Healey 100 Front Wheel Bearing replacement

[Healey 100]

Healey friends:

Is it possible to replace the two ball bearings on the front hubs of the 100 with a tapered set? A friend with a 100-6 lost a front wheel when the ball bearings failed and I think the tapered set might be more durable and safer.

Anyone have any experience with such a conversion?

 

[Randy Forbes]

I do not know the answer to your question, but it is possible to lose the hub with tapered bearings too; my brother proved it.

 

[zblu]

Healey 100,
I seem to remember doing this about 30+yrs ago, from memory I found some "Timken" brand bearings that fitted, since then I have restored the car back to original including all its deficiencies

 

[pan]

Tapered Roller bearings were fitted to big Healeys from the BN2 onwards, so the 100/6 which lost its wheel would have had the later type of wheel bearing.
The parts list shows different part numbers for the stub axle between BN1 & 2, so maybe it isn't a simple change of bearing type. Tapered bearings also require shims on the bearing spacer to achieve the correct tension. According to the BN2 supplement in the shop manual, the shimmed spacer seems to have been fitted only to later BN2s.

 

[healeynut]

If you have a BN2, you already have tapered roller bearings.

If you have a BN1, you will have ball bearings. If it does concern you, you should go and buy a set of the original thrust ball bearings they used, which you can get from David Nock at British Car Specialists. I suggest this because it wouldn't suprise me if someone replaced the original ball bearings with standard ball bearings which are unsafe in this application. The original style thrust ball bearings can handle plenty of lateral load, although racing is probably not a good idea with these.