Rear Suspension Housings - Worn

[Dilkris]

I need some advice here, from those members who have lived through this and can talk from experience regarding the end result.

The rear suspension housings on my TCS are as shown... A PO obviously has been here before for reasons which are well known to us all, (bearings spinning in the housing...?).

I see 4 possible ways forward here:-

1. Leave as they are and Loctite with 648
2. Rebuild with TIG welding and line bore
3. Sleeve them
4. Buy new ones.

I don't have TIG Welding equipment or lots of money, (the latter takes the fun out of a rebuild anyway as if you were super rich you could just buy everything and put together a kit... ) - so options 2 and 4 are "out" for me.

This leaves options 1 and 3, the Loctite or sleeve route.

Now - I also subscribe to a general machining forum who's members know nothing about Europa's but do understand such a problem and the wide consensus is to simply Loctite the bearings in situ.

I am not a young guy so Loctite for me is a "bodge" - but maybe I am just not moving with the times.....??

I favor sleeving them and line boring  - but have I got it wrong?   

   


   

 

     

[Chuck Nukem]

I'd say that a sleeve will be the most effective route in terms of a real repair/improvement to put these back in to service. If you have a lathe it should not be too bad. I would advise using a back counterbore bar so that you could bore both in the same set up and guarantee concentricity as much as possible. The other way would be to turn a plug down and locate off the first bore for op 2, but it is more complicated set up.

What's the cross hole? Mine don't have that...

[dakazman]

  Dilkris,
   X2 on the sleeves.
  I would also look into repairing the mounting threads and machine your axles to 30 mm .
 Serge made a video of the process and tooling required.


https://youtu.be/FLb9N0t8DJY

Dakazman

[Dilkris]

Thankyou Chuck and Dakazman - axles already at 30mm (this is the TCS) - "yes" mounting threads need repairing, (this is a "no problem" area) - please see picture - this is a mock up of how I intend to do the machining - (I wanted to "see" how it would work).
Sorry - what cross hole... ?? 

[Chuck Nukem]

Mine don't have this

[Dilkris]

Wow Chuck !!!  You've got eyes like an eagle....

Interestingly it is only this housing that has this - it is a 1/4" - 26 or 28 tapping for a grease nipple. The other housing (which has no damage to bearing locating faces) does not have this, suggesting perhaps that it was a PO fix to get grease into the housing to possibly lubricate a "screaming bearing".    Probably accounts for why there was about 8lbs of grease in this unit when I took it apart.....

[Chuck Nukem]

That's what I suspected but was curious...

[MRN I J]

I think we did a sleeve on one of mine (it was 30+ years ago), we put one in from the inside with an outer flange Loctited in to the housing, it s houldn't move with the strongest Loctite but also held in by the rear arm & 4 bolts.

It wont hold 8lbs of grease if it has a sleeve

[jbcollier]

I had a spare set sleeved and they are now on the car.  Worked very well, highly recommended.

[Dilkris]

I had a spare set sleeved and they are now on the car.  Worked very well, highly recommended.

I remember you telling me this once on a PM John - I also recall, (correct me if I am wrong), that they were sleeved in steel. It is not my intention to sleeve in steel but aluminum as my lathe is a bit on the toy side and I need to be kind to it.     

[TurboFource]

Interesting setup using the lathe as a horizontal boring mill!

If you can center things and can lock the cross feed it should keep everything concentric if you can bore from both sides in one setup.

[SwiftDB4]

Rear uprights are too important to skip money on. I'd spend the 680 pounds (with VAT) and get a new pair. Yes I paid to get a pair sleeved years ago, but only because new ones weren't available. Sleeving can work, but be careful on how much you remove and potentially weaken the casting.

[Dilkris]

If you can center things and can lock the cross feed it should keep everything concentric if you can bore from both sides in one setup.

That's the plan.... - will post pictures when I actually do it. Presently waiting for aluminum bar and steel stock to arrive.

[Dilkris]

I'd spend the 680 pounds (with VAT) and get a new pair. Yes I paid to get a pair sleeved years ago, but only because new ones weren't available.

This is option 4 in my first thread and unfortunately for me it is not an option  What happened to the ones that you had  sleeved?? 

[jbcollier]

Steel is so much stronger so you can use a quite thin sleeve.  This means minimal machining of the uprights so less chance of weakening them.  No need to press the sleeve in either.  Just heat the upright in the oven and then drop them in.  An aluminium sleeve would have to be quite a bit thicker to have anywhere near as much strength.