Originally Posted by
stock3
My grandfather used to tell me "work smarter, not harder".
First of all, hammering on the rotor itself is not really effective, as the rotor is held by the hub. That's where the hammering should be directed at.
Second, you don't have to swing at one spot like a mad gorilla, things break this way. With a 1.5-2 lb hammer, steady and firm hits on the hub's edge, followed by rotating the rotor 45 degrees. Hit, rotate, hit rotate and so on, and the rotor should come off after few rounds as this action shocks the rust and makes it crumble into small pieces.
Third, before installing the new rotor, clean the hub with a wire brush or sand paper and apply a very thin coat of antisieze. This should prevent the same problem next time around. If the rotors are already installed I used a can of Rust Cure and with the supplied straw spray a small amount of oil in the opening between the hub and the studs ever time I rotate the wheels. This worked very well for the original rotors.
These methods worked for me so far on all the cars I had to do brakes. And I never broke anything on the car or my body because I missed a swing with a sledge hammer.