Rebuilding rear axle

[drooartz]

My first step in bringing back Penny the Bugeye is to remove and rebuild the rear axle and rear suspension (got to start somewhere). Here's what I'm thinking is likely, would love comments/edits:

• Diff (switching to a rebuilt 3.90)
• brake lines
• bearings
• rear brakes, switching to later housings to better match front discs
• clean/paint housing
• shocks
• springs (? worth keeping old ones)

Seems pretty straight forward, but wondering what I'm not thinking of.

 

[Bob Claffie]

A lot of the items your list come under the category of "make work". Stuff that may make you feel better but will accomplish zero. Cleaning and painting are good. IE bearings likely last the life of the car. Usually shocks either work or they don't and are simple to test. Brakeline replacement may be the most worthwhile item in your list (just for peace of mind). I admire your desire to have a perfect/like new Bugeye but wouldn't you rather drive it ?

 

[RickF]

Hi Drew,

It's been my experience that the rear hub bearings rarely wear out, but you do want to replace the hub seals. Have the dampers (all four) rebuilt by Peter Caldwell at Worldwide Imports. They will be better than new and work far better than the typical tube shock conversion kits. If the leaf springs are in good shape they are worth reusing. The new springs available today from most of the usual suspects are 10 leaf "Rally" springs that ride hard and jack the rear of the car up requiring shims to get it at the proper height. Radius rod bushings will most likely require replacement.

Rick

 

[Bob Claffie]

An addendum to post #2. Based on lots of threads both here and away, the quality of many imported/off-shore replacement parts leaves much to be desired. You may be better served by a part that has endured for years and years rather than a new part that may last only weeks and weeks

 

[drooartz]

I admire your desire to have a perfect/like new Bugeye but wouldn't you rather drive it ?

You make a good point, and I will will fully agree in that I would rather drive than restore. In this specific case much of this car is unknown, so I want to go through it while I'm putting it back together and do the smart upgrades where they make sense. I'm truely not going for perfect, just well sorted. Besides, I'll need to do a full engine build and my budget for that is currently wrapped up in my MGB work, so these are little projects I can do to get the rest of the car back together in the mean time.

Good thoughts all, and helpful as I plan this out. Hoping to dive into this work over the next month or so and get going. I'd love to think I'll have the car (minus engine/trans) reassembled/rebuilt by spring, but that's likely a bit overly optimistic.

 

[drooartz]

Got some motivation today, was at the small show that our local club puts on every year. There is a family that comes to the show that are big Spridget folks, and their two Bugeyes are great. We run a little exhibition autocross at the show, and they are quickly driven. Had a nice chat with the owner, and it really got me thinking about getting my car back on the road.

So when I got home I ordered up a few parts. New minilites from Moss (anthracite grey, love the color) and a rebuilt 3.90 diff from Minimania. I have one of their 4.22's in my Morris and it was a nice rebuild job. Need to pick up a small jack to use with my lift and I'll get that rear diff off and rebuilt. Got to start somewhere, and it's time to get started.

-Drew

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Drew, While you have it apart Timken 207FF Sealed Rear Wheel Bearings fit right in place and help keep Diff Oil from migrating to rear shoes. Hopefully you grabbed E-Brake Rods from the Donor Spridget other wise converting to later backing plates will need to be cut, threaded and a coupler nut used to extend the threaded rods, Add a locking nut on both sides. Later E-Brake Rods are a direct fit as well as balancer. Use Wheel Cylinders from Later Spridget,

 

[JPSmit]

1. glad you are getting motivated! (send some to me)

2. Do you remember contacting me years ago about a car at Cooney motors? in Belleville (my home town) - drove by last week and they have another - 40k! Yikes, Canadian Dollars but still.... > 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite <

3. More to the point and coming to your car show post - is 'big Spridget folks' an oxymoron?

 

[drooartz]

Drew, While you have it apart Timken 207FF Sealed Rear Wheel Bearings fit right in place and help keep Diff Oil from migrating to rear shoes. Hopefully you grabbed E-Brake Rods from the Donor Spridget other wise converting to later backing plates will need to be cut, threaded and a coupler nut used to extend the threaded rods, Add a locking nut on both sides. Later E-Brake Rods are a direct fit as well as balancer. Use Wheel Cylinders from Later Spridget,

You make good points. I actually wrote up a doc on this when I converted my last Bugeye. I did grab the rods and balancer from the donor along with the backing plates, so I should have all that I need.

I used that Timken bearing on my Morris (very similar rear axle) will probably use them again unless the bearings in the axle are in excellent shape.

1. glad you are getting motivated! (send some to me)

2. Do you remember contacting me years ago about a car at Cooney motors? in Belleville (my home town) - drove by last week and they have another - 40k! Yikes, Canadian Dollars but still.... > 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite <

3. More to the point and coming to your car show post - is 'big Spridget folks' an oxymoron?

1. If I could bottle it I'd send it your way.
2. I do remember that. They're certainly not getting any cheaper... helpful in some ways considering how much money I'll have in mine before it's finished. That one in the pics looks nice, though according to the BMHT certificate it was originally a LHD car
3. I'm 6'1" 240# these days, so "big Spridget folks" seems pretty appropriate.

 

[JPSmit]

You make good points. I actually wrote up a doc on this when I converted my last Bugeye. I did grab the rods and balancer from the donor along with the backing plates, so I should have all that I need.

I used that Timken bearing on my Morris (very similar rear axle) will probably use them again unless the bearings in the axle are in excellent shape.


1. If I could bottle it I'd send it your way.
2. I do remember that. They're certainly not getting any cheaper... helpful in some ways considering how much money I'll have in mine before it's finished. That one in the pics looks nice, though according to the BMHT certificate it was originally a LHD car
3. I'm 6'1" 240# these days, so "big Spridget folks" seems pretty appropriate.

RE #3 guilty your honour

 

[drooartz]

A true first-world problem: I'm impatient for parts to arrive, even though I don't have any time right now to work on the car anyways. Still, I want the them now! Pathetic, really.

 

[drooartz]

Took some waiting, but the 3.90 diff finally came in. Car is up in my lift so hopefully in the next week or two I'll get the rear axle off and can get to work.

 

[DavidApp]

If the New Sprite springs are anything like the new springs I got for my TR3A you are better sticking with the old ones.
The ones I got were way too strong and badly made despite being British Heritage. I ended up getting springs made by Eaton springs to the drawings in the TR hand book. They turned out great.

David

 

[drooartz]

Thanks for that insight, David. At this point I'm going to stick with the stock springs and just clean them up with new bushing, ubolts, etc.

 

[JPSmit]

The more you can document for the forum Drew. The whole preload stuff is voodoo that I just can't get me head around.

 

[drooartz]

The more you can document for the forum Drew. The whole preload stuff is voodoo that I just can't get me head around.

Will do -- though with the diff this is a fully built unit from MiniMania. Just drop it in and go. This is one of those instances where I happily traded money for time saved.

 

[JPSmit]

Will do -- though with the diff this is a fully built unit from MiniMania. Just drop it in and go. This is one of those instances where I happily traded money for time saved.

you'll still have to do the pinion though right?

 

[drooartz]

Nope, it's a full pumpkin ready to bolt into the car. Did the same for my Morris last year (same diff as the Spridgets). Comes fully ready to go. Not cheap, but just pull the axles, remove old unit, install new one.

 

[Madflyer]

Clean and check is the word of the thread. Any time you can complete a step and be back on the road the better. We hear to many guys take it down to a place and time and or money stall the job. and then we hear it's been two years since it drove.
I am doing a Triumph GT 6 1972 getting ready for paint, the car is new to me and has not run in years. I started with tires ins. and DMV and drove the car all the simple stuff change the oil replaced gas line cleaned and sealed the gas tank new battery new fuel pump I still start the car now the glass is out and doors off looking for rust in the normal places. At this point I am checking all the elec. and wires connections grounds to make it all work again. The car is mostly sanded some rust on the rockers panels not bad. Before it goes to paint I will do the brakes and what ever. I have another diff. and trans ready to go in so it is remove and replace little down time. I will do new U joints at that time. A fun little car to drive will never be a TR6 1973 that I also did years ago our second car to drive club runs fall color etc to the store.
The motor will come out for paint as the PO put under coating on the firewall frame well whole front end. No windscreen but still drove it down the street.

 

[drooartz]

Clean and check is the word of the thread. Any time you can complete a step and be back on the road the better. We hear to many guys take it down to a place and time and or money stall the job. and then we hear it's been two years since it drove.

So true! This car's been off the road for 8+ years in my ownership as of now. Some of that was spent at the bodyshop, but I've had the beautiful shell back home for more than 5 years. So we're spending the money to make it happen.

On the diff, here's what I received from Mini Mania. Complete, painted, setup, and ready to install. Ship my old one back to get the core charge refunded.