Brake Rotors

[Charlie Guthrie]

Regarding beating on the hub with a hammer.....don't do it. Bearings are
very hard material and as such are somewhat brittle. Hammering on the hub or
rotor may cause the bearing to chip ( I will avoid the engineering
terminology). If you really must hammer on the bearing, use many, many light
blows instead of a single heavy blow, and rotate the hub as you are hitting
so that the impact is taken in a different part of the bearing race for
every blow. This will minimize the risk of damage to the bearing.
After thoroughly cleaning the rust and crud off of the hub, apply a light
film of grease or anti-seize compound to the face of the hub and to the
centering hub. This will delay the onset of rust and make the next rotor
removal much easier.
PS: some of the brake rotor suppliers are now shipping the rotors with a
coating that is not supposed to be removed. Hard to believe, but it worked
quite well for my track car. The upside is that since the corrosion
protection is not washed off, the hubs stay nice and bright (well so far,
but the car never sees snow or the ocean).
Charlie G