<VV> Axle Bearings

[Tony Underwood]

At 10:33 PM 6/28/2009, Frank DuVal wrote:
>If you mean early model, yes. If you mean late model, no.
>
>The early bearings are barrel shaped (not needle, roller or ball), so
>the housing rotates like a wheel on the axle, and also rotates some in
>the other direction, axial rotation. Your terms may vary...
>
>OK, so it is actually a double row barrel or spherical roller bearing.
>
>If it didn't have this axial rotation, the swing axles could not swing.
>
>Frank DuVal





Now, if he meant grabbing the jacked-up rear tire at the top and 
bottom and yanking on it to wobble it, on an early there sure as Hell 
shouldn't be any play.


On a late model, yes there's gonna be play.   I've seen some with 
1/2" of wiggle that ran true and drove fine and were quiet and smooth 
although a half-inch of play is getting a bit iffy.   My late ragtop 
has almost a quarter-inch on either side and I worry not, long as the 
bearings are quiet.


Again:   If you have any play like this in an early rear wheel you 
really need to start looking for the part that's about to fail 
catastrophically.



tony..