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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Front Wheel Bearings !! :0

Ok, I got my standard ones to work and moved on.... but I'm considering a winter upgrade programme.

Probably going to go with a Frontline front end and been looking at taper roller bearings ala MGB into the front hub of my Sprite instead of the angular contact bearings. I have read on a forum (see below link) that this will push the hub away from the upright by 0.060” (1.5mm). Surely this would affect the relationship between the calliper and the disc maybe to the extent of them touching. Anyone come across this and how was it overcome?

http://www.mgexp.com/phorum/read.php?3,2425785,page=1

Malc
Malc Gilliver

J L Heap has posted on General forum today, have look here - http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/store/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=29
Nigel Atkins

You must have missed the answer to your question in the previous long thread, in which you were the last but one contributor.

Look in the technical archive for --
"Oh no, not......Front Hub Brgs! Wohoo! 467 09 June 2013."

You will find the description of how to shim the disk back into a central position between the caliper again.


If you fit tapers to the front, you will also have to fit the spacer between them, -- just as on the MGB -- otherwise you will weaken the spindle. If you fit the spacer, you rather negate the point of fitting tapers, so you might as was stick with angular contacts.

Of course there are some who still argue that the central spacer on a Spridget spindle(not exactly the same construction as a morris minor spindle) is superflous, and you can fit the tapers without it.

But given that your stubaxle spindle is circa 40 years old, do you really want to eliminate what was considered a vital component on a new spindle, and run without a strengthening spacer, on a possibly weakened with age old spindle?

And if you've made your Moss bearings fit, why go to the bother of changing to tapers, when your bearings will now last many many years?
Lawrence Slater

Centre spacer is used on all of our midget hub and disc kits, along with supplied shims.
The Minor kits do not employ these, as Lawrence mentions , these are a superior design.
J L HEAP

Malc: have you seen this reference?
http://smithtr6.com/bearings.htm

It goes to a lot of trouble to explain the shimming process for tapers to ensure they don't get crushed when the nut is tightened.
G Williams (Graeme)

Reason for posting was simple, I have got my front bearings to fit and work, but I'm fairly sure the preload is liable to be out of spec and I'm guessing the bearing life might be a bit on the short side !!

Secondly, having had the summer off, I have spent the last three weeks hooning around in the Sprite and the car has moved from "I wish I'd never bought the heap of crap" to "cool, this is fun !" so instead of getting done, running and sold I intend to enjoy it!!

Upgrades such as Frontline front suspension, further upgrade on the arb, panhard rod , minilites, wider tyres and more 'hooning' are going to push the car beyond where I'm happy to have the 'made to fit' fsb's.

Reason for starting a new thread .... I tried searching for fsb, fwb, front bearing, etc and couldn't find the old thread !!!!

Malc :-)
Malc Gilliver

Not surprised about the difficulties with the archive Malc, glad you survived and have re emerged relatively unscathed.

Even as a standard rolling fix it daily drive with the occasional hmm .... moment I smile driving mine. (And it was a gift? from a Staffordshire resident). My advice is drive it, drive it, drive it. Takes at least 2500 miles to begin to really appreciate it so keep driving. It just improves with use. Oh and just keep fixing it as things crop up :-).

Back to the workshop ......
Dave Squire (1500)

Malc: old, very long thread is 2013, last post June 9th and called "Oh no, not......Front Hub Brgs! Wohoo!"
Nearly 500 posts -sanity warning- don't try reading it from start to finish.
G Williams (Graeme)

Malc. Then you have the option of new shiney and more expensive replacement hubs to take tapers, or you can fit the less expensive and "properly fitting" face adjusted modern angular contact bearings, that only need a single shim each side (make it yourself), to cater for the 1mm/2mm radius discrepancy. If you do need the other shims for the disc offset, you can also make them yourself, or get them made.

To save you searching in the other thread, here's the still current cost of the face adjusted SKF's from bearing boys.

7303-BECBP
http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&exiturl=http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/product.cgi%3Faction=view%26id=22185

7205-BECBP
http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&exiturl=http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/product.cgi%3Faction=view%26id=22430


The total cost of modern face adjusted SKF bearings would be £66.80 for the pair,(one side) including VAT and delivery to the UK, standard postage.

£133.60 to do both sides, fit and forget, for the next 20 years or so -- and maybe even longer given the lower mileages these cars are seeing now.

Or you could buy some NOS RHP bearings, probably circa £50 per side (not from me though I hasten to add) and no shimming.

Here's a pic of the 1mm shim needed for the SKF bearings. It took about 15 mins using 25mm and 35 mm hole cutters, a mini grinder to reduce the outer size, and a file to smooth. Needs a tiny bit more dressing to remove any sharp edges, so the oil seal isn't damaged if it touches it.

I suppose it all comes down to how much you prefer to spend, and if you prefer more servicing of the front wheel bearings, or less. :).







Lawrence Slater

Hi Lawrence, the bearing boys links don't appear to work?
And if not from you, where can I get RHP NOS bearings from £50 per side?
Regards,

Andrew
aj robinson

Snap ! CNC machined and plated. These are actually 2mm as we are running our own hubs and are able to determine the position of the bearings whilst keeping the hub in its original position.


J L HEAP

That's odd Andrew. I checked them last night.

Try these links then, I just brought them up on my comp' ok.

Search on the bearing boys site for 7303-BECBP.
http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/search.cgi?undercat=0&search=7303-BECBP&x=0&y=0

And

7205-BECBP
http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/search.cgi?undercat=0&search=7205-BECBP&x=0&y=0

Maybe Bob B will be along to offer some nos rhps?

Or there are the more expensive originals on offer from either orinico. http://www.orinocobearings.co.uk/ , or Ransome and Marles. http://www.ransomeandmarles.co.uk/

But from one of those latter suppliers, original RHP bearings are over 100 quid per side. -- which given the very long life of the original rhp bearings if you are keeping the car, is still relatively cheap in the scheme of things. But most people think that price is a bit of p take.



Lawrence Slater

Lawrence,

The original links you posted didn't work for me either but the id number at the end of the link did find the bearings in question when put into the search facility at Bearinboys.
David Billington

Thanks Lawrence.
Regards,

Andrew
aj robinson

Are there any browser experts on board today?

This is the original link I posted in the long thread.

http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&exiturl=http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/product.cgi%3Faction=view%26id=22185 ---- It works in IE version 7.

But when I try it in FF version 22, it connects to the bb site, but the site says, ---
-- "Sorry, this product is not currently for sale. "

Is this because IE 7 is no longer supported, and that was how I established the link in the first place?

Anyway glad you've found them.

Lawrence Slater

This thread was discussed between 01/08/2013 and 05/08/2013

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.