Axle replacement

[Van Bagley]

Upon removing the rear splines I managed to bugger up the threads to both rear axles. I am waiting for a die that will hopefully clean up the threads so I can get a nut back on. What if I have to replace each axle? How difficult is this to do?

 

[Tim R]

If you mean the half shafts, these can be replaced, various engineering firms can make half shafts or you could fit second hand ones, the tricky bit is pulling the hubs to get them out. There is a video on the Sunbeam Alpine Channel on YouTube showing how to pull the hubs. the threads quite often get damaged and sometimes there are huge differences between the lengths of each half shaft because people have damaged them.

Tim R

 

[Van Bagley]

I watched the hub pulling video but it does not show how to remove the axles. Sunbeam Specialties sells axles (half shafts) for $89 each

 

[Van Bagley]

 

[RootesRacer]

A slide hammer would remove that axle right now. The only thing that keeps if from pulling out by hand is an o-ring (I assume its an SV by your $89 axle price) on the outside of the wheel bearing and a little stiction of the splines in the spider gears.

 

[Tim R]

Van,

There are two videos on hubs. The Supplemental specifically for Series V details how you need to refit the hub (and old wheel if you have one) and tap outwards with a mallet to remove the half shaft. The Series V has a seal on the actual bearing outer case and sometimes gets a little stuck.
Tim R

 

[Jimjordan2]

Looks like a series V axle. I don't know about repairing that thread, could be a real bugger. I agree, normally it would just pop straight out with the use of a slide hammer. Problem I see, is now with the threads buggered up and no way to get the nut on, no way to keep the hub on, no place to grab on to the axle. If you're getting new axles, just clamp on to the threaded area with? Maybe a big Vice Grip, or some type of clamp that you can get the slide hammer to grab on to and it will come out fairly easy. Of course that's gonna bugger up the threads even more.
Good Luck

 

[bernd_st]

Re- cutting the thread on the halfshaft is pretty straightforward as long as you have the right sized die. Pictures show that you started to file off the mushroomed endings already so you have to continue that until the die gets proper grip. Make sure not to file of too many windings though. Did that on several similarly damaged halfshafts and it works w/o any problem. In order to avoid it for next time please use a suitable thread protector bush or reverse the hub nut and put it back on before you start to apply heavy pulling...

 

[Jimjordan2]

Yeah, I can see how that would work.

 

[jumpinjan]

I have fixed the axle threads many times. The threading die needs to one that can be disassemble and has adjustment screws on the cutting teeth to retract or set the cutting depth. The idea is to retract the teeth so one can get the die behind the mushroomed end. Then close them up and chase through the buggered end
Jan

 

[Van Bagley]

Thanks everyone. I will try to repair the threads first and if no luck then onto the slide hammer, Here goes!
And yes it's a SV with OD. I've owned it for 27 years.

 

[Barry]

You might want to look at WSM-145, Section G (Rear Axle), page 4.

http://sunbeamalpine.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/10-Rear-Axle-G-1.pdf​

 

[Jimjordan2]

And I still have that Series V set of axles with wire hubs in Thousand Oaks. And the price is excellent. Free with local pickup.

 

[Van Bagley]

And I still have that Series V set of axles with wire hubs in Thousand Oaks. And the price is excellent. Free with local pickup.

I would love to come down at pick them up from you. Problem is that I doubt that I could do a one day trip down and back. My Porsche gets about 18mpg and a hotel is about $65. Along with the covid floating around .... my wife is positive but I'm negative as of yesterday. Sadly road trips are not on the agenda. We have spent the great part of this year finishing our 17' 67 Airstream with no place to go. This really sucks

BTW is the axle a 3/4 x 20 thread pattern?

 

[Gumby]

No. The axle is threasded 3/4" -16 UNF.

Locating new nuts for this thing is difficult too. It take a nut that is about 1/2" tall. Rick at SS Sells nuts in the correct size but was unsure of the grade level of the nuts. On my series V axle ( complete housing going into a series IV car) the threads were perfect on the half shafts themselves, but the nuts were showing a bit of deformation. I bought some grade 8 3/4-16 yellow zinc plated nuts, bu they are so tall (about .85 to .89") that I don't think the nyloc portion will engage the threads. The nice part is there are more threads to engage the axle shaft itself., which I like especially since 180 ft pounds of torque is way up up there. More threads means less pressure per thread and therefor far less like to strip anything. I can not find any 3/4-16 guaranteed grade 8 nyloc nuts in the height of the original.

I think.... I am going to use the taller grade 8 nuts (more threads) with some blue loc-tite. Or maybe red. either way, a good Impact gun with be able to get them off some day. I am also going to heat the hub up to 80 to 90 degrees, while the half shaft is cold at 50 to 60. I want that extra squeeze on the taper fit. slid it on warm, zip gun the big nut, switch the socket to the torque wrench and torque to 180 quickly before the temperatures normalize. I'm use my hub puller tool with a 3 foot crow bar to keep it from rotting while torquing.

I really wish someone made one piece half shafts for these cars. I had looked into having a dana 44 made or modified for the car, but it was price prohibitive.

 

[spmdr]

Another option to fix a mushroomed axle shaft

is a Thread file.

It's tedious but works to get the size back down to the point of using a die.


BUT, of course, I NEED to say this,

Don't use a Hammer to remove an axle hub!

DW