I have a 72 with 911 5 lug conversion. I had the engine out and wanted to repack the CV joints so I pulled the axles with the splined stubs out of the wheel housing, thinking it would be best to keep them all together and make it easier to re-install.
Now I need to tow my car to a new work space and found the wheels wobble around without the splined stubs in place.
If I install them then they will flop around while being towed.
I was going to use a u-haul two wheel tow dolly.
Can I mount it with the rear wheels on the dolly and and lock the steering wheel in place
to tow straight and will the rear wheels be ok to roll on and off the dolly?

Thanks,
Steve

You shouldn’t ever be rolling the car without the stubs in the hub.

Thanks,
It seems like my stubs (which were not attached to the axles because of previous disassembly) came out pretty easy. Since I have them all bolted together as part of the axle assembly now, should I be able to put them back in without having to bang on the CV's with a big hammer.
Full disclosure, I did put the engine back in first, thinking it would be easy to tow without the axles flopping around, but then saw the error of my ways

Steve

Stub axles should be in and torqued to spec before you roll the car more than a few feet. Otherwise you'll kill the wheel bearings, and you might just have the hub and wheel depart the vehicle... Probably not what you want to happen at 60 MPH on the freeway, or even at 30 MPH in the neighborhood!!

--DD

Got a solution! HERE
& if you dont have a bracket to flat tow its available HERE

Looks like a good idea, but your site shows that you are out of stock so I will just plan to put the complete axle assemblies I have back in. If I have space trouble, I will pull the stub s off and install them only.

Question - once I get them started can I just use the threaded end to pull them into the bearing by tightening the nut?

Thanks,
Steve

Also, if you want to flat tow you NEED to have the key in and the steering wheel unlocked.

Zach

Why don't you just rent a uhaul car trailer.

Good point. I've never used a tow dolly but I've used a uhaul trailer a dozen times. It carries a 914 like it's not even there.

To move my car around during the time when I was doing my V8 conversion (5 lug, etc.), I would simply use a fairly large bolt and washers to preload the bearings and retain the hub. The inside washer diameter was the size of the inner bearing race, that I do remember, but don't remember the bolt size....I'm guessing 3/4"?. I did use a nylon lock nut. I flat towed the car 10 miles once on city streets. For a long haul, the trailer is of course the way to go.

Andys

If you've rolled your car with weight on the rear wheels, you've probably already irepairably wrecked your rear wheel bearings.


No, because your steering wheel will not lock in a straight-ahead position.

Yes, you can pull the splined shaft onto the hub by tightening the nut. I rolled my 914 all over the garage w/o the hub installed before I read that one should not do that. I figured I'd be replacing the new rear wheel bearings within a few hundred miles; again! That was 17,000 miles ago and they're still fine. Do I still roll a 914 around w/o the stub axle? Not since I've read not to. Perhaps there are more factors in play? Maybe load factors; installers skill level; properly torqued; were they properly greased at the factory (remember there have been several reports of new bearings with an insufficient amount of grease); contamination for shop debris which entered the "open" bearing, etc., etc.

Of course. But generally speaking, moving around without an axle in place will frag the bearings.

The reason is that the wheel bearing is held together by being compressed between the bottom flange on the outer axle and the outer washer. Without that (and the nut holding it together) the bearing halves can and will separate; that's why the wheels were "flopping around". It's no different than moving your car without the front hub washer and nut tightened.

Is it an automatic frag? Nope. But had he flat- or dolly-towed the car without an outer stub in then it's quite possible one or both hubs/wheels could have departed the car (they'd only be retained from coming out by the brake rotor within the caliper).

Have a couple stubs on hand for times like these.

I have smaller SUV that will just handle the tow dolly and car combo. The full car hauler trailer is much heavier and not approved by uhaul for my rig.

Steve

Thanks all for the comments and answers. I have not rolled the car without the stubs in place at all.
I had it up on all 4 corners and rebuilt all the brake calipers along with the CV's/axles (which were separated from the car already) and that is when it occurred to me that it would be easier to attach the CV's to the stubs if i pulled them out of the hub tunnel. Since the engine was out I elected to not put them back in the car for safe keeping until I was at that stage. I moved onto the master cylinder after finding it would not develop pressure after bleeding the brakes. I lowered the rear to the ground to make draining the brake fluid easy while I pulled the master cylinder. That is where it has sat, waiting for me to purchase a new 914Rubber master cylinder
And, as things go, I now have a need to move my car before I have the time to fully finish the work needed. I thought it would be less complicated to tow without the axles flopping around unattached to the transmission so i raised the rear end, installed my engine so I could move it all at once, went to check tire pressure while they were still up in the air
And found wobbly situation.
And yes, now I am concerned that even just the weight of the car sitting on them might have caused problems?

They are probably fine. Throw in the stubs, torque them down and carry on. If the bearings do go bad, oh well, nobody knows everything but chances are you are good.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts.
Steve