front wheel bearing adjustment ?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

GOD, this is an OLD THREAD, can't believe I read the WHOLE thing, AGAIN!!!
If you ask 17 Guys, "How do you adjust your front wheel bearings"?----You'll get 29 ANSWERS!!!
Bill Tired

[drpepper1885]

My late 31 Victoria has the Rocky Mountain style front hubs. After replacing the bearings and races and spinning the hub to "preload" the bearings, I still have some in-and-out movement on the hub. It is about 1mm of movement. Is that close enough or should there be no movement? If I tighten things down to eliminate the movement, then everything binds and the hub barely moves. With the movement, the hub spins fairly free with little effort.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks from Houston.

Mike Hanson

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by drpepper1885

My late 31 Victoria has the Rocky Mountain style front hubs. After replacing the bearings and races and spinning the hub to "preload" the bearings, I still have some in-and-out movement on the hub. It is about 1mm of movement. Is that close enough or should there be no movement? If I tighten things down to eliminate the movement, then everything binds and the hub barely moves. With the movement, the hub spins fairly free with little effort.

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks from Houston.

Mike Hanson

A hair on the loose side is better than too tight.
You might get a better fit by switching nuts with the other side.

[modelAtony]

Originally Posted by highmiler1929

previous thread gave measurement of hub movement forward after nut was tighend . thanks for any help. highmiler 1929

Since 2000 have always put a 20 ft lbs then backed off to hole . I average about 1500 miles per month, all has been good . I see MR. Bill does 10 lbs close enough for me , sounds good. I think you might see the 20 lbs in red and blue books. Have fun modelAtony tony white Lafayette, LA

[RonC]

Per Ford there should be slight side play after snugging the nut up and backing off the nut 1/4 turn

[Dollar Bill]

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I've always used the Goldilocks method for front wheel bearings. Just right - Not too loose and not too tight. Shoot for no preload and no slop. My simple way of thinking is preload would create heat and accelerate wear.

[H. L. Chauvin]

FWIW: One humble opinion:

Just like on this Forum, or in our Congress today, or in Model A parts warehouses ..... everybody can witness that not all Nuts are alike.

I have several old, original Model A front axles with accompanying trailer nuts that were once used on trailers years ago; some from old Model A's; and I also bought several front axle nuts from several different places over the past 60 years, including the World famous J. C. Whitney all the way up to Bert's and Bratton's.

No two (2) nuts are alike when tightening front wheel bearings and no two "worn" washers are alike either where the nut forces will differ when the cotter pin is aligned.

With my mechanic Dad born 1902, (who remembered covered wagons and Model T's before "self-starters"), and his professional mechanic brother born 1905, I was taught to try different nuts and washers where there is no loose play in the front wheels when one tries to shake the wheel at top and bottom ....... but also the wheel does not bind when rotated.

First tighten front axle nut to insure that both front wheel bearing races are firmly secure and seated.

Takes a little time and patience; however, if one wants to, the back side of various nuts can be filed a little to achieve this above mentioned degree of perfection that my Dad taught me.

Like Mr. Bill Williamson, I personally do not think front wheels bearings should allow the front wheels to shake.

After sixty (60) years with no Model A front wheel bearing failure ...... I feel just like Clark Gable in the 1939 movie: Gone with The Wind ............ "Frankly my dear, I don't give a Damn" how all other people choose to personally adjust their nuts.

[Jim M]

Wow - my coffee just got cold reading this! This is why I LOVE this site and it is the first thing I do in the morning - OK second....lol. Lots of great advice but what I took from this is: 1) Extremes either way NOT good. 2) A little too tight WILL loosen but a little too loose will NOT tighten. Kind of like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Last - I hope I get to meet Bill W someday!!!!

[aermotor]

What makes a Model A different than any other car with similar tapered wheel bearings?

John

[daveymc29]

How accurate are inch pound torque wrenches? I was speaking with a guy from the Rad Lab that had tested several brands, both inch and foot pounds. All the foot pounds were very close to accurate and he said of the inch pounds none were and some were off by 20%. I go to tight then loosen until wheel will spin with no drag. Check for play and snug accordingly until there is none but wheel still will turn with a little weight at 3 o'clock.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by aermotor

What makes a Model A different than any other car with similar tapered wheel bearings?

John

John,
There is NO DIFFERENCE!
AND, remember, if you have LOOSE bearings, your TOE-IN doesn't mean SQUAT
If you like to practice reading, SEARCH for TOE-IN adjusting SKIP the motor oil threads---"EVERYBODY" is an oil "SALESMAN"---LOL---I choose my oil by the COLOR the SMELL & how SCHLICKERY it feels
Bill Opionated

[H. L. Chauvin]

Humble Opinion:

Model A Detergent Oil, Whitewall Tires, and Front Axle Nuts discussed on Model A Forums will always over-excite crowds of Model A owners.

Within a few thousand years, if the Ancient Egyptian Kings ever return to their pyramids and if they happen to delve into reading Model A Forum Emails about Model A Oil, Tires, and Nuts, it may be difficult for them to understand "why" these particular subjects were of such great importance "only" for Model A owners.

Hmmmm ...... maybe something to consider to add to this non-ending Forum discussion !!!

[George Miller]

Ok what happens when the hub, spindle and bearings warm up after driving and braking. Does that make the preload more or less. or does it stay the same?

[Step-down]

There should be two methods
1- if you have white wall tires
2- black wall tires

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

I NEVER tire of the "hidden" humor that's squeeked in among these threads!
Later civilizations will find SPARK PLUGS, used for fishing sinkers, in stream beds & think they were an Ancient Art Form???---Since they had numbers, they'll think they were a LIMITED EDITION---LOL
If you think I'm KRAZY, I AM!!
Bill & Dog LAFFIN'

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by Step-down

There should be two methods
1- if you have white wall tires
2- black wall tires

How about the oil. if you detergent oil say 10w-40

[H. L. Chauvin]

Ford may have been 100% correct all of the time .............

Some say for Ford's .... Ford said, "It is all just Nuts & Bolts."

After thinking, he never went into much detail in describing his vision of the thousands of Front Axle nut types of Nuts who would try to argue about maintaining his cars 80 years after they were built.