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Bob,
Answering you actual question:
"appears like the final thread on the axel is sticking up higher than the nut. Is that possible?... What's the deal here?
Very possible. The deal here? It sounds to me like the end of the tapered axle is "flared", and that's why you can't get the nut off. May have occured in a previous attempt at removing the brake drums, as it can take some mighty blows directly onto the end of the shaft, with a fairly big hammer, to get that sucker off.
I don't know if I'd try to fix a flared shaft with a file. They were one of the very few things that were allowed to be modified for some sort of official racing rules, as 3 wrecks occured in one season due to tapered axle shaft breakdown. This may or may not apply to your style of driving. ;^)
I have seen this warned about (fortunately) before I attempted my first break job on my 122. The trick to preventing flaring of the shaft is to unscrew the castle nut, all the way off,
turn it around and screw it back on with the castelated (notched part) end inward.
and the solid part of the nut outward, completely covering the end of the tapered shaft.
Leave just a little bit of the shaft sticking out past the outward surface of the nut, to beat on, and check this as you beat.
Don't want to flare any more shafts ends.
Now the shaft is protected. AND when the drum does brake loose, it won't go shooting across the garage, or into your knee, or your wife's car, cause the castle nut's there to prevent it.
Last time I did mine, before I started beating, I released the emergency brakes (be sure car is secured in some other way). Also, one friend illustrated to me how intermitently, beating, a little more lightly, around the perimeter of the drum helps to loosen "the grip". This has seemed to help me a lot.
Listen to the sounds as you beat. With the castle nut doing its duty, all you will hear is a distinct but sorta muffled "POP!", as the drum breaks free. Good luck
gary
'58 444
'67 122 (2)
'72 p1800 ES
gary@bayareaparts.com
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