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Hub problem (Bugeye with front disc brakes)

To: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Hub problem (Bugeye with front disc brakes)
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 13:38:04 FILETIME=[EFE124E0:01C1607E]
List,

     The good news is, I was able to get front wheel bearings for my Bugeye 
(with '74 Midget front end parts).  I bought the inner ones from Advance for 
$11 a piece (a good bit cheaper than Moss), and the outer ones from NAPA for 
$19 a piece (about the same as Moss).  Both were tapered roller as opposed 
to ball bearings.  I can't remember which store I bought the oil seals from, 
but they were just a little more than Moss.
     The bad news is that the bearings started making noise, which is why I 
thought to replace them.  Keep in mind that I only pretend to be a mechanic 
and have only put 2000 miles on this car since owning it.  When I took the 
old bearings out, the balls fell out of their cages.  Yep, they were shot.  
I replaced one side with no problem.  The other side is the tricky one.
     On the passenger side, the inner bearing came out in one piece.  Is 
this the way 'thrust' bearings are designed?  The bearings I bought had 
races that were completely separate from the bearings.  My mechanic friend 
said that they came out as one piece because they had fused together and 
that they should not have come out as a unit.  He further said that this 
meant that the hub on that side was ovalled out or worn out so that it was 
no longer the right size inside.  He said, looking at how the race fit 
inside the hub, that the new race fit too loosely and that I needed to 
replace the hub or go through a painstaking process with a very patient 
parts person to find a bearing with the same inner diameter, but with a 
slightly larger outer diameter.
     He recommended replacing the hub because you can't tell if the hub has 
been worn out evenly (and thus the bearing may fit slightly off-center).  My 
problem is, how do I find a hub?  I know I can go to ebay and keep an eye 
out.  The car was sitting because I knew I needed to replace the bearings.  
Now it is sitting because I need to replace a hub.  Is there a giant list of 
junk yards that have british cars in them?  How can I find one on the web?  
Moss only sells them for wire wheels.  I don't really care to swap to wire 
wheels.
     I drive it a couple of days and then it sits for a month.  It gets 
quite frustrating at times.  Eventually, I'll have redone everything again 
(even though I spent almost three thousand just to get it redone the first 
time and that was only two years ago, remind me not to use that shop again). 
  You'd think eventually everything would be new and it would run well for a 
while, but by the time I replace everything, the first things will be going 
bad again.  Although the limp home with a bearing that may be too small for 
my enlarged hub was quite pleasant even if I never topped 35 mph.
Thanks for your help or at least listening,
Ryan

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