Part 3 of the Axle Dilemma

On Friday I received a set of halfshafts with the bearings fitted from S and S Preperations in an attempt to cure the problem with excess endfloat on my axle. They had been pre-fitted to an axle at their premises at my request to ensure there was no problems with bearings and collars which are now a different supplier to original items. First look when I received them was that all bearings and collars look and measure identical as previously supplied items, but a closer look at halfshafts shows some difference in wheel hub and in the machined surface where bearing and collar sits so this may be the problem. Also they have been able to get the circlip into its groove.

I am sending my originals back to S and S for checking, I suspect there is a difference in the shoulder the bearing is pressed down onto. I watched the axle reconditioner press a new set of bearings and collars onto the half shafts, which used around 2 tons initially, rising to 4 tons when nearly down, before rising rapidly to around 10 tons which we took to mean the bearing was fully home on shoulder. However we could not fit circlip as retaining groove was hidden under collar and when half shafts re-fitted to car I still had massive endfloat.So not the fault of the axle reconditioner, apologies to them.

Original Halfshaft on left, newly supplied Halfshaft on right, note difference in wheel hub and different profile of machined surface.

Halfshaft being fitted - after fitting to my axle this has cured the end play problems,

at last it is driveable.

I also had my Minilite replicas back from the platers on Friday, I work with the co-owner of Aerocoat, at St Olaves, near Lowestoft so got very good mates rates for this.

New tyres where obtained from Anglian Triumph Services. Apparently 185/70 13's are now hard to come by and instead of the Kumo's I wanted Dave found me some Enduros, which seem like good value with a decent tread pattern.

The original alloy centre caps where behond repair, they are very badly dented, so I searched the net and found a set of four, plus Triumph stickers, and 16 wheel nuts at Specialist Car Products at a very good price.
I put a fair amount of miles in on the new wheels at the weekend and the ride is much smoother now, and does not seem to have comprised handling. They are also far better in the wet than the Avons which where hopeless. Hopefully removing the harshness which the Avons, combined with uprated suspension and hard bushes caused will help my back which is still not fully cured after my disc operation.

New tyres and wheels fitted, they dont quite fill the arches like the

MGF wheels did but I do like the look of them.