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MG MGB Technical - Tube Axle Conversion from WW to Bolt on

I need help! I'm swapping a tube-type axle into my early '66 mgb roadster. This is the first time I have tried to disassemble a rear axle unit. I am converting it from wire wheels to bolt on hubs. I had to destroy one of the WW axles during disassemby and am getting ready to refit the new (to me) axles and I realized that when I purchased the bearings & seals, I also purchased two spacers.
As I recall, when I removed the old axles only one of them had a spacer inboard of the bearing. My question is, which axle gets the bearing spacer, left or right, or does it matter?
Pat Kaye

Pat; I looked at two axles from a tube type differential and both have the bearing spacer. Leaving the spacer out will prevent the axle shaft splines from fully engaging into the differential side gears.
I assume you are not planning to install bolt on axles and hubs into a wire wheel differential? The wire wheel differential housing is approximately 1 1/2" shorter than the tube axle differential housing and the axle shafts will not interchange. Clifton
Clifton Gordon

Also I believe the spider gears in the differential need to be changed.
Steve Simmons

All of the parts of a WW and a Steel Wheel axle are the same except for three things: The axle shafts (different lengths), the axle housing itself (to accomodate the different length shafts), and the hubs. If you have a WW axle housing (the biggest heaviest part) you need to be putting WW axle shafts in there. Why did you pull/destroy the axle shaft? If you're switching a WW axle to steel wheel, you should only be pulling the hubs and switching them. The axles do not need to come off for this or for new seals; they do need to come off to install new bearings though. Which is tough to do on a destroyed axle shaft.
Wade Keene

This thread was discussed between 05/06/2004 and 06/06/2004

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