Mid-morning update -
I backed the adjuster ring off, and the closure plate is nice and loose.
I realized I could get a better look if I adjusted the ring ALL the way off.. so far off that the 'closure plate' is completely loose and rests out-of-the-way on the axle flange..
All I see behind it is... rust.. and a few pieces of the old white foam gasket...
The back of the closure plate is also rusty.
I found my old steel rim and am trying to rig something up with scissor jacks.
- Art
Art, I know you mentioned bottle/piston jacks earlier, usually they don't work when mounted sideways, scissor jacks will probably get all twisted up, I'd had a similar problem many years ago with an 8 3/4 rear that "welded" the bearing race to the housing (lack of grease/lubrication and heat) if there's a machine/tool rental shop in town rent a portable ram jack kit that has an assorted size of ram jacks/hyd pistons and attachments, they usually come in 10-20 ton capacity, the more force you can exert at the axle flange, less chance of bending the flange end, which you might do with a rim because of the leverage exerted further away from the axle center
You want a hyd. kit that has small compact pancake pistons, or small expanding jaw type pistons
Mike
