Ok guys the time of truth is here.
According to Damian's measurements we conclude that i am missing a centimeter. But if you take a closer look at my first image at page 1 you will notice that the castle nut is on it's correct position there is no more shaft so i can gain one more centimeter if i put a spacer. What is wrong? I noticed a big spacer disc between suspension arm and baking plate!!!!! Yes perfectly rusted and blended with the other parts. That makes wheel base wider by one centimeter. Someone put this spacer and discard other pieces. I don't have a 32 socket to disassembly the shaft now and see what is missing but god knows what i will or will not find inside.
Except if someone tells me that this spacer supposed to be there which i doubt.:bang:

Thomas

Peter since you have done that, ''i have reed your old post'' do you recall how you end up with tightening the big nut? Did you follow haynes method with the 1lb weight etc.

Thomas

You know, I wonder if that spacer was put in so that 126 axles could be used. They are about that much longer. Somehow someone replaced those axles with the shorter ones for a 500.
John

gordinir8 said:

do you recall how you end up with tightening the big nut? Did you follow haynes method with the 1lb weight etc.

Thomas

Click to expand...

I did, and I think it's very important to do it that way, despite some people liking an easier way.
https://www.fiatforum.com/500-classic/359424-tightening-rear-hub-bearings.html

That's an interesting view John if 126 shafts are only a centimetre longer maybe, the thing is that now I have bring it back to birth configuration.

Peter I'm not 100% sure why it is so hard to assembly the hubs but I guess I will figure it out when I will be there.

Thomas

Not hard but needs a lot of strength to turn the 32mm nut.

Guys i think it is getting worse. I removed the 32mm nut with no problem but then the hub shaft didn't want to come out with a quiet strong hammering. So i removed it together with its hub. I think that way it is better anyway so you can preload it at a vise and it will be easier than in the car.
Anyway as you can see in the first image hub shaft wasn't all the way in (i think) The inner seal was in contact with the spacer if that is correct. What confuses me is that there are some welding marks at shaft body and seems that it is re-machined again. I am worry about is's total length so i have as Van der Laan to give me the size of a new one to compare it, mine is 17,2cm
I used a puller and lot of force to remove shaft from the housing.
Not sure also if the bearing housing is installed the correct way, one side is shorter than the other, which goes in which goes out?.

That shaft looks beyond use for me. I wouldn't chance using it if it was me. If you look through my restoration thread Project Paolo you will see how I did my rear hubs. I also wrote some instructions up for Franko500 but that is on my PC at home.

Damian

heres a link to some of my photos of the rear hub
https://goo.gl/photos/Puev2g7TP6K94ZXA7

Damian

I think your bearing hub was fitted wrong. It should be fitted with the longer part placed through the brake back plate so the flange sits against the brake plate. Yours seemed to be fitted with the flange between the back plate and the swingarm? If I understand your photos correctly.

Damian I took a closer look at your photos but also at a cut away drawing at haynes manual and hub is correct installed. Don't know yet about shaft length. I will try and reassembly in the correct way as per manual and see if it is ok. Last thing I wAnt to do now is buy new shafts, they are really expensive.

Good morning to all,
I am about to order parts, i have disassembly the other side also and now things are more clear. L/H axle shaft is repaired at the bearing base, probably found worn and bearings where loose. Anyway what about when you take the pre-load of the bearings and cotter pin is not at the exact position of the castle nut? You can't back off or go tighter. I saw there are two types of nuts, a castle nut and another one as you can see at van der laan page item SR2100
https://www.fiat500vdlaan.nl/en/webshop.php?CategoryID=4
Is this nut designed so you can cut a groove for the cotter pin?

Thomas

No Thomas. That nut is for a 126 hub that you stake the nut to. If you have a hub with split pin holes you must fit a castellated nut. You will find 2 split pin holes in different positions so you should be able to line one up. Send me a PM in a couple of days and I will send you my rear hub instructions. I am in Spain at the moment and it is on my PC at home

Damian

Thanks Damian I will PM you

Thomas

Let me ask this, since i want to assembly the axle bearings sub-assembly at the bench, i was wonder when i take the pre-load of the bearings with everything installed and tight, can i then loose the 32 nut, remove the flexible coupling and put it again back together or this will have bad effect at the pre-load?

Thomas

gordinir8 said:

Let me ask this, since i want to assembly the axle bearings sub-assembly at the bench, i was wonder when i take the pre-load of the bearings with everything installed and tight, can i then loose the 32 nut, remove the flexible coupling and put it again back together or this will have bad effect at the pre-load?

Thomas

Click to expand...

Thomas, there have been conflicting opinions about that whole setup; some people say they don't even use the spacer., which I think is a big mistake.
Personally I would always use a new spacer whenever this assembly is dismantled. I have read that if you accidentally overtighten the bearings you need to start with new spacer.
I think you would be OK to dismantle and then reassemble if you haven't overtightened and that would give you the advantage of probably making it easier to set the preload. But you would still need to check the preload once fitted to the axle.
The correct setting is amazingly tight with the nut and as you reach the magic point, the spacer is starting to compress much more easily than before. Then it takes care to be sure that you don't overdo it.
I have read that there may be some spacers which are badly specified and don't have sufficient compressibilty built in.

The one spacer i removed was crashed, the other one looks intact, in any case i order two new and take it from start. Doesn't look that hard. I don't know the meaning of the cross type washer between the nut and flex coupling but i ordered that too.

Just finished the first one, really lot of torque in order to crash the spacer but nothing hard if you do it on the bench and have the proper tools.
Damian as you said it went Ok, thanks

Disaster with the other side, axle thread was worn for the first 5-6 threads and "crash" torque really big so I damaged both nut and axle thread. I can't afford a new one now so I will take it to machine Shop and repair it. I will also make the spacer weaker in order to take the preload with less torque. Comparing with other cars I had in the past I am not sure how necessary is that spacer between bearings and the preload procedure, so I will make a lite version of it.
Also the other axle I finished yesterday is slightly bend! I noticed that after I complete installation.
So two new shafts will be necessary, are the same as fiat 126?

I believe 126 ones don't have split pin holes and you have to stake the nut into a groove as per the front hubs

That is why new ones are with the groove and different nut, probably come from 126. Anyway just return from machine Shop, it will have it ready by tomorrow.