Broken rear axle!

[50dro]

I love my '03 XB12s

Sort of unrelated but '03 XB12? The XB12 came out in model year '04 unless maybe it was released overseas in '03?

[user_deleted]

^^^^this. what ricky said actually works quite well. your lightning is 11 years old and i can guarantee you the axle was installed dry and via time and corrosion welded itself to either the wheel bearings or the swingarm attachment points or both. saw a notch thru the remaining portion and drive it out giving enough clearance to remove the wheel. i would also strongly recommend you invest in new wheel bearings and possibly inner hub spacer OR at the very least examine them very closely. lastly....lightly coat axle with heavy grease and both the threaded end and pulley end with anti-seize upon reinstall so this never happens again.

[ssbbxb12s]

I did what 50dros recommended. I used a squeeze clamp to pull and hold the rim over to the right so I could get a sawzall in to cut the axle. then I notched the axle so I could put a wrench on it. that worked for about a 1/4 turn then rounded off the axle.

[ssbbxb12s]

So then I went out in search off some large drills and or an easy-out. all I was able to find was a 3/4" and a 1" drill. the 3/4" is the same size as the ID of the axle and the 1" is just too big. My last ditch effort was go to Fisher. They didn't stock anything that would help but the guy I was talking to is a rider as well and he had a personal tool box in the back, so he told me to hang on for sec and then he came back with "the golden easy-out". Man, it was anything but easy but I got it! I ordered another axle and picked up some anti-seize. now I just need to wait. What a relief :p

[ssbbxb12s]

Thanks to all!!! And my bad on the year, I keep calling it an '03 for some reason. maybe because my car is an '03. Built in Nov. '03

[nicholas900]

Nice job!

[ssbbxb12s]

oh yeah, the heat trick works but you must heat it up from the inside until the swingarm starts to get hot, then pour ice water through the axle to cool and shrink it. This was the only way it would budge.
The Craftsman adj. wrench did most of the work. It took a three foot bar and several cranks to shatter. the drop forge china junk just gave up as soon as the pressure was applied and a Craftsman socket and 1/2" wrench applied to the end of the easy-out finished up the job!

[50dro]

[Cosworth]

Hulk angry! hulk twist axle shaft in two!!!! ARRRGGGHHH