GrammasPride

Hey guys. My (now) ex husband was going to help me restore this vehicle, but well...I left him and he was the know-it-all on this stuff. He told me the axles are rusted into place on the 1968 Olds 442 my Grandmother bought off the showroom floor. I need to get my baby moving again. Any ideas of what I need to do to get her back on her feet? I'm CLUELESS!

joe_padavano

It really depends on what you mean by "axles rusted in place". Does this mean the the wheels won't turn? If so, this is almost always due to the brake shoes either getting stuck or rusting to the drums. It's not the end of the world, but it does take a little force to get them unstuck. If the wheel bearings are frozen, that's a different problem but again not insurmountable. We'll need more info to properly help.

monzaz

I think your rigght the drums are probably rusted stuck NOT the axle bearings. The car would be able to brake the bearing loose under the torque of the motor....but brakes are a different story...lol.
Ok, try to jack the car up remove the wheels and get out the old 4 lbs sledge hammer and give it some good smacks. see if you can brake them loose if not off the axle hub. see how much rust falls out as you are stricking the drum. if you get good amounts of debisis it is mostl ikely the trouble.

What part of the country you in? High humidity and snow area? were in Ohio so sitting cars get this all the time around here. Jim

Oldsguy

Jim, you said it. When I purchased the '46 project i am working on now, the passenger front wheel drum was locked/rusted in place and as we winched it up on the flat bed trailer it left a black skid mark all the way! That thing was so rusted up it took two weeks of PB Blaster applied through every crack or crevice I could find until everything broke free, mostly the old shoe material just turned to mush. What a mess, what a job!!

monzaz

Yes I know too. I rebuild GM rear diffs and have to buy cores. Alot come with drums that have been in the yard for 20-30 years buried in the dirt. Alot of the time we have to cut the drum in half to remove them. lol Jim