On Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:25:07 +0000 (UTC), Tegger
wrote:

"Existential Angst" wrote in
:

Had to sledgehammer the flat tire/rim off the hub, it had rusted on so
hard -- which is strange, bec the tires had been rotated a month or
two ago.



But the rust was not sanded off. And that's the problem.

Each time the wheel is removed, you need to use 50-grit emery cloth to
sand off the rust where the wheel contacts the hub. If you do not, the
rust will build up and have an amazing tendency to bind firmly with the
wheel and make it the devil's own work to get the wheel off again.



I've had to kick rims off hubs before, but never sledgehammer it off
-- and I'm not talking taps, I'm talking full swings. I almost gave
up!! The wood I used to protect the rim edge was destroyed.
Had this flat occurred anywhere but right outside my shop, it woulda
needed towing.
It was a full 1/2 hour workout -- I needed a nappypoo afterwards.

Should I grease the rim/hub contact area?



Yes. But first sand the rust off!



A number of people have told me not to.



Go ahead, no worries. Excess grease get flung outwards and ends up on
the inner face of the rim, eventually covered with dust. It goes nowhere
near the brakes.



Heat issues? A high-temp grease?
Maybe fabricate some kind of shim? Alum? Nylon?


No. Just use anything you've got handy. Anti-seize, Crisco, bacon
grease, lard, anything. The very best is Dow-Corning MolyKote M-77. It's
expensive, but is astonishing stuff.



How about greasing lug nuts? I need to use a pipe on the lug wrench,
and sometimes I think the stud is going to break off with the g-d nut.
Mebbe anti-seize compound, or loctite?


No lube is needed, just proper torque.

If the nuts were difficult to bust loose, they were overtightened to
begin with. Use a torque wrench, follow the automaker's instructions,
and those nuts will come loose as easy as pie. Even in the Rust Belt.
I wonder if painting the iron hub with galvanizing paint, the good
stuff, which is mostly zinc, would solve this problem? I think I'll
give it a try next time I need to remove the aluminum rims.
ERS