I had a right rear axle break entering turn two at Thunderhill at the
beginning of last season. The wheel came off and went into the boonies along
with its brake drum and hub. Fortunately,the wheel and hub rolled out from
under the car toward the rear, damaging the rear fender and rear bodywork.
The car did a 360 degree spin faster than I could blink my eyes and did not
roll over. The axle broke near the large end of the taper, exactly where
the inner end of the hub stopped contacting it. The hub obviously
reinforces the axle by being forced around it by the axle nut. All of the
bending forces from cornering appear to have concentrated at this point of
sudden section change where the hub contact ends. This makes perfect sense.
The breakage was definitely not caused by the key or its groove. The axle
was a "high tuff" axle made by Henry's Machine works some 25 years or so
ago. They had never been magnafluxed since installation. I have seen two
axles that broke in Jim Belardi's '53 Morgan that races on narrow tires.
They both brake at the same spot. His axles were O.E. pieces that could have
been 45 years old. I have not heard of axle breakage being a problem in
England with +8s. They have used axles with the same size taper up until
recent production. For right now I am planning on Magnafluxing my axles at
the beginning of each season.
Full floating axles like an early MG B has are certainly the hot tip as
far as something being "bullet proof" as far as a wheel coming off because
of axle breakage. In this kind of design, the axle drives the car but
carries no weight or cornering loads.
It might be possible to make special axle shafts that have a larger
diameter taper.
The later MG B Salisbury axles do not use a taper to secure the hub,
but are splined where the hub goes onto them. The Axle carries the weight
of the car as it does in a Morgan or a solid axle TR-3 or TR-4.
I don't remember that rear axle breakage was a problem with TR-3 and
solid axle TR-4 race cars during the 1960s. Perhaps Kas can give some
further illumination on this subject.
Regards,
Greg Solow
----- Original Message -----
From: Kerry Seibert <ckchapel@fast.net>
To: <gregmogdoc@surfnetusa.com>
Cc: <lmg@gomog.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2000 1:18 PM
Subject: FW: scary rollover reports
> Dear GREG and LORNE - I'm sure you've been following this thread on the
> vintage list. Enclosed is a copy of the note I sent one of my Morgan
racing
> mates (Don Greimel). Any thoughts or suggestions or personal experiences
> with the Morgan rear axle that we Morgan racers could benefit from?
> Thanking you in advance . . . . .
>
> Cheers, Craig Seibert 1968 +8 car no. 611 "Duff Morgan Racing"
> 1961 4/4
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kerry Seibert [mailto:ckchapel@fast.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 2:28 PM
> To: DGreimel@aol.com
> Subject: scary rollover reports
>
>
> DON -have you been following any of these "rollover reports due to broken
> hubs and or halfshafts? As Morgan folk, is there anything we/I
could/should
> do to lessen a chance of this? All this talk is giving me the Willies! I
> gotta admit I've never had my halfshafts out for a peek. Have changed the
> seals, castellated nut, and cotter pin but that's all. Should I be
nervous
> or should I be making a call to one of the UK racing specialists for their
> advice?
>
> Wishing my rollbar were just a wee bit higher . . . . . . .
>
> Cheers, Craig
>
>
|