MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Front Wheel Bearings & Hubs

I am in the process of rebuilding the frontend of my '59 roadster. Today I removed the bearings from the front wheel hubs (drum brakes). All looked normal on the right side, but the left side inner bearing came out somewhat easier than that of the right side. I found two thin aluminum shims(homemade) under the inner bearing and also noticed that the wall of the wheel hub is galled. Unlike the right side, the spacer between the bearings was quite loose due to the shims.

The hub wall is galled, but smooth enough to press in the bearing with a degree of interferance fit. I am assuming that the PO honed them. All of the bearings look and feel fine.

Should I be looking for a new wheel hub? Any thoughts on the shims?

Thanks, John




jjb Backman

I would replace the hub if you can. Sounds like an amature job was done in the past. You could install the new bearing using Locktite shaft and bearing mount. If you try this you may want to check that the bearing is still on center once installed.
J Heisenfeldt

John, unfortuneately your hub looks like it time for replacement. I think it looks to far gone for Locktite bearing mount and I'm not keen on the use of shims.

Andy 60 Coupe
Andy Preston

Andy,

Despite the galling on the hub wall, I still have a fairly tight interference fit for the bearing. I think I will try the Loctite solution before trying to find a used hub.

The shims were underneath the inner bearing. The hubs are similar in height and shape but do differ in the shape of the notches used for tapping the bearings out. One side has flat slots and the galled hub has v-shaped notches. The bearings from both sides match, so I cannot fathom the need for the shims? I have attached a picture with one shim in place and the other set at an angle.

John
jjb Backman

Andy,

Despite the galling on the hub wall, I still have a fairly tight interference fit for the inner bearing. I think I will try the Loctite solution before trying to find a used hub.

The shims were underneath the inner bearing and are clearly a homebrew job. The hubs are similar in height and shape but do differ in the shape of the notches used for tapping the bearings out. One side is a flat slots and the galled hub has v-shaped notches. The bearings from both sides match, so I cannot fathom the need for the shims? I am not intending to install the shims agian.

I have attached a picture with one shim in place and the other set in the hub at an angle.

John



jjb Backman

John, you might make some measurements with calipers or mike to determine if the shim is needed.
Art
A Pearse

Someone may not have known how they are supposed to fit. I would put it together in the normal manner and see if everything fits.
Only after deciding that there is something wrong would I consider how to fix it.
R J Brown

This thread was discussed between 19/01/2009 and 20/01/2009

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.