In removing the rear hubs on my MGA, I found that the left rear hub was very
loose on the machined surface of the axle tube housing. Apparently the nut
securing the hub had never been tightened correctly at the factory. (A little
too late for a warranty claim!) I know this because the car has been in the
family since new and the rear hubs have never been off. Anyway, one of my
books warns about the hazards of not tightening this nut up sufficiently and
indicates the result will be wear on the machined surface and a loose fit with
the bearing. The book further warns that a loose fit here can put a strain on
the axle half shaft and can cause it to break. My MGA has well over 135,000
miles on it with a loose securing nut and the axle has never broke, but I can
understand a loose fit here could put a strain on the axle half shaft and
could cause it to snap. The book says the axle tube should be welded oversize
and machined down to spec.
At this point, I'm inclined to reassemble the thing as is and give a good
tightening to the securing nut. Seems like this should hold everything
reasonably in place, but I'd like the wisdom of the list. The bearing slips
on and off by hand, but there does not appear to be so much slop that it rocks
back and forth.
Anyway, my question: Has anyone had experience with this problem and has
anyone found solutions other than the weld-up-machine-down route?
TIA for all help!
Bill Wilkman
1960 MGA
1960 AH Sprite
1961 AH 3000 BT7
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