1932 RL Rear Hub Bearing Repair

[Andy Lux]

Just wondering if anyone has had any luck repairing the inner bearing race on a hub like the attached pic? I am working on a 1932 RL and just took apart the rear hub to find a bit of a mess on the one side. Is there any sort of repair procedure to fix this? I was considering boring out the hub and machining up a new inner race to press into the new bore to bring it back to spec, but just wanted some advice from the forum in case anyone has experienced this before. Also, if anyone has one of these hubs that they may wish to part with in the event my repair goes horribly wrong...........

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,


Hub2.jpgHub3.jpg

[Robert Luland]

If your going to go though all that work? What would keep ya from just boring it out and installing a Timken races and bearings and end up with a better mouse trap. Just a thought. Bob L

[T. Cotten]

Andy!

Your instincts are good.

Although I have not treated an RL hub, later "star" hubs were best repaired with a simple race (usually a 45" rod race), as the Timken route was "re-inventing the wheel" with added consequences, such as altering the axle, devising a spacer, and ultimately cussing it if you ever have to remove and replace the wheel on the side of the road.

Re-creating the original design as close as possible is always best.

....Cotten

[Andy Lux]

Thanks for the advice. I think I am going to machine up some new hardened and ground internal races and bore out the hubs. Once they are pressed in the hub will have the same dimensions as it was originally. That way all my internal parts will be original. I will post some pics of the repair once I get it done.