Monday, May 11, 2020

Bringing Up The Rear - Part-2

PROJECT 51: Bringing up the rear: Part-2. Apparently, Brutus had replaced the wheel bearings when he had the rear axle apart, but he seems to have used a chisel to get them off the axle shafts, beating a furrow between the axle flange and the bearing spacer. I will replace the bearings (and fix the spacers), yet again, but I was able to use my much-more-civilized yard-sale bearing puller to get them off this time.
After getting the spring-packs off the axle, I noticed that the u-bolts had worn a groove into the axle tube. This is apparently so common that they sell a steel half-sleeve to fix it. After cleaning, the grooves were filled with high-compressive-strength epoxy filler, and the sleeves were clamped in place while it cured.
Unlike most other rear-wheel-drive cars from which the differential carrier-bearing unit can be removed while the axle is still in the car, the TD's axle must be fully removed, and broken in two to get at the internals. (Apparently, the "better idea" team that designed the front end didn't associate with the group who engineered the rear end.)
It required two chains, a length of 2x4, and a hydraulic jack to break the bond of the twenty square inches of gasket surface and the sealant that Brutus had used.
When I removed the pinion shaft from the carrier housing it was the very last part of the entire MG that could be taken apart. Something of a milestone! I can only put things back together from here.
The pinion oil seal was not leaking, but I would naturally replace it, anyway. It became obvious that Brutus had replaced it, as well, because there were gouges in the seal's press-fit bore where he had used a screwdriver and hammer to dig out the old one. Fortunately, they could be filed smooth.
I had previously disassembled the spring packs and wire-brushed the rust off of them, and now they were hung on a rack and painted with urethane rust-stop paint, as were both halves of the axle.
There are still a few more parts that need to be cleaned and painted, but for the most part, it's all assembly now!
Brutus method of bearing removal.


Grooves worn in axle tube.

Groove fix.

Breaking the seal of the axle-housing halves.

The last part that could be removed from the car!

Brutus method of seal removal.

Rear spring pack.

Rubber bushings from spring pack.

Rack-o-springs to be painted.

Painted spring leaves.

Painted axle tube halves.

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