28-02-2021, 08:27 AM
John Cornforth's comments all very relevant.
Sorting my shed I unearthed a complete assembly I cut from a very neglected RP nearly 60 years ago. Whereas the regularly oiled shaft on my car was buried under an inch and more of black goo, the other was quite dry. The zinc bearings are stuck solid and all movement has clealry been in the very loose spheres. Was there originally a pin or suchlike to stop rotation?
With a tyre lever I could just detect that the concentric shafts were separate. But this seems the oddest design feature. It is hard to imagine the miniscule difference in rotation mattering.
Sorting my shed I unearthed a complete assembly I cut from a very neglected RP nearly 60 years ago. Whereas the regularly oiled shaft on my car was buried under an inch and more of black goo, the other was quite dry. The zinc bearings are stuck solid and all movement has clealry been in the very loose spheres. Was there originally a pin or suchlike to stop rotation?
With a tyre lever I could just detect that the concentric shafts were separate. But this seems the oddest design feature. It is hard to imagine the miniscule difference in rotation mattering.