Friends of Triumph
No news is good news...short report.
For the second time and following three races, I took the TR4 axles down
for magnaglo at our favorite machine shop. Not something I did prior to
the "rash" of axle failures in Triumphs. There are three of us running
this car and I would like to continue this activity on a long term
basis.
Conditions:
Stock axles & billet hubs (lapped in)
I did not torque the axles and hubs between magnaglos and found that the
torque had relaxed a bit on the nut.
One side broke loose with the factory style puller (Irv Korey Signature
Model) quite easily. The other side came loose with another method I
have used when I couldnt get the leverage needed on the hub puller in
the vice. I heated the hub with a household propane torch and bounce the
axle and hub off a composite pad used in the machine tool industry.
(This didnt take long or much effort, but I am concerned about bouncing
the bearings and perhaps causing a slight "brinelling")
One tapered axle surface looked fairly "clear" but the other one
appeared to have "squirmed" a bit. Not galled, but a little
"distressed". Both passed magnaglo. I relapped and am ready to
reinstall.
Lesson Learned: I think I should retorque after each race weekend.
I have redrilled the cotter pin hole to meet the 120# of torque on the
nut and can resurface the large washer slightly to influence the
position of the cotter pin, if necessary.
Conclusion: So far, so good. I am pleased with the billet hubs and think
the stock axles will be sufficient for my level of competition in
vintage racing with Hoosier tires. We will be exploring any marginal
benefits of ion nitriding the stock axles. I would personally prefer
using stock components, especially if they can be improved upon. Will
report any findings as we collect them.
As an alternative, I think the proposed pursuit of a "cloned" axle with
improved materials has merit.
Comments/Concerns? Please respond.
Regards,
Alexander Racing
|