.

Utahclaimjumper · July 24, 2017, 07:05:51 PM

A simple bottle jack under the axel one side at a time would work with the least effort.>>>Dan

Dave5Cs · July 25, 2017, 04:34:29 PM

Are you painting the wheels or the Bus?

j.m.jackson · July 25, 2017, 06:24:36 PM

Both. Mostly done with sides front and rear, just the roof is left to paint. Need to get up there, scrub it down, and roll on some antique white up there.

But the wheels make it still look rough, so time to paint them up. Old scratched and scuffed silver on the front, road grime black and rust on the back under the skirts.

Also a good time to look at the brakes and other things underneath while it's blocked up. I'll post pictures of the blocking tomorrow, got the drivers front wheel off.

What are the recommendations on torquing the lug nuts? These were on ridiculous tight, had to use the 62:1 reduction tool to break them loose. Was sopping wet all over just getting the drivers front off. Of course I had to saw up a 10ft 6x6 to make the cribbing too.

Also, how much slack should be in the brakes? What's the adjustment procedure that you'd use?

Utahclaimjumper · July 25, 2017, 07:15:00 PM

Time to break out the manual.>>>D The lug nuts should be 450 to 500 pounds foot, thats why you had trouble doing them by hand.

Dave5Cs · July 25, 2017, 09:58:30 PM

If you don't have a manual remember the right side are right tighty, lefty loosy and the left or driver side is the opposite. Should be marked on the ends L or R

If you have ramps drive it up on the ramps then air up your bags, then block it at the jacking points in a cribbed manner, then jack up your axle and if I was working on it I would also block the axle. Not good to hang it from the airbags.

Dave5Cs

j.m.jackson · July 26, 2017, 06:18:43 AM

The gmc seems to be right tighty, lefty loosy on all positions. I've pulled the drivers side last night after running up on ramps, airing up the bags, then setting it down on the blocks. The axle is hanging from the shock right now. Bags are still loose, not under pulling tension. Worked carefully to make sure at no point could it come down on me.

The tires were replaced 2 years ago, i suspect the truck tire shop guys just wailed away at the lugs with the 1" impact. Many of the front, thinner lugnuts are deformed. They're the two piece flange nuts, and the fronts lugnuts are half as tall as the rear, so not a lot of surface area for the socket to grab onto. Maybe 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch, compared to an inch and a half nuts on the rear. I'll definitely have to clean them up with the grinder before reusing them.

I'll pull the manual tonight after pulling the passenger wheel for procedures and post what it says. Didn't know if the 4104/4106 crowd knew by heart.

j.m.jackson · July 26, 2017, 06:19:34 AM

One more of blocking:

Ed Hackenbruch · July 26, 2017, 05:28:35 PM

Check both sides of your wheels for cracks from being over torqued at the tire shop...happened to two of mine, i bought all new wheels and never let anyone else torque them.

Jim Eh. · July 26, 2017, 05:57:57 PM

Can you take a close up picture of your rims? Those nuts are for a hub piloted system. Thought those units were older than the onslaught of hub piloted wheel systems? Could be or could be a PO changed them up?

j.m.jackson · July 26, 2017, 06:11:16 PM

The wheels and the bus are both hub pilot. Thankfully. The wheels were most likely 20 inch split rims when it was new, but yes someone down the line put the 22.5s on it. Hub pilot according to the manual.

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j.m.jackson · July 27, 2017, 05:45:08 AM

Got the passenger front off, spent time with the wire wheel on the grinder on the drum, and took off the dust cap and resealed it also. I'll try and strip the wheels this evening.

Dave5Cs · July 27, 2017, 10:07:09 AM

Interesting must be because the studs were changed and now are regular left loosy and righty tighty on all. Thats nice especially when for some unknown reason like Ed said you would have anyone but yourself take them off.

Jim Eh. · July 27, 2017, 09:09:39 PM

You may have the wrong style of wheel nuts or the wrong rims. Although there was a transition period where the rim/hub manufactures blended the two styles of wheel attachment. This may be the case They did use stud piloted wheel nuts with a hub piloted hub. Not sure on the date of the transition though. But the ones pictured definitely do not belong on together.

I would be looking at swapping those rims out to hub piloted as the holes in your rims are larger than they should be with those nuts. Or installing a new set of wheel nuts to match the ball faced rim.