Jeff Lewis asked:
> I am desperately trying to put my 72B back together before first snowfall.
> Everything was progressing nicely when I went to reinstall the front hubs
> (wire wheel type). Following the moss catalog instructions for hub
>installationby the dial-gauge impaired, I oiled up the new bearings and
>assembled the hub with the shims that where there when I took it apart. With
>nut torqued down the wheel was hard to turn. So I added a few more shims.
>Still hard to turn. So
> I added several more shims (all the shims I had (a variety of sizes). Still
> hard to turn.
>
> In all previous hub pullings I have done (on other cars), I put everthing
> back (including bearings) just as I found it with no apparent ill effects.
> I find it hard to believe that new bearings would require so many more shims.
>> I should add that I did not put the new races in the hub (old ones looked
> fine), What's going on? Is this moss method reliable? If I have to put in
> new races can this be done without a press (perhaps with a seal driver)?
Funny you should ask, I just did the same job last weekend. I'd much rather
R&R an engine. You should always put in the races that came with the bearings.
They're a matched set. The old races are removed by pounding them out with a
fairly large drift. There are cutouts for this purpose on either side of the
ledge that the races are seated against. The new races can be put in with the
same drift by pounding on whichever side of the race is high until they're
seated. The trick is to avoid scoring the face of the race with the drift.
A brass drift made out of 1" diameter brass bar stock is much safer (and has
many other uses). I have a bearing installer, but it always seems to drive
the races crooked.
I've never seen the Moss instructions, but they sound like the instructions
in my factory service manual. The only part you didn't mention that's in the
factory manual is first assembling everything withOUT the shims and tightening
the nut until the bearings bind to make sure everything is seated. But I think
you did that whether you meant to or not.
When I was sworking (great word!) on this this weekend, I was thinking that I
must be the only MG owner left who still uses those little barrels and shims.
I've talked to professional MG mechanics who've told me that they just toss
those things and adjust the bearings with the "tighten nut until washer can be
moved sideways with moderate pressure" trick. I'd never take my car to THEM!
After all this, I don't know why your rotors are still hard to turn. But I
suggest starting with replacing the outer races since this needs to be done
anyway. Maybe you've got two different brands with different specs in there.
I know why MY bearings needed to be replaced; I found one of the shims folded
over. I can't imagine how this happened, but it's now a happy B.
Denise Thorpe
thorpe@kegs.saic.com
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