Driveshaft Nut Loosen/Tighten Trick Without Pneumatic Tools

For those who wish to tighten or loosen the main nut of a hub or brake drum of a vehicle.

What you see in the first picture is a front wheel hub of a A-type Citroën Oldtimer.

If you need to get to the bearings or have to change dust covers you have to loosen the nut in the middle.

Since Oldtimers come with the usual agony of nuts wanting to stay as they where for several years,

here's a trick that might help.

Basically it comes down to enabling yourself to use your own weight instead of muscle.

You need:

some heavy pipe

your socketwrench and probably a cheaterbar/pipe

hub nuts

WD-40

After you have jacked up your car, secured it and taken the wheel off you have to protect the threading of the studs.

In my case I turned around the wheelnuts and put them back on the studs leaving enough room to slide a peace of pipe behind them.

Depending on if you loosen or tighten you determine how.

IMPORTANT: Let the pipe rest on the ground surface, NOT against a part of your vehicle !

Do your job, but remember the trick only works with a downward force.

Pulling moves the car up in a potentially dangerous way, using your weight downward doesn't.

In this picture you see the rear brake drum hub on my workbench to change the bearings.

With a crowbar you mimic the trick in the horizontal plane.

The workbench should be fixed to the wall, though.

Good luck, work safe and have fun,

Steve