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MGB MGB Wheel Bearing Video

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Ah, Ron, that's the beauty of the BCF - you never know which direction a discussion will take...but whichever, they're always interesting!

& I wouldn't worry about the lack of shims in your car! That's the point I was trying to make....
 
The only way I can believe the 'strengthening' bit is if the bearing races - & not the bearings themselves - were part of that outer 'strengthening' shell...& in that case, the shims definitely would not be necessary to achieve torque without damaging the bearings.

Ah well....in all the millions of miles of MG driving, has anybody heard of a stub axle failure from anything other than an accident?
 
Yeah well, you go tell John Twist what you're doing and see what he says about it! LOL! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif

I'll admit I'm a stickler for certain things. I just can't bring myself to do anything that will make the car weaker, even if it's still "strong enough". I don't drive my cars easy, nor do they always see nice paved roads. Just three weeks ago I took our TC over an unpaved 9,000-foot mountain pass in Utah. It was so steep and rough that I was in first gear with my foot to the floor just to get up the turns. The last thing I need in a situation like that is the thought of snapping a spindle constantly nagging me in the back of my mind. While MGB spindles are stronger than those on a TC, my reasoning remains the same.

Stronger spindles and wheel hubs with no wobble in the bearings make for a better car.
 
I know what he'd say - John & I have disagreed before & I usually defer to his experience & knowledge which is far greater than mine...we'd disagree on this one like I disagreed with his rope under the cylinder head trick to stop leaks!
 
I like pie. :smile:
 
Just picked up on this thread and it reminds me of when I greases my bearings. I took everything apart cleaned & then reassembled. Reassembly was straightforward, but shims were tricky. Are you supposed to add & remove shims in order to get correct torque & alignment of cotter pin hole? I hope the answer is yes as I had a hack of a time doing it but the end result was, shims & proper torque.
 
If there is play in the bearing, remove a shim. If the bearing is tight, add a shim. Always torque to 60 lbs.

Once the bearing end float is set, the nut will hopefully be close to lined up. If so, you can tighten or loosen a little to get the pin inserted. If not, either shim the washer / nut or sand one or the other down until it does.
 
vping said:
I hope the answer is yes as I had a hack of a time doing it but the end result was, shims & proper torque.
Click to expand...

The answer is 'yes' if you want to use torque to 'set' everything like the factory did back when...that's Steve's point: the engineers in the factory chose that method as what they thought was the best method.

If I get to the same point you were & my cotter pin won't go through the hole, that's when I switch to 'setting' everything without shims per the tech tip on my web site instead of going through all the things you did to keep torque.

Some of my cars have shims, some don't...to me they're not that big of a deal.....guess its just something each of us addresses differently.

Were I working on your car, I'd do it like the factory did it by replacing/adding/removing shims until I got the proper torque & could slide the cotter pin through its hole.
 
Hi Viping, Do all the preliminary setup with the parts clean and dry then pack the bearings and assemble . This makes shim fittng a bit easier.---Fwiw--Keoke- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Steve said:
If there is play in the bearing, add a shim. If the bearing is tight, remove a shim. Always torque to 60 lbs.
Click to expand...
HUH?!?! Now ~I'm~ confused... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
DrEntropy said:
Tapered bearings ~when properly loaded~ are fine
Click to expand...
I'm sure the bearings would be fine so long as the play in them isn't too great. But it's the spindles we're concerned with here. Strengthening the spindle is the primary purpose of the shims.

Scott_Hower said:
I like pie. :smile:
Click to expand...
Me too! Especially pie which has been shimmed and properly torqued. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
I know how the tube 'n shims are a "strengthening" trick, using tension on the stub axle from the tube and shims, Steve. If they're there to juggle, they get juggled.

Now about that last statement....

Steve said:
If there is play in the bearing, add a shim. If the bearing is tight, remove a shim. Always torque to 60 lbs.
Click to expand...


That ain't right, son. Adding a shim should increase the distance between the bearing inside races and subsequently introduce slop between rollers and cup... removing a shim will lessen the distance and TIGHTEN the tol's. Bearing play means you need LESS shim, not MORE.
 
LOL! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif I didn't catch that one. Yes, I'm talking completely bass ackwards. I guess I should wake up in the morning before posting something that requires thought. Either that or I better go check all my front hubs! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif

Ok, I've edited that post to minimize my embarrassment. Thank you for catching that one Doc. Will you accept a case of beer to erase all traces of that one and pretend I never said it? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Only if we can negotiate an acceptance that those front-ends are overbuilt: Like 'Mack Truck' overbuilt...
and they can handle about any loads generated with hard road use and never notice the missing shims/spacers. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif


Your OCD is showing. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif
 
Think "unsprung weight" vs. the scant possibility of a stub axle failure. A wheel is more likely to fracture catastrophically than one of those axles.

Mere ounces, but nevertheless...
 
Oh Oh, its going to disappear for sure now Steve..---Keoke- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
Depends sommat on what beer we're talkin' as well... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif


EDIT: Since we're on this for the duration, I'll offer some nourishment fer cogitation: Dale (Tinster) has posted (in the 'rumphie forum) a fairly well documented wheel bearing dissertation. If ya look at that TR6 front stub axle, you'll notice how "spindly" the spindle is. Both smaller in O.D. and a bit longer than our MGB stub-axles... and, and.... NO SPACERS or shims! Huge wheel/tire comparatively, certainly laden beyond the MGB's burden with that LUMP of a six-cylinder, too.

Should we raise the alarm to save our TR pedalin' brethren?!?! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
 
I think that if you want to know how to properly setup a set of tapered roller bearings then just do a Google search using that as a topic and you will find out all you didn't know about the unique reqwuirements of these bearings.---Fwiw---Keoke
 
DrEntropy said:
Only if we can negotiate an acceptance that those front-ends are overbuilt: Like 'Mack Truck' overbuilt...
and they can handle about any loads generated with hard road use and never notice the missing shims/spacers. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif
Click to expand...

I will agree that they are overbuilt compared to other cars of the same weight. But I will never agree that it's OK to leave out anything designed to reduce the chance of stress cracks forming in a component which, if compromised, can kill you.

So I guess that means only a 6-pack and you just don't make fun of me in public? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
Keoke has a good point on settting this up dry and then packing the grease. one of my problems was trying to get it all out to reshim. The grease makes things sticky and a pita to get out. Good tip.
 
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