Front Spindle Bearings

[PSweeney]

I have an issue with the hubs on my front wheels.  Basically the inner bearing seat machined into the hub for the bearing is not deep enough and I don't have room to run an oil seal.  The wheels are fully laced and assembled hence I'm reluctant to pull them apart to turn the seat deeper.  An option I'm considering is using a rubber sealed ball bearing for the inner.  Would there be any issues running a ball bearing inner and taper roller outer ?

[dreracecar]

I have been running inner and outer sealed ball bearings for years without issues, but you cant mix them because of adjusting the preload and each has the own setting. If you do go with the sealed ball bearings you have to work on shimming or trimming (spindal nut) to get the preload correct and still have proper location for the cotter key

[PSweeney]

thanks Bruce, I suspected that might be the case. 

How do you pre-load sealed ball bearings on an anglia spindle ?.  The inner bearing locates on the spindle shoulder and the outer either sits where the wheel hub dictates.  Do you use a spacer in between the two bearings ?

[JrFuel Hayden]

If your hubs have a shoulder where the tapered bearing race sits, then just go to a bearing supply with your races out and find ball bearing to fit, no spacer is needed because your hub bearing shoulder will set the bearing locations.  I have done that a number of times trying to fit some older style hubs on early Ford, Anglia, Fiat spindles. The sealed ball bearings are a better way to go over tapered, because of rolling resistance, now if you are going to race in circles, tapered is better.

Jon

[dreracecar]

Making an inner spacer can be done but is tricky. I just install the bearings in the hub against the shoulders in the hubs, install the wheel onto the spindle, tighten the nut and spin the wheel by hand. If the nut is to tight, when the rotation stops it will be abrubt and almost counter rotates but does not, just back off till the wheel stops smooth. Inspect the cotter key hole for thru passage or sand back-side of nut till passage is there.

[PSweeney]

thanks guys.  I can source the metric inner in a deep groove sealed ball bearing but the imperial outer is proving difficult.  The dimensions are 5/8 ID x  1 11/16 OD.  The OD seems to be an odd size in the bearing world. 

[dreracecar]

You need to move to the "Colonies" instead of that Island

[ricardo1967]

This topic interests me and I might update my front spindles with sealed ball bearings in place of the current tapered roller bearings. Just to confirm… are you guys talking about regular ball bearings or angular contact ball bearings? I think the latter is a better match for the application, but I want to hear your experiences.

Thank you

[PSweeney]

You need to move to the "Colonies" instead of that Island
[/quote

I would, wife won't....

[dreracecar]

"wimp"

Since the radial load is in effect for 98% of the time at speed- regular bearings work just fine

[JrFuel Hayden]

PSweeney, With the hubs I make, I use bearing number 1628ZZ ,  ZZ is metal shielded/ sealed bearing, because it has less rolling resistance, and it has an OD of 1 5/8 [ 1.625] and 5/8 ID. When I rebuild show car wheels using no longer made hubs I have had to make a OD spacer of .0625", or you could get a smaller bearing R10, with a 1 3/8" OD and make a larger spacer. Or bearing number 6203 ZZ with a 40mm OD = 1.574" .
If you have found a larger OD that would make you machine to a larger OD, and you don't want to take the wheel apart, you could machine out the hub using a mill, not a lathe .

I hope this helps,
Jon Hansen, Hayden Wheels, 800-624-3803, 805-444-4489

[PSweeney]

"wimp"

yep  she feeds me and grants me other privileges 

[PSweeney]

PSweeney, With the hubs I make, I use bearing number 1628ZZ ,  ZZ is metal shielded/ sealed bearing, because it has less rolling resistance, and it has an OD of 1 5/8 [ 1.625] and 5/8 ID. When I rebuild show car wheels using no longer made hubs I have had to make a OD spacer of .0625", or you could get a smaller bearing R10, with a 1 3/8" OD and make a larger spacer. Or bearing number 6203 ZZ with a 40mm OD = 1.574" .
If you have found a larger OD that would make you machine to a larger OD, and you don't want to take the wheel apart, you could machine out the hub using a mill, not a lathe .

I hope this helps,
Jon Hansen, Hayden Wheels, 800-624-3803, 805-444-4489

thanks Jon.  I have both bearings, the real problem is the bearing depth in the hubs.  It's left the inner bearing protruding with no room for an oil seal and the outer bearing does not fit in deep enough to insert the cotter pin.  The wheels are laced and tyres fitted hence we were looking for for an easy solution of a narrower bearing, either taper or ball but we can only find an inner one 1.5mm narrower and cannot find anything for the outer at all due to the odd OD size.  I think I'll just have to bite the bullet and bore the shoulder in the hubs deeper to position the hub and outer bearing in the right place on the spindle.

[JrFuel Hayden]

Maybe I was not clear, you don't need a grease seal if you use a sealed ball bearing, also if you are worried about the spindle nut not lining up with the cotter pin holes just use a nylock nut, it's what we use on our 190 mph dragster. Also if you still need to machine your hub use a milling machine with your wheels and tyres assembled .
Have fun !
Jon

[PSweeney]

ball bearing sealed or otherwise won't work without machining up an insert or the hub to accept an available bearing, so I may as well machine them for the bearing I've already got.  No doubt I'll be back soon asking how to lace and true spoked wheels !

Funny you mention a nyloc nut on the spindle.  The altered in my avatar lost a wheel @ 140mph when the previous owner used a nyloc on the lefthand front wheel.  Cotter pin for me !