U joint woes help needed

[Jeff Taylor]

Two UK based propshaft companies mentioned by members of the forum over the past ten years that will apparently manufacture new bespoke propshafts for Austin 7's are:

Bailey Morris Ltd. - Little End Road Industrial Estate, Eaton Socon, Saint Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 8GE - E-mail: sales@baileymorris.co.uk
http://baileymorris.co.uk/bespoke-propshafts
http://baileymorris.co.uk/universal-join...t-bearings
http://baileymorris.co.uk

Propshafts Greno UK - Penistone Road, Grenoside, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S35 8QG - Tel: 0114 245 0900

Austin 7 Components can supply the following new propshafts:-
Hardy-Spicer propshaft to fit Ruby 1934-39 - see catalogue number 1A7306.
Hardy-Spicer Propshaft to fit LWB cars (gearbox spider to 6-hole flange) 1933-34 - see catalogue number BP125s.
Hardy-Spicer Propshaft to fit LWB cars (gearbox spider to Cardan joint flange) 1932-33 - see catalogue number BP118s.
Hardy-Spicer Propshaft to fit SWB cars (gearbox spider to Cardan joint flange) Special - see catalogue number BP73s.
http://www.a7c.co.uk/spares.php

[Erich]

Hi All, As the saga continues, there are no part numbers on the GKN spiders, so hard to know which ones they might be. That said, the tech at Drivelines NW said that he couldn't machine down the ends of the races, but would do so to the circlips. That said, he found the rear yoke had too loose a fit. It seems I eased them too much. The Woodrow book gives the impression that they should be a hard press fit. I had to drive them out with a brass drift and a heavy ball pein hammer, and I whacked on them hard enough to mushroom my drift. This seemed too much and the Woodrow book says that any potential loose fit can be solved with bearing lock. The tech said they can be fixed this way and puts the races in with a 2 ton press. So, he said he would find a new yoke. The only one available in the US, fits a 1 3/4 tube, which, I'm afraid, won't clear the handbrake at the front. So it looks like I need a new prop shaft complete. Stick with the Hardy Spicer or revert to original style. Any help is greatly appreciated. I am way down the rabbit hole now.

Erich in Seattle

[Jeff Taylor]

Erich,

Can you post a photo of your prop shaft and give us all the dimensions. If it were me I'd go for a complete new Hardy Spicer prop shaft and be done with it - speak with David Cochrane at Austin 7 Components - he may be able to have one of his new prop shafts altered to your specification or contact Bailey Morris quoting all dimensions - flange diameters, tube diameter, length between rear axle flange and gearbox flange, length of shaft with sliding splined yoke fully closed etc. and see what they suggest.

I'm sure Bailey Morris Ltd will be able to supply the correct size sliding splined yoke - see the link to their extensive parts catalogue below.

https://en.calameo.com/read/00261392802a87487be08

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I have fitted a number of the SWB Hardy Spicer props. supplied by David C. They are an excellent modification and I would recommend them highly - they bolt straight on to SWB cars without modification.

[Nick Turley]

I would do as Ruairidh suggests and get a complete propshaft from A7 components. 
They fit.
They are good value.
They work.
Saves a lot of trouble and doubt.
I have fitted several.

[Steve Jones]

And I agree with Ruairidh and Nick. Doing anything other is making a difficult job out of an easy one. Yes, a propshaft made by the local company will fit with some fettling (and I've obtained and fitted a fair few) but the dimensions will not quite be the same. Easy to do if you know what to do but why bother when David C sells propshafts that fit and work first time.

Steve

[Erich]

Thank you all. I will post a photo of what I have so that perhaps some could comment on how close it is to David's shafts. Have emailed David, but he's getting ready for the weekend's events, so won't expect to hear back until next week.It sounds like I should avoid going backwards and stay with the later shaft with the Hardy Spicer joints.

Erich in Seattle

[Erich]

I'll be able to post photos tomorrow. One thing I noticed is that the fixed yokes on the shaft are not parallel. On the web, I see that potentially, this is called "out of phase" I had heard from a former drag racer friend, that slightly out of parallel is actually preferred. This may have something to do with the shaft with a Hardy-Spicer joint not running at constant speed. At this point, I am totally out of my league, like a graduate student to a 1st grade kid, so I would love to understand the theory. Perhaps some of the racers might have a better understanding of angles etc.

Erich in Seattle