Re: Mk1 F4R/172'd Track Car Project
Finally got the hubs finished today, all good and miles easier to change wheels
Heres how I did it...
Start with two well used 172 hubs that have been machined down to fit my setup (4mm off the shock mounting face)...
Press (or hammer) the stub axles out...
Removed the sleeves from the uprights (Using a hammer and very big socket) and cleaned the hubs up with a grinder/wire wheel...
Next, had a right f*cking nightmare getting the bearing seat off the stub axle. I always seem to have problems with this, every time ive done one! There is no lip on the bottom edge to get a bearing puller onto it (weather thats factor bearings or just the way it is who knows!). Major amounts of heat with an oxy torch and chisel got nowhere so out came the grinder...
Finally got them off in the end. Next, ordered some studs and open ended nuts from Rally Design. These are Ford style studs which are a press fitment - M12x1.5 thread, I got the longest ones available which were 63mm I think. They were £0.95+VAT each, with the nuts being the same price (Open ended M12x1.5 nuts with a 60degree taper). When you compare that price to some of the 'screw in' kits it seems very cheap!
As you can see the studs have a 'gripper' near the head which is what gets pressed into the hub, then these retain it...
Next I had to modify the stub axles to take the studs. I had a good think and measure to check if the heads of the studs would clear the hub upright itself once they were pressed in, it looked like it could be close on the 'raised' inner, so decided to take some material off the back of the stub to aid with clearence.
I could have counter-bored it, but the holes seemed a bit too close to the edge of the stub to be boring holes big enough for the head to sit in. Cleaned the stubs up first then set about removing some material. They were a tad over 12mm thick when I started, took them down to 9mm.
~12mm
9mm
The last modification required to allow the studs to be pressed in was to drill the holes out to 1/2", which is the standard size of the holes on a Ford hub...
I tried the studs in the holes and they were a perfect fit upto the splined part as expected, as they would now need pressing in...
While the above was in progress I gave the clean uprights a coat of hammerite too..
Now that the stub axles were ready for the studs to be pressed in I got on with it. As you can see the heads of the studs are very close to the edge and Im not sure if counter boring them would have had enough room to play with without taking the actual edge off the hub...
Then pressed a pair of new bearings into the uprights...
And pressed the whole lot together...
As you can see the clearance could have been a tad tight on the inner raised bit of the upright if the material had not been removed...
Last job was to fit them to the car - so off the hubs came. Standard vs Modified Stud Conversion...
Fitted to the car and brakes reassembled...
And back on its wheels!
As you can see the studs are quite long as I went for the longest ones (63mm), but its not really a problem as Im using open ended nuts, but it shows shorter ones could be used if required.
So much easier to fit wheels now compared to before, really glad I made the effort in doing it. Also I now have a pair of spare hubs in good condition that can be taken to trackdays incase I ever need them due to bearing failure or whatever else
Quick breakdown of what it cost me to do..
- 8 x M12x1.5, 63mm Long Stud - £1.12 (RallyDesign: SS37)
- 8 x M12x1.5, Open Ended Nut - £1.12 (RallyDesign: SS41)
- 2 x Front Hub Bearings - £19.00 each
- Machine Work - Lathe/Milling etc - Free!
Total Cost: £55.86
Last time I looked some of the 'screw in' style stud conversions were going for quite a bit more than that, especially the ones sold as
heavy duty. Happy with the cost also considering as ive got two pretty much brand new front hubs with the bearings too. Thanks to Andrew Cooke for the idea also after seeing it on your R5 and mentioning it earlier in this thread - glad I went through with it now!
More soon!