G'day,

Now that I've got the inner seals worked out in the front hubs (I ended up using 2 of the thinner spacers to help locate the seal in the right spot), I'm fitting up the drive shafts into the hubs.

I've got the CV joints as per this pic and the spring ring that sits on the end of the drive shaft that comes with the new CV joint doesn't look as robust as the old ones that were on the car. The new ones are similar in size but a tad thinner. The BMC manual says to use a new spring ring but I'm wondering if the old one might be better quality than the new ones and OK to re-use?

Cheers, Rocky

I think your problem with the unexpected gap exposed by the new bearings, needing 2 spacers, is due to the modern style of bearing. These new bearings have a cut-down outer race that is narrower than the old style, where the inner and outer race were the same width - hence the gap you found.
Re the circlips: I reuse these circlips if they appear undamaged. Like you say, they are probably better quality than some modern ones.

Thanks Bill. Following the advice from my query about the seals and the spacers, I searched high and low for the original ones out of the hubs. Found one only in the box of bits. No idea where the other one went.
So I tried pressing in the seal with just 1 spacer and found it hard to get the seal sitting perfectly square in the hub for the Cv joint surface to align with. Wasn't much out and probably would have been fine but I wasn't sure. I wasn't really happy with it but I moved onto the next hub and that's when I found the other old spacer. Sitting nice and clean inside the bag with the other bits for that side of the car. I'd completely forgotten that I'd put in that nice safe place.
So I got some more seals, pulled out the one I had put in and used 2 spacers in each hub. It's much easier to get the seals nice and square when you have the spacers for them to go up against.

The old spring clips do look in good nick so if they're ok to re-use, I think I will. I have put the new ones on the drive shaft and they seemed to compress really easily into the cv joint part. Didn't need to use screwdrivers to get the ring to compress at all. I didn't continue with knocking the driveshaft on and thought I'd ask about re-using the old ones.

Rocky

The original circlips compressed easily without screwdrivers. Just insert the drive shaft into the CV spline and tap the shaft in - usually easier than separating them! I don't think the circlip is critical as once everything is assembled, no parts of the driveshaft can fly off.

Ok, thanks for that Bill. I haven't done these before and was expecting re-assembly to be a bit more fiddly getting the spring ring started.

Let me rephrase that... " should compress easily..." May need to "guide" the circlip into compression....
May benefit from filing any sharp edges off the ends of the circlip to prevent them from snagging.

Thanks Bill. I gather that once you get the ring started, it will go in ok. Hard to see once the shaft starts to engage in the joint.

As the Archbishop said to the actress: once it's in, it's in.

I find they fit back in easier if the 2 ends are at 12 o'clock.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Hey Doc, I'll do a Pauline - "please explain"

As I've said, I've never done one of these before so is there an orientation I need to be aware of?

Cheers, Rocky

The spring clip is a loose fit, so it can spring out and retain the CV.
If you put the ends at 6 o'clock they hang down with gravity, and can get jammed, bent or sheared off when you fit to the CV.

I have had CVs here that needed cutting in half to save the driveshaft, because the clip ends got damaged on assembly. Wouldn't come out.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Thanks Doc - I get it now I think. I'm guessing you have the drive shaft held horizontally in the vice and knock the cv joint on the end. the 6 and 12 oçlock positions of the ring make sense then.

At the moment, I've got the cv joint held vertically in the vice and was going to knock the drive shaft down into it from the top. I thought it would be easier to see whats happening with the spring ring then as I could look down onto, and around it. The wife could hold the shaft while I guide the ends of the ring in.

Am I on the right track with that approach or would it be easier on the horizontal and knock the cv joint onto the shaft?

Thanks, Rocky

Yes do it vertical as you say if it's off the car.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.