Slightly bent flange on a '40 rear hub- Can this be straightened?

[Tim Ayers]

While fitting Ford hubs that will get Boiling Bros. '40 type slip-on drums, I decided to check the run out of the hubs. One of them, the flange (flat part where the studs go) is bent outward slightly.

I'll run a dial gauge on it to get an exact measurement, but I used a pointer indicator and it scrapes the face where it's bent. You can see it by eye as well. It must have happened when they took the studs out.

Can't use it as it for it while cause the rear wheel to wobble. Is it possible to heat and press this flange to straighten it out? I'm assuming they are forged.

[alanwoodieman]

remember the bearing race is inside the hub! watch what you do if you try to heat up to straighten. me would not use it

[motordr]

If the runout is not too great you could reface it on a brake lathe.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by motordr

If the runout is not too great you could reface it on a brake lathe.

Ahhh. Yes. Makes sense. I still having measured, but I would assume it's slight.

[deuce_roadster]

I was about to suggest the same, either in a lathe or brake lathe take a small cut on the face where the wheel mounts. Make sure the wheel indexes like it should on the hub.

[V8COOPMAN]

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Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

One flange (flat part where the studs go) is bent outward slightly.

It must have happened when they took the studs out.

I'm assuming they are forged.

Tim....Obviously, YOU were not the culprit here, but this is exactly why I keep preaching about not trying to pound these studs out without PROPERLY cutting the swage, and by not properly supporting the flange IF pounding or pressing the stud out. It IS forged, but you'll never get it perfectly straight. Lots of junk drums out there with GOOD hubs. DD

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

Tim....Obviously, YOU were not the culprit here, but this is exactly why I keep preaching about not trying to pound these studs out without PROPERLY cutting the swage, and by not properly supporting the flange IF pounding or pressing the stud out. It IS forged, but you'll never get it perfectly straight. Lots of junk drums out there with GOOD hubs. DD

Good point, DD. Stinks. I degreased, cleaned and painted them BEFORE I checked them. Glad I found out now.

Right side, zero run out.

Left side, boom! It is right at the bolt hole.

[cas3]

i tried to face one off in my lathe once with home made cones fit tightly on a home made arbor. it showed about 10 thou out so i faced it off. took it to the brake shop to have the new drum trued and on they're machine it showed the face to be off exactly where i cut it. the theory we came up with was-my home made cones were straight cones, fit into the bearing races, and tightened up with my home made threaded arbor, and the real brake machines use a slightly rounded cone which they thought centered it correctly. i dont get it, the bearing race is straight, not curved, so why did my straight cone not center? i am not a machinist, just like to own machines. but when i made the arbor in the same machine we can not say the tail stock is out of whack because my cuts would have made it true to the center. machine is good, i can make long cuts and they stay consistent, operator error, do ya think?

[51 MERC-CT]

Have straightened more than one hub with similar anomaly using a hammer and aluminum bar while providing proper backup.
There is no reason to do any machining or heating, don't over think it.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

Have straightened more than one hub with similar anomaly using a hammer and aluminum bar while providing proper backup.
There is no reason to do any machining, don't over think it.

Thanks. I’ve been thinking as well. I made up some plates and I’m going to sandwich the flange between them and a vise. I’ll keep working and checking. Have another hub ready to go but now I want the challenge.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

Thanks. I’ve been thinking as well. I made up some plates and I’m going to sandwich the flange between them and a vise. I’ll keep working and checking. Have another hub ready to go but now I want the challenge.

I respect a guy that takes-on a good challenge! Really.....please keep us in the loop as to how it turns-out! DD

[Tim Ayers]

Making progress. This was after three vise "squeezes". I'll going to rig up some flats for a 2 ton arbor press as well.

Ugh. Picts. won't load. Got it to .015"

[KiWinUS]

A few years ago my boss brought me his stunning 40 coupe said it vibrated bad. I found the rear wheels wobbled bad. Removed & found signs of heat on flanges & warped flanges partially damaged from someone in past using wrong hub puller. I chucked hub in lathe & faced off. These hubs are HARD refitted hubs & wheels. No wobble & smooth as can be to drive.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by KiWinUS

A few years ago my boss brought me his stunning 40 coupe said it vibrated bad. I found the rear wheels wobbled bad. Removed & found signs of heat on flanges & warped flanges partially damaged from someone in past using wrong hub puller. I chucked hub in lathe & faced off. These hubs are HARD refitted hubs & wheels. No wobble & smooth as can be to drive.

I think I'm going to do a few more presses and then lathe it up. I want to get it to zero run out like the other side it and that way would be the best way to ensure flatness.

[cas3]

no real machinist want to explain why my cones would not center in two bearing races?

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by cas3

no real machinist want to explain why my cones would not center in two bearing races?

Don't think any "real" machinist could tell you just based on your explanation of what you did.
Most likely would have to personally view the set up to see where you screwed up.

[Mart]

^^ As above. It's impossible to say. The other possibility is that your setup was right and theirs was off a bit.

[cas3]

yes, i suppose one has to see it. thanks

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by cas3

yes, i suppose one has to see it. thanks

If the cones fit it correctly (right taper) and everything was in the lathe as it should be, then it should be true. If it was mine, I would have put it on a spindle with bearings and then checked the run-out.

If I was working with a rear hub, then I would probably use an axle shaft as my arbor - and I'd check the inner bearing race with a dial indicator to see that everything was running true before I surfaced the drum mounting face.

[Brian]

Well, I'll own up to being a machinist...These rear hubs can be a bit tricky to set up...The way I'd machine something like this would be to use a 4 jaw chuck [more grip than a 3 jaw], and machine up a piece of stock about .0005-.001 bigger than the bearing sleeve. Slight press fit. Use the tailstock to press the hub onto your machined boss. As you've machined the boss, it is running dead true...as the hub runs on that surface, it must also run dead true. After machining the hub, remove entire assembly from lathe and using a press, and properly supporting the hub, press the machined boss out. What can possibly go wrong?
Not trying to shoot down Dale's suggestion of using an axle, but the fact is that the hub runs on a roller bearing which runs on the axle housing. That dictates how the assembly runs. Check the axle movement with the hub removed; there is a degree of floating. In actual fact, the taper within the hub could conceivably be machined eccentric slightly to the bearing surface, and it would all still work as an assembly.

[cas3]

i have cut off a couple axles to try and make an arbor to cut the inside of the drums. put a center in the cut off end for the tail stock, and grab the nut with a 3 jaw. never had one run true enough to work. your idea Brian, would work