Presently doing body off resto and am in process of removing all frame and suspension components. Can someone run me through how to remove the rear hubs and rotors. I have the calipers and half shafts off and the rear spindles exposed but the shop manual doesn't seem to help me. Mentions drilling out rivets, but the only resemblance to any rivets is on the inside around the spindle. Would appreciate any and all help. Also I have removed the front hubs and rotors but one bolt at the lower rear of each dust shield seems impossible to remove even with impact wrench. These bolts attach to the steering knuckles. Do I have to remove all the steering linkages first??? TIA...Keith

The rivits are holding on the rear rotors, unless they have been drilled out already.

Before you take out the nut on the bottom of the knuckle, be sure the control arm is supported. It is holding the spring in place, and you don't want it coming out at high rates of speed. That will hurt you.

It's a combination of the right wrenches, turned the right way. You will probably need to use an open end wrench. The rest of the steering does not have to come off, but it's tricky.

Thanks, Ken. the two bolts on the knuckles needed a lot of WD40 and several days but are out now. As far as removing the lower control arms and springs, the manual obviously assumes the vehicle is together and will hold down the weight of the springs, however, I am dealing with frame only here and wonder what will prevent the spring from pushing the frame upward even if I support under the lower control arm? Suggestions?? I want to remove lower control arms and springs. Also with respect to the rear discs and the mentioned rivets; I see what appears to be four large headed rivets around the spindle when looking from the inside and they are located at 2,4 8 and 10 o'clock. Are these the ones that need to be drilled and if so do you replace them with rivets again or exactly what. Any and all guidance and suggestions is much appreciated....Keith

nope those are the bolts that go through the spindle housing and hold the housing to the control arm.Dont try to drill them out,once you get the rotors off you will see four nuts that hold on the brake plate and the bearing housing.the rivets that hold on the rotor to the spindle should be just like the front rotors,I think,I just ran out to the garage and checked my Vette which is up on jackstands,I am doing front end teardown and just finished full brake line and hose replacement and new pads, O.K. my front rotors are original and are still rivited to the front rotors, the rear rotors are replacement rotors and they are not rivited to the rotors as a matter of fact the rear ones dont even have rivit holes in them . if your rotors are still rivited on ,you should see the heads right between each lug boltthat sticks through the rotor there will be a round depression in the rotor that is the rivet

Ok, thanks Ron. Am shut down for the day so will have a look at it tomorrow and let ya know....

I removed mine without a car on the frame..

I took chains and wrapped them around the control arms..

then used a spring compressor and unbolted the control arms..

Ya, I knew I should have picked up those spring compressors when I was in town. Thanks for the tip...

Before attempting to remove the rear rotors, make sure the parking brake shoes are backed-off enough. Sometimes the rotor interior surface that mates with the parking brake shoes gets a groove worn into it, and a corresponding ridge develops on the shoe surface, making the rotor resistant to removal. Unless the rotor has "rust-frozen" to the spindle face,after backing off the parking barke shoes, they should come off relatively pain free.

Of course, relatively is the key word here.

Good Luck

NJ BB Ken

Well, the old saying 'if it don't fit, don't force it - use a bigger hammer' actually applies in this case. The rivets had been previously removed so it was a matter of gently persuading the rotors and hub off the e-brake assembly. Thanks to all for your interest and advice!! Onward and upward.......