>Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 09:04:45 -0700
>From: "Walt Goddard" <waltcpa@sierra.net>
>Subject: Front Wheel Bearing "End Float"
>
>Been off the list since December, working on the 77 off and on. Many
>problems encountered and most fixed (or in process), but have no knowledge
>of what "end float" is for the front wheel bearings.
Walt,
Your front bearings are designed very differently than what you're used to
with American cars. There is supposed to be a cup-shaped spacer and a set
of shims in between the inner bearing and outer bearing bodies. What you
are trying to do is trap the bearing bodies between the nut, shims and axle
backing surface in exactly the right position so that there is about .002"
play without grease. Putting so much torque on the hub nut then makes the
nut, bearing bodies, stub-axle and cup & shims essentially one big-assed
axle piece. I've seen some people blow off the shim & cup combo and have
done it myself in the past. BAD MOVE. You wind up riding on a stub-axle
about 2/3 the diameter the car needs and can easily damage the entire
assembly by hitting a defect in the driving surface the wrong way.
Looking at the drawings in the Haynes manual can be a little confusing if
you don't already know how they are put together. It sounds from your post
as if you inherited a bodge from the DPO. Take a look at either the Moss or
VickBrit catalogs, whichever you have and note which parts go into the
assembly. It might make looking at the manual a little clearer. You may
wind up having to buy some parts.
Glenn
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Glenn Schnittke
schnittke@mindspring.com
Home: 615-385-2800
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