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Re: Sud front wheel bearings, how to change

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 11:40 pm
by KevJTD
Yes mate, somewhere in the middle is a good aim.

Re: Sud front wheel bearings, how to change

Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 6:58 am
by rsfruitbat
Thanks Kev

still a really good set of instructions.

the only thing i found it didnt help with was when you have rebuilt 2 O/S hubs instead of one of each :oops:

what do you reckon is the next task that could do with a guide like this?

rsfruitbat

Re: Sud front wheel bearings, how to change

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 4:24 pm
by NEG
Guys, I’m in a bit of a pickle. The N/S front bearing on our ‘82 Sud Sprint is on the way out. Had it booked in at aforalfa in Aylesbury but they can’t locate one anywhere. Help!

Re: Sud front wheel bearings, how to change

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 4:51 pm
by NEG
Panic over! Alfasud Parts have one, Phew!

Is it worth putting together a list of aftermarket part numbers (if feasible) for these bearings?

Re: Sud front wheel bearings, how to change

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:10 pm
by KevJTD
If they are getting scarce then it will be worth getting the numbers off the bearings themselves, usually printed on the edge of the outer races, then any decent bearing supplier should be able to get them.
Not so easy on the seal though, unless dimensions etc would also enable them to be ordered by said bearing supplier?
I have a great one local to me Anglia Bearings, so guess they are dotted around every trading estate?


http://anglia-bearing.co.uk/

Re: Sud front wheel bearings, how to change

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 11:21 pm
by Alfaoldgit
Thanks very much to Kev for this guide.

I part disassembled my Sprint's front hubs so I could repack the bearings with new grease, replace the seals & fix low preload on one bearing. By removing the nut you can take out the outer ball bearings for clean up, but the inners are captive inside the hub so you have to clean them out in situ unless you press the outer race out of the hub.

In the absence of the special Alfa tool to undo the big internal nut I used a 52mm bi-hex socket with the outside ground down so that the socket could fit inside the hub (after the grease seal had been removed). I couldn't find a 52mm thin wall socket for sale at a sensible price. Note the nut measures approx 55mm across flats but this is misleading, a 55mm socket won't do the job. As you can see the 52mm socket is a very snug fit on the nut, very much flank drive, in fact I needed to give it a few light taps with a hammer to make it fit. I also ground some material off the front face of the socket so that the full depth of the nut was engaged in the socket. Rounding off the nut would be a catastrophe.
Nut n socket 1.jpg
Nut n socket 2.jpg
The new nuts I obtained from a respected vendor are slightly smaller than the originals & as you can see they fall to the bottom of the socket & the drive is more towards the tip of each flat. A 51mm socket might fit, (if you can find one) but as large sockets are pricey I decided to swap the original nuts over & reuse them rather than risk rounding out the new nuts. You are after all pulling around 300Nm of torque when you tighten them.
Nut n socket 3.jpg
Nut n socket 4.jpg
Regarding the seals, they are the same on both sides of the hub and are 55mm internal dia, 70mm outside dia & 8mm deep. You need double lip seals & here is one source of supply of a good quality Nitrile rubber seal.

https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p3079 ... _info.html