I'm trying to get my Bugeye ready for the Healey Rendezvous on the
30th so I pulled the axles finally and had 1/8th inch cut off the end.
I took it to a drive line shop and they cut it off with a chop saw. The
guy even put the chamfer back on for me. Cool. I asked him how much
for the work and he said, "Nothing." I said, "excuse me?" He said that
it was a very easy job and he didn't want to charge for it! I know
where all my drive shaft business is going from now on, even if it is
not that often.
I got home and put them back in and "presto" no more gap between
the flange face and the hub sealing face. I'm convinced that after so
many years of use and removing and re-installing the hubs they tend to
move in closer towards the center of the axle for some reason. This was
confirmed when I was putting the axle shaft back in the banjo and had to
drive it home over the studs with a lead hammer. The hub visibly slid
in on the axle tube at least 3/8ths of an inch from. Of course the hub
slid back out when the lug nuts were tightened up. This 3/8ths "slop" is
probably the source of the gap problem I and some other lister have been
experiencing. Cutting 1/8th off must have cured it because I just went
for a half hour ride and the wheel well is still clean. Before I
cleaned in the wheel well today there was a 2 inch wide ring of oil
slung up by the leaking bearing. Fingers crossed it will hold.
Mike MacLean Supercharged 60 Sprite
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