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Old_Paint

Old_Paint

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LX2610SU, LA535 FEL w/54" bucket, LandPride BB1248, Woodland Mills WC-68
Dec 5, 2020
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Geezer3d said:
I had an axle nut come off on my VW Super Beetle many years ago. The wheel came off with the brake drum attached. Fortunately the car was balanced well enough that I was able to keep three tires on the road as I pulled over. I called my brother to bring me some tools, put the wheel back on, and drove it home.
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Front left on my '70 Beetle came off for me. First clue was a sudden violent shaking in the front end. Second clue was when the shaking stopped, the speedometer dropped to zero, and the car gradually tilted to the left and the drum hit the road. As you say, one wheel off generally isn't a problem on a VW Beetle, especially the front, until you apply brakes. I used the parking brake to stop so I wouldn't skid the drum on the road and lose control. Third clue was when the tire that came off casually rolled by like it was going to finish the trip without me. VW was the only car I'd ever driven with lug BOLTS instead of lug NUTS, and fortunately, none of the threads was harmed in the drum. Apparently, I forgot to tighten the left front after putting new shocks on it shortly after I bought it. In one of the very few strokes of good luck in my life, I happened to have 4 spare lug bolts in the glove box. To this day, I still wonder why I had them and if I'm the one that put them there. One lug hole was bent a little when I retrieved the wheel/tire. Couple whacks with a hammer, then pulling it down tight, all was good, and I was back on my way.

An axle nut coming off is a little surprising. (A.) It's normally torqued to 300 ft-lbs. It's a big ol' nut. 37mm socket fits, if memory serves, and takes a lotta ugga duggas with an impact, or a VERY long cheater pipe to tighten it. I hated doing rear brakes on that car. (B.) The axle nut also should have a cotter pin in it. It's a castle nut. If not, someone left it out. Getting it torqued enough to align the hole in the stub-shaft with a slot in the nut is usually a bit of a pain, never mind getting enough traction on the ground actually get the torque on the shaft. There are shims that go between the drum and a sleeve on the spindle to adjust the setting for the castle nut. Just remove a shim if you needed the nut to turn a little farther, or add one if it's going too far but still won't align with the next slot. I had one that I didn't notice the wheel bearings didn't seat properly in the torsion arm after I overhauled the rear wheel bearings and CV joints. When they did seat, it left a little bit of slop in the splines on the left rear. The stub-axle eventually destroyed the splines in the drum and left me with an axle spinning in the drum on one side and unable to go anywhere. I finally figured out what was causing the vibration at 85 MPH. :oops:

I had my '70 until 2014. There weren't many bolts in that thing that I didn't hold in my hand at least once. I bought it in 1979 while in college from a friend's sister. Started life out with a 53HP 1500CC engine. By the time I sold it, it was up around 160HP, cut down to a baja (after getting sandwiched between two Buicks) and would carry the front wheels any time I wanted it to (which wasn't very often as the driver becomes insignificant). I had 10" wide tires on it which would make it corner on a dime and give ya nine cents change. Probably the most fun car I ever had, especially after I became a rather accomplished VW mechanic. It became necessary because I was too poor to pay for a mechanic when I got it, and besides that, there weren't a lot of mechanics I'd trust to work on my car. I rebuilt the engine while it was sitting on my coffee table in my apartment one time. My pregnant roller skate took me from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Schenectady, New York after finishing college, and to a lot of strip mines in my early years with GE. I miss my old Bug. It got me into and out of a lot of trouble.
 
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