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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Changing Rear Wheel Studs

Hi Folks,

I'm about to pull the half shafts out of my rear end, is there anything I need to be careful about?
N Broomfield

You might find that a combination of age, gasket goo and minor distortion means the halfshalf is reluctant to move. I'm not sure what the approved method is, but be wary of trying to hammer something between the halfshaft flange and hub, as you could damage the sealing faces.
Jonathan Severn

Nick

Jack up and do one side at a time, if you want to reduce oil leakage.

Get some decent paper gaskets of the correct thickness in stock first (Malc Chevalier sells these).

Another thing to watch out for is whether your wheel studs are bent - but the thread title already suggests that you are planing replacement (MiniSpares stock a range of lengths, watch out for what you need for your wheels and also whether they have thread down far enough for your needs as well as overall length).

Have you looked at your rear brakes relatively recently and braking OK? Good chance to check pipes and wheel cylinders for damage/leakage as well as whether shoes and drums are OK and brakes with clean, bled fluid and brakes adjusted.

Thanks
Mike

M Wood

Someone has to say it, - but it sounds painful!
GuyW

Following on from Mike's recommendation about checking rear brakes: take a good look at the hand brake levers - I found a lot of lost motion in mine due to the clevis holes wearing. New levers, along with a new cable and clevis pins has given me a properly working hand brake for the first time in the ten years I've had the car.

Colin
C Mee

Well!

All the goo on my underside didn't cause any problems other than reminding me to wash properly.

They practically fell out. Maybe it's an age thing.

So far it's been painless.

I've got the axle on stands and drained the oil out, that was another job but plenty of release oil, a little heat, patience and mole grips got the old plugs out. They are slightly tapered on the outside thread, i suppose so they jam in and that taper is replicated in the @1/2" square drive hole that you stick a square peg in to get them out. BUT the taper of that square hole causes your driver to climb out of the hole as you apply force. I ground down an old driver then resorted to mole grips on the threaded portion that protrudes. I have new ones, they have a hex hole to take a 3/8" allen key, BUT, they are NOT tapered. There is no limiter on the inside of the hole in the diff housing so I'll have to be careful not to screw them in too far and, I suppose, use Loctite to lock them in place.

I've bought as many parts as I think I might need first, I don't like being stopped by a 2p gasket, but i did forget new hub nut lock washers. This is all part of a larger job, drums, shoes, springs, cylinders, adjusters and new longer studs to fit new wheels & tyres. I'll report on the wheels & tyres in a separate post.

It looks like the handbrake has been done recently by a PO as all the split pins at the main handbrake balance lever post thing are new. The clevis pins, washers and split pins at the outside are not new and there is one broken and jammed in the near side lever. I'll get to that later.

I've also got the wheel cylinder circlip tool. Can anybody help with instructions on how to use it?

You've probably guessed that I'm doing this to fit longer wheel studs for my new alloys. I know my vehicle profile picture shows them fitted but they weren't safe.
An interesting, unsettling, possibly alarming, discovery is that the studs on the nearside are even shorter than those on the offside. I only had maybe 7 threads of grip on the offside but on the nearside i was lucky to get the nuts to engage and i had to use the old nuts because their thread started closer to the end of the nut, i got 3 out of 4 torqued but not happy. Ergo, new studs.

BUT,(there's always a BUT)
Those studs have a different spline pattern. looks like less and thicker splines. So i'll get them out and whizz them and the nubs back to the shop.

Another question.

I've got to take the hubs off to get the longer studs in (i tried doing it through the handbrake lever hole, even opened the hole up a bit) and obviously this will disturb the bearing and seal. Will i NEED/MUST replace the bearing and seal or try refitting the hub with the existing bearing/seal. In writing this I'm thinking, "don't be stupid, that's asking for trouble, just get on with it and replace the bearing and seal, do the job properly or don't do it at all". So i think i've answered my own question, i'll replace them.

If you've read this far then your due a prize, a cup of tea.
If you can tell me how to use the circlip tool then I'll buy you a beer.

Take Care
Have Fun
Don't Die
N Broomfield

I've fitted the hex-socket drain/filler plugs and never had a problem with them going in too far.

You may have a wire-wheel hub on the nearside. The studs were much shorter on those, but I wouldn't have thought the splines were different.

If the bearings don't have play in them, they should be OK to re-use. They aren't a particularly tight fit in the hubs and usually come out easily. Probably best to replace the seals, though.

I'll attach a pdf of the E-clip fitting instructions, which were sent to me some years ago by Richard Boobier.
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave,

Marvellous, thanks for that, you win the beers.

I hadn't twigged that the clip is supposed to be put on before the brake pipe and my tool was wrongly assembled. I'll get that done in the morning.

Nice to know about the oil plugs, I hadn't tried them when I made my earlier post, but I'll try them tomorrow. I better fill the holes with something before I cover the axle in degreaser to get the crap off.

I've got a gap in progress because I can borrow/hire the hub nut tool but not till next week. So I'll get on with other things, there's a long list.

I thought the wire wheels were held on by a single knock on spinner thing, not studs. Mine had Rostyles when I bought it but who knows what it originally came with.

Cheers guys,
thanks
N Broomfield

The wire-wheel hub has shorter studs which go through the halfshaft flange and the brake drum. There are nuts on the outside which then secure the brake drum.
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave,

I see now, that's answers a question I asked Midland Sports and Classics but didn't get an answer to.

They have both studs listed but not realising this difference I asked if the ones they have listed for wire wheels were actually for alloys. I didn't get an answer. Until now. Thanks.

N Broomfield

I concur with Guy, but must also ask, htf did you get them in 'there' ? 😉
anamnesis

This thread was discussed between 27/05/2022 and 28/05/2022

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