17 replies to this topic

[tiger99]

Boycie,

Your suggestion reminds me of a well-known technique for making shafts larger so the bearings will fit tightly. You knurl them, in a lathe with knurling tool, the metal displaced from the grooves makes the bit between the grooves grow. Pistons which are slightly loose in the bore can sometimes be microknurled for similar reasons.

Now is it possible to knurl an internal diameter? I am thinking about a hand tool, like what they use to expand the ends of large tubes, which has three rollers, a small handle to expand them radially, and a big handle to rotate it. Fitted with knurling wheels instead of normal rollers, woukld it work? I don't know, but if so, it might work wonders here.

As a last resort, far in the future when the supply of spare hubs dries up, it might be a case of building up by plasma spraying or submerged arc welding and re-machining.

[Ann-Wilson]

Thanks folks,
really appreciate the help. Not quite sure in this case what represents "slightly too small" but the race was stiffer as it entered the hub and then got to a certain point and with one tap dropped in! I am in Poland with the car and just really need to get back to England when it is sprayed etc. I can then go about looking at possibly new hubs! Has anyone any experience with the alloy ones from Mini Sport?

Do you think that the loctite will be ok for the 1500 miles or so?

[tiger99]

Personally, I would not touch alloy hubs, especially from MiniSport, as they have a very limited fatigue life, really only suitable for limited mileage track use. For road use, you really need something that has been designed and tested to have a long, safe life, and within the dimensions possible with a Mini hub, that means cast steel as per the originals.

The Loctite will probably be ok for the journey.