Cookie's Blog: Slow Progress when you have to wait for parts through the post

Carrying on with the halfshaft rebuild but it’s a slow job when you have to wait for parts to arrive via mail order. Especially when you can’t order them all in one go. With the rear wheel bearing adjusted by a distance spacer and shims it’s not possible to work out if you need different spacer and shim combination until you get the unit assembled with the new bearing.

Anyway, I have got to the stage now where I’ve been able to determine that I need to order a different size spacer and shim combination. I drifted the new bearing races into place in the vertical link and assembled with the hub and bearing in a dry condition (ie no grease) to measure up. Using the one spare distance spacer I had plus two 3 thou shims I used the Canley Classics method of measuring using a straight edge across the bearing/inner shaft face using feeler gauges. It seemed that I would have an end float of 2 thou which is within the ½ thou to 2 ½ thou tolerance recommended by Triumph.

New Bearing Races Drifted into Place in the Vertical Link

Measuring the predicted end float using the Canly Classics Straight edge and Feeler Gauge Method

I then assembled with an outer halfshaft to check the end float with a DTI gauge. I used an old outer halfshaft and nut as the thread is a weak point and I didn’t want to risk damaging the replacement halfshaft with the unnecessary assembling and de-assembling. I drifted the assembly together to get a good portion of thread showing and then tightened up the axle nut to 110 ft lb which is towards the top end of the torque setting which draws the hub assembly onto the halfshaft fully home. Although the bearing was rotating freely I couldn’t detect any end float which was also borne out by the DTI gauge. I therefore reckon the distance spacer and shim assembly I have used is set with pretty much zero end float.

Checking the Bearing End Float with a DTI Gauge

I’ve currently used a 144 thou spacer and two 3 thou shims. I’ve ordered the next spacer size up, 148 thou and a 5 thou shim from Canleys. Although the 5 thou shim isn’t shown as part of the hub assembly in the parts manual it is available as a pinion shim part of the diff assembly. With the two spacers and 3 shims I should be able to come up with various combinations in 1 thou increments until I get the correct end float which will be verified with my DTI gauge. I’ll then assemble together with the replacement halfshaft and a new nyloc nut. 1 pain is that it seems non of the traders supply the correct nut any more, the original nyloc was a thinner than standard 5/8 UNF nut, but the last two suppliers I’ve used when doing halfshaft rebuilds have only been able to supply a full thickness nut which means there is very little shaft for the nylon locking to engage with. I’ll therefore use loctite threadlock on the assembly just to make sure.

Another job I’m doing at the same time is replacing the weel studs with extended versions and fitting 10mm wheel spacers to get around a clearance problem with the Cosmic Alloys potentially fouling on the shroud of the lower wishbone bush. I ordered a par of spacers on ebay that were supposed to fit wheel PCDs of 95 – 114mm. Triumphs have a 95mm PCD so these should have fitted. However although they go over the studs they won’t sit flush and fouled on the lower portion of the stud. I’ve measured the wheel spacers carefully and it seems they have actually been made with slots to suit a 100mm minimum PCD rather than 95mm. Despite the bubble packing stating 95mm! So trying to get a refund through ebay at the moment. I’ve already fitted two of the extended wheel studs so as a temporary measure I’ll use 2 6mm wheel spacers I’ve got lying around on the rebuilt shaft and leave the other side as is. The difference of 12mm on the offsets of each side shouldn’t make that much difference as a temporary measure until I can get a sensible set of 10mm spacers that fit.