The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Tech: Rear axle bearing sleeve replacement. My efforts.

Mart · 09-17-2016, 10:27 AM

I recently bought a 40 axle, and it turned out to need a new bearing surface on the one side. I weighed up the alternatives and decided to try and do it myself. I have a new (to me) lathe, a Willson slantbed. Now the good thing about the Willson, is that it will swing a good big diameter compared to other machines of the same footprint. I also managed to snag the long bed model which, I thought ought to be able to take any job I can throw at it.

Sooo. I bought a replacement bushing, and took some rudimentary measurements to see if the casing would fit in the lathe. I was really disappointed to find that despite my expectations of my new lathe, the casing wouldn't go in.

Anyway, here are a few pics to show what I did.

I propped the axle up against the workmate and pulled the left hand side casing.

In the background you can see what you have to do to fit two projects into a single vehicle space.

I fitted the faceplate to the lathe and made up an adaptor. The adaptor was a good excuse for me to machine some tapers. Morse taper 5 on the headstock end, and a taper to match the inside of the bearing race on the other end. The bolt transfers the drive to the casing flange.

That allowed me to fit the axle casing between centres. The long bed lathe made it possible, the standard length wouldn't have done it.

But there's a problem.

It won't swing. The spring perch is fouling the inner bedway, the one the tailstock slides on.

After some deliberation, I decided what to do. Break out the oxy.

Two foot of good quality extension bar and a bit of a heave got it bent far enough to clear.

Just a mm or so is enough.

So I was able to start machining. I got it down to within 9 thou of what I was aiming for and decided to leave it at that and carry on when fresh the next evening.
Came back to it and snuck up on it (machinist talk) and managed to get the size exactly as I wanted it. 1 thou over the size of the bush.

Finish was ok. Good even.

So.. To the press!

The casing just about fitted..

Almost! I couldn't get the ram quite high enough and had to cheat the top beam up by one bolt pitch.

Anyway, I got it pressed on nice and snug. The finished job looks good and serviceable

I then reversed the heat and bend operation. In fact the pics posted above were after the restraightening.

So that's it. Now the decision needs to be made, do I put it back together? Or do I pull it down further and swap the 4.11s out for a set of 3.78s?

Well, that's a choice for another day.

The clearance problem is only with the 37-48 casings. If it were a 32-34 with the shorter spring mounts, or obviously a 35-36 or an A, they would have fitted no problem.

Here's a link to a short video I posted on Youtube. Listen to my accent. Think of Ozzie Osbourne without the slurring.

https://youtu.be/sk42aYMYKyk

I was pleased to be able to do the job "in house" with my modest equipment. If I were doing it again I might do it slightly different but for an amateur I am happy the axle is now serviceable.

Mart.

09-17-2016, 10:27 AM	#1
Mart Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Solihull, England. Posts: 8,756	Tech: Rear axle bearing sleeve replacement. My efforts. I recently bought a 40 axle, and it turned out to need a new bearing surface on the one side. I weighed up the alternatives and decided to try and do it myself. I have a new (to me) lathe, a Willson slantbed. Now the good thing about the Willson, is that it will swing a good big diameter compared to other machines of the same footprint. I also managed to snag the long bed model which, I thought ought to be able to take any job I can throw at it. Sooo. I bought a replacement bushing, and took some rudimentary measurements to see if the casing would fit in the lathe. I was really disappointed to find that despite my expectations of my new lathe, the casing wouldn't go in. Anyway, here are a few pics to show what I did. I propped the axle up against the workmate and pulled the left hand side casing. In the background you can see what you have to do to fit two projects into a single vehicle space. I fitted the faceplate to the lathe and made up an adaptor. The adaptor was a good excuse for me to machine some tapers. Morse taper 5 on the headstock end, and a taper to match the inside of the bearing race on the other end. The bolt transfers the drive to the casing flange. That allowed me to fit the axle casing between centres. The long bed lathe made it possible, the standard length wouldn't have done it. But there's a problem. It won't swing. The spring perch is fouling the inner bedway, the one the tailstock slides on. After some deliberation, I decided what to do. Break out the oxy. Two foot of good quality extension bar and a bit of a heave got it bent far enough to clear. Just a mm or so is enough. So I was able to start machining. I got it down to within 9 thou of what I was aiming for and decided to leave it at that and carry on when fresh the next evening. Came back to it and snuck up on it (machinist talk) and managed to get the size exactly as I wanted it. 1 thou over the size of the bush. Finish was ok. Good even. So.. To the press! The casing just about fitted.. Almost! I couldn't get the ram quite high enough and had to cheat the top beam up by one bolt pitch. Anyway, I got it pressed on nice and snug. The finished job looks good and serviceable I then reversed the heat and bend operation. In fact the pics posted above were after the restraightening. So that's it. Now the decision needs to be made, do I put it back together? Or do I pull it down further and swap the 4.11s out for a set of 3.78s? Well, that's a choice for another day. The clearance problem is only with the 37-48 casings. If it were a 32-34 with the shorter spring mounts, or obviously a 35-36 or an A, they would have fitted no problem. Here's a link to a short video I posted on Youtube. Listen to my accent. Think of Ozzie Osbourne without the slurring. https://youtu.be/sk42aYMYKyk I was pleased to be able to do the job "in house" with my modest equipment. If I were doing it again I might do it slightly different but for an amateur I am happy the axle is now serviceable. Mart.