Which rear Hub?

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Originally Posted by Jcrowe69

Hi All,
I finally got my S1 registered last month, full NSW rego and already have done over 1000 miles just running around, it was last registered in 1991 as JOC 330 and if anyone has any info about its history it would be much appreciated.
Anyhow as to be expected a few niggles have surfaced and the rear hub is the current issue, it has a fully floating shaft rear axle and when I bought it there where only 5 bolts in it as the sixth had a broken stud in it, got that out with an easy out and put the correct bolt in. After running around it started leaking oil and when I pulled the bolts, 5 of the 6 where snapped! I got two out by drilling and using the easy out, then the drill bit snapped and now I think the hub is stuffed.
After looking at the manual and seeing what I had, I have a spacer half inch wide between the hub and driving member, so the right bolts are actually half an inch too short!!
Does any one know if this is a standard S1 rear axle and the spacer is something to use later axles shafts? Once we solve this mystery, does anyone have a rear hub assembly sitting around as I've stuffed mine!!
I've attached a couple of pic's....
Cheers
Jason

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hi jason i will put a complete set of semi rear hubs on for you jim

I perhaps should add to my last post that conversions of semifloating to fully floating hubs was not uncommon in the 1960s or thereabouts. The Series 2 parts just bolt on, the only special parts needed are the half axles - which as I commented earlier, are just about unobtainable, so a lot of these conversions would have used the same spacers.

The semifloating setup works quite well, is less prone to oil leaks, and is original for most Series 1. While there is only one bearing rather than two, and it is ball rather than roller, it is larger diameter and does not have to handle side loads. The only real issue is repairability in the field. The fully floating axle is fully repairable with only hand tools and a jack - the semifloating one needs a press.

I have had one fail, in 1962, and it was repaired in Moonbi on the New England Hwy in a couple of hours. (new bearing and retainer sleeve off the shelf) Try that today! (for any vehicle, not just a Landrover)

That incident has, though, made me a fan of the fully floating hubs.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

While there is only one bearing rather than two, and it is ball rather than roller, it is larger diameter and does not have to handle side loads. The only real issue is repairability in the field. The fully floating axle is fully repairable with only hand tools and a jack - the semifloating one needs a press.

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In 1979 I lived in Newcastle and was down at Yalwal 4wding in my 54 Series 1 86 and busted a rear axle - I managed to get it back to a garage and pulled the broken axle out however the garage did not have big enough equipment to get the bearing off. As I needed to get home we just cut the axle off at the bearing and reinstalled. Drove the 400km back to Newcastle in front wheel drive on a front drive system that had not really been maintained in 25 years - due to the slack the snatch in the drivetrain was incedible but we got there.

If it had fully floating - just pull both axles, drop the diff to get the broken bit of axle out of the diff (why do they always break that end [bigsad]) - reassemble with a new axle and your on your way.

Garry

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

Most Series 1 had a semifloating rear axle, but fully floating was standard I believe on 107wagons and 109s in the last year of production, and optional on all others.

Because the S1 axle housing is shorter than the Series 2/2a/3 axle housing, the fully floating axles have half shafts about an inch shorter than the later ones. Because they were only used on a tiny proportion of vehicles, they are almost unobtainable.

A common solution is to use the later half shaft, and fit a spacer made by turning the centre out of an axle flange, and this appears to be what you have. And as you have found, that really means you need longer bolts, which being BSF, are not that easy to find.

If you have drive flange bolts coming loose (not just on this modified setup) make sure that the bearings do not have excess play, as this will very rapidly loosen the bolts.

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Thats right - the floating axle shafts are rare as for S1
I recall machining up a similar spacer for my 107, because I couldnt get the correct length axle shafts.

Thanks for all the info fellas, kind of confirmed what what I thought was the case,
Jim, I'll DM you as I want to sort this out before Cooma, leaking oil like crazy and I actually drive her nearly every day....

The '58 SWB Station Wagons had fully floating rear axles. I got my oily hands on one for my '55 after finding I couldn't buy semi floating axles in the late '70s. Then I couldn't buy '58 fully floating axles after breaking one.[bawl]
I decided to make spacers for the end of the axle housing behind the brake backplate. I liked the idea of widening the track.
Now that the axle supply is easy I haven't broken one since.....[bighmmm]
Terry