I’ve just stripped down my rear hubs to find that all 4 bearings are extremely loose in their housings. The outers actually fall out under their own weight.
My question is has anyone successfully had bearing housings repaired by welding and machining back to the correct interference fit dimension?
I have looked back over some old threads and noted that Loctite repairs can be very successful. However, as my car is at the start of a long term restoration I have the time to get the job done properly.
I think you’ve got yourself a first class delema. I believe welding and remachining to a proper interference fit would be the preferred method for a perfect resoration, but there are risks and it will likely be expensive. I’d be tempted to try the Locktite method and see what happens. If you are not satisfied with the results, you could always do the weld and machine procedure or procure replacement housings.
welcome to the Forum!
Welding & remachining sounds expensive unless you have the facilities & experience to do the job yourself.
There are alternatives:
Spyder sell new hubs fabricated from steel.
TTR sells new replicas of the original Alloy component.
I have had 2 rear hubs repaired. On one the innner bearing surface was built up and remachined. On the other the last 10 mm of the outer bearing support was machined off and a new ring machined up and welded on plus some metal laid on the remaining inside section of the bearing seat before final machining to tolerance.
Both repairs substantially cheaper than a new hub. But you do need a good welder and machine shop you can trust to do it right at reasonable rates.
The Elan factory has also started casting replacement hubs now locally so perhaps the cost equation has changed compared to the cost of importing from the UK for us in Australia now.
I have fitted Spyder replacements - and like them. They are well made, easy to fit and much stronger. You also have the choice of fitting the original smaller outer wheel bearing or replacing it with another of the wider inner bearings instead. They have adjustable spring seats.
I know there is a weight penalty and they are obviously not original. However, as I’m not too much of a purist I’m not overly bothered by that. I’m happy that I have a stronger back end (ooh, er ) and the car handles well.
I considered welding & machining the old alloy bearing holder but was talked out of it by an engineer friend who had had bad experiences doing this.
I have a weak rear offside spring so the Spyder struts will allow me to fit smaller diameter springs as replacements - which means I will have better clearance between the inside of the tyre and the spring seat.
I can also fit wider tyres if I want to
) and the car handles well.