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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Removal Of Front Wire Wheel Hub

Looking to replace the old front discs on a 75 Midget but struggling to remove the wire wheel hub.

I have removed the 4 bolts but after easing it away a fraction it doesn't seem to want to move any further.

I cant see anything in the breakdown of parts suggesting its held on by anything else or the manual does not seem to give any further info for wire wheels.

Does anyone please have any tips to help removal?

Sorry about the lopsided picture!

Thanks
Tim

Tim Lynam

Ahhh Tim - Sorry mate it doesn't quite work like that
What you have to do is this----
Round the back of the disc caliper you will find 2 bolts that hold it to the spindle, you have to remove these bolts and move the caliper out of the way, Don't let it hang on the brake hose, support it by sitting it on something or tying it up to something
Now up in the centre of the hub there's a grease cap with a bolt poking out of the centre of it, If you're lucky you can grab the bolt with a pair of pliers and give it a wriggle out. if it's too tight you'll have to get something in there to pull it out---With that out of the way there's a split pin through the nut in there holding the hub on, you'll need to straighten it out as much as you can with a largish screwdriver, then work the splitpin out through the hole in the splined area of the hub-
Now you can undo the nut and remove the hub-
BE CAREFULL and try and keep the bearings together in the hub, if it comes apart, you need to notice there are shims between the bearings as well as the spacer that are there to set the preload of the wheel bearings
Make sure you really clean the area where the new disc rotor goes and bolt it onto the hub and refit the hub/rotor as one onto the axle and refit everything in reverse of how you dismantled it
It's a good time to poke a bit of grease in the wheelbearings while you have it apart

Main thing----have fun
willy
William Revit

Tim, you have to remove the whole front hub. Have you removed the hub nut (its inside the hollow section where the wheel goes. You also need to remove the caliper. The wheel hub can be tight to remove as the front wheel bearings can stick on the hub and a puller is needed. You can sometimes use the wheel to pull it off. The other problem is that the inner bearing can stick on the hub and comes apart when the hub comes off leaving the inner race on the stub axle. the sequence is
1) Remove caliper and tie out of the way
2) Remove hub nut Its also secured by a split pin. There are two holes in the hub which give access but its a real fiddle. I have just put a socket on the nut and with a bit of force shear the pin.
3) Remove hub (see above)Hopefully the bearings play ball (sic!) and the hub comes away cleanly. If the inner race does stick its a case of easing it off the stub axle. People say that if the bearing does come apart it should be renewed, Front wheel bearings for Midget's are quite special and the aftermarket ones can be of varying quality causing incorrect brake run out and poor braking. There is a whole section on BBS about this. If you need some get the best quality ones with 'face adjusted'bearings
4) Remove the disc from the hub (you have already undone the bolts). Fit new disc ensuring the mating surface between the disc and the hub is really clean.
5) Repack the hub with fresh grease and fit the hub and disc back on the axle. Replace the hub nut and tighten to 55ftlb. You then need to align the hole on the stub axle with a slot on castle of the hub nut. Really fiddly as its done through the hole in the hub.
6) Replace caliper. Note there is also a lock tab

Hope it all goes well.

Bob Beaumont

willy you beat me to it!!
Bob Beaumont

Good consistency of advice there from two of the best sources on the BBS! Almost word for word so must be correct!
GuyW

Thanks guys, that's better than in the manuals, I just could not see how you could undo the big nut several inches inside the wire wheel hub, but its obviously the way to do it, thanks both for your great instructions, that all makes sense.
Tim Lynam

Willy's advice is good accept being a Midget there shouldn't be any shims to worry about unless maybe someone has fitted an after market taper roller bearing conversion.
David Billington

After you remove the caliper and you are holding it in one hand wondering what to do with it, put the bolts back through the holes in the caliper and use them to hook the caliper onto the triangular cutout in the chassis. Simples :-)
Jonathan Severn

Good point David, I've been playing with too many MGB's lately, sorry about that Tim, there probably won't be shims in there, just the spacer, but just be aware that there 'could' be if it has tapered races as David mentions

Stay safe
willy
William Revit

Tim

If you do manage to destroy the inner bearing, I have some spare original 'proper' bearings available.

Willy

You've not been paying attention during those l-o-n-g FWB threads.
Dave O'Neill 2

I came across this split-pin removal tool, possibly on the MGA BBS.

Basically, you poke it through the hole in the hub, rotate the hub until the hook enters the split pin, then wind the nut down, thus pulling the split pin out.

It would probably need a washer under the nut.

Dave O'Neill 2

Thanks Dave, I will see how the state of the bearings are when the hub comes off, I m sure they will not stay in place, but split pin out, (love the tool) nut loosened just waiting for new discs etc to arrive
Tim Lynam

This is just another reason why I dislike wire wheels.
Mike Howlett

Tim,
if you need new front wheel bearings and you can't get NOS originals, or they're at stupid prices, then surprise, surprise, MGOC Spares still have stock of of the good quality and fit Meditech made ones (proving how tight-fisted the vast majority of Spridget owners are). You must remember the Q (for quality?) at the end of the part number or you get the cheap kit - so Wheel Bearing Kit - factory spec Midget GHK1142Q. £44.95 for one kit which is the inner and outer bearings and oil seal, does one side of the car.

If someone has been messing with the wheel bearings and more specifically the spacer, or the spacer or bearings are non-original, then there *may* be shims fitted too. It is very important that the spacer is unmolested original or a replacement of the correct length (within a tight tolerance) for better quality replacement bearings to fit correctly (guess how I know).

"Factory spec bearing giving original longevity exceeding that of reproduction non faced adjusted bearings.Kit comprises of one inner and outer bearing plus oil seal; should be fitted in conjunction with the original 1.5" bearing spacer."

Item below 63 in list - https://www.mgocspares.co.uk/acatalog/MGOC_SPARES_STUB_AXLES__MIDGET__210.html#l63
Nigel Atkins

Nigel,
Thanks, I had never noticed the Q at the end of some of the codes, thanks for the tip, amazing what you learn on here!
Tim Lynam

Tim,
no problem, I was joking about the Q being for quality but it is for the FWBs compare to the much bigger selling cheap ones.
Nigel Atkins

A FWB thread done in 16 posts - wow, that is the way to do it!

Cheers
Mike

PS anyone know of the Meditech FWB kit is still in production as the website Chris Buckenham set up to seek hem direct seems to have fine when I last looked.
M Wood

Mike,
the MGOC Spares GHK1142Q are the Meditech bearing kits.

MGOC Spares had the last order of 100 as Meditech had stopped production but I guess, but don't know, Meditech were contracted to provide MGOC Spares with that 100 and as the subject can up again, I guess but don't know, MGOC Spare might have pursued the outstanding order.

Of course this was after I needed them about this time last year, available before and after but not during when I needed them - I was very evil in past lives.

The 100 would have arrived say about this time or a bit later last year. When I asked about the sales of the cheap bearings against the Meditech the cheap bearings outsold the Meditech by a substantial multiple proving Spridget owners (like the majority of classic owners) prefer to buy cheap parts even when better quality parts are available.
Nigel Atkins

Tim

Just looking at the photo in your opening post.

The nut on top of the kingpin would normally be either a nyloc, or castellated with a split-pin. Yours is neither.
Dave O'Neill 2

Here you go.

I've enlarged and rotated it for you.


Dave O'Neill 2

That was for Nigel, who seems to have deleted his post while I was doing it.
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave, thanks.
I'd just deleted my post before seeing your post (now another of your posts back) as I realised I was looking at the TRE nut having been posting about them and not the one on the kingpin.

My apologies for doubting you.

Nice enlargement and orientation, thanks.

At least I able to vent about technology shortcomings (again), if not my own shortcomings. :)

ETA: you type and post too quick for me, I'm usually at least one post behind while I try to construct my post (plus I sometimes have a few interruptions).

(I think) I've yet to miss the 15 min edit guillotine but I find the extra time very useful.
Nigel Atkins

Dave
Thanks for pointing the incorrect nut, just to double check this is the one that is incorrect?

It must have been put on by PO, I wondered what would be picked up as being incorrect, but was not expecting that!

Tim Lynam

Yes, that's it.
Dave O'Neill 2

Having cocked-up earlier I can tell you yes that's the one Dave meant.

Good enlargement and orientation too.

ETA: He's done it again!

It's the spelling, the grammar, the trying to form a coherent thought or written sentence that slows me down, particularly the spelling the (American) UK English spellcheck hasn't a clue with my spelling.
Nigel Atkins

Thanks for the confirmation:)
Tim Lynam

Finally got round to changing the discs and front back plates, getting that split pin out of the wire wheel hubs a pain, but that was not the biggest issue.

I ordered a load of parts from Moss and when finally arrived got the off side disc and backing plate removed, half way their, wrong.

Within minutes one of the two brackets that the two bolts go through to secure the calipers on the backing plate fell off, but in fairness Moss sent another out FOC due to the faulty weld, but well over a week later.

Then the next problem the backing plate was such a poor copy and took hours of filing and cutting bits off to get the caliper on.

Then onto the next side, only to find the near side backing plates twice as poor as the off side, a day and a half to do one side, Im not the fastest but what a pain these poor quality parts are, I've always been pretty lucky and not suffered much from poor parts but what a pain these were.

What a shame I didn't clean up the old backing plates and powder coat them, lesson learnt.

Tim Lynam

I wonder if Ashley Hinton would consider making these. His sheet metal components are usually well made
Bob Beaumont

Not always fully correct or as well made as previously I've found.
Nigel Atkins

We could do with some type of directory listing who supplies the best quality specific parts, I'm sure most of us would be happy to pay a bit extra for parts that fit and lasted.
Tim Lynam

This thread was discussed between 22/04/2020 and 10/05/2020

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