A while back I purchased a new pinion seal and gasket for my 1960 MK2 3.8 and decided to install them today. I removed the old pinion seal (which was leaking) and when I tried to fit the new gasket to the new pinion seal, it broke. When I placed the broken gasket onto the seal, there is about a quarter inch gap in the gasket. Did I do something wrong or do I have the wrong gasket? Also, what is the recommended method of installing the pinion seal once I have the gasket situation resolved? Next question is in regards to the new rubber bushings for the torque arms. What is the recommended method for installing the new bushings in the torque arms. What type of press is required so the rubber part of the bushing is not damaged? I know it is an interference fit, so it likely needs a very high pressure press (which I don't have). Thanks for any help that is offered. At this point, I am very frustrated and decided to ask for assistance before I break something.

 

Ted, first thing the Torque arm bushes, you can pop them in with a vice, grease the Torque arm and the bush, apply some pressure with the vice, then if you help the lip of the bush start into the arm, you can just push them in with the vice, you will need something like a 2 1/4" tube/socket or something just to pop the lip out the other side.

I have just done them and it's pretty simple, i used the side of a large flat screwdriver to pop the lip in to start, tapping the edge of the screwdriver with a hammer to get the lip into the arm. After the bushes are in just push the sleeves in with the vice.

What part numbers do you have for the pinion seal and gasket, I can check to see if there is a mismatch.

 

Jon, thank you for the response and information. I tried my large vice (made in England) on the torque arms but was not successful. With the information you provided, I will try again.

I purchased both the pinion seal and gasket from SNG Barratt and they appear to be the only parts available for this application. The gasket is 607183J# and the pinion seal is 3840R. The gasket is very brittle and broke as soon as I attempted to place it on the seal. There is no way the gasket could fit the seal because of the difference in diameters. When I placed the broken gasket onto the seal, I noticed about 1/4" gap in the gasket and it was snug against the seal. I contacted Barratt, but they are on holiday break and I won't get a response for a few days.

 

Ted, if you struggle starting the bush, you can put a Jubilee clip around the end and compress it slightly, (like using a piston ring compressor to get a piston and rings in).

You probably found that the bush tries to rotate when you are trying to start it, by tapping the edges into the arm, I found that it then wound into the hole easily.

I used the gasket part no 607183J which was fine and fitted ok, oddly it's an aftermarket part and was a little more expensive, generally the aftermarket parts are cheaper and inferior, it may be worth getting them to send you that one, also I have found on occasions that SNG have the incorrect part no's against the part, so it may be although they have it as aftermarket it may actually be an OE part marked up wrong and you got an inferior aftermarket item.

The 3840R is the correct and only part, I too fitted that one with no problem.

 

Jon, after more unsuccessful attempts with the torque arms, I finally took them to a friend who had a 20 ton press. It was a struggle, but we finally got them in. We even tried his large vice before using the press. One problem solved and many more to go. While I'm on the subject of problems, what is the recommended method of removing axle hubs (wire wheel hubs)? I have been struggling with that issue as well. I have been using a large gear puller and have been applying heat around the hubs, but they refuse to move even a hair.

I also want to congratulate you on your progress. Thanks for sharing the photos of your recent tasks. Maybe some day I will be there as well. However, like you and Chuck mentioned, it is not easy to make progress when it is very cold. I am already looking forward to next Spring. Take care and have a very Happy New Year.

 

Glad you got the bushes in Ted.

Re rear hubs - Stupid question, but assume you have removed the nuts !
There is quite a lot of debate over this subject, and some will say the only way is using a proper Churchill puller, you can hire one, but many people have happily achieved this with a puller.

Heat usually does nothing, are you using a hub puller or a 3 legged puller.

If they are not playing ball, you will need a hub puller with a fine thread, one trick is to tension the hub puller and leave it overnight, often they will pop out by the morning.

My puller is hydraulic, and will apply 20 Ton pulling force, so made light work of this job.

The puller is the key, you need one which applies enough force, they can be quite stubborn, and leaving them with pressure applied usually solves it. Make sure you have a puller with a ball bearing end so that you don't damage the end of the shaft.

 

Perhaps this is too obvious, but one point on installing the bushings- take out the center metal pin before installing the rubber part, then press that in once the rubber is in. I used a vice and some windex as a lube.

 

Chuck, Jon,

Thanks for the insight and advice. It is always appreciated. Congrats to both of you on the progress you have made recently. I envy you both, but some day I will be there too.

On the rear hubs, I was using a two leg puller, but was able to find a three leg, 5 ton hydraulic puller at a local tool store. I put it on the first hub and it still doesn't move, but as you mentioned, I plan to leave it on for as long as it takes to get the axle to agree to let the hub go. When two parts have been together for so long, I realize it is not easy for them to part.

I finally got a response from SNG Barratt on the pinion seal gasket. The person who responded thinks that the new design pinion seal doesn't require a gasket, but he is going to confirm and let me know. My other option is to fabricate a new gasket, but I will wait until I hear from Barratt.

 

You could easily make the gasket from some gasket paper, or just use a little bit of gasket sealer.

Let us know how you get on with the hub, you could put a large steel zip tie around the legs to make sure they don't slip off when you put a good deal of pressure on them. Have you tried a firm hit on the end of the puller whilst under tension, sometimes that will persuade it to let go.

 

Jon, Partial success. I finally managed to get the left side hub off. As you suggested, I let it set over night under pressure and with a few taps on the inside of the brake disc, it popped off. I am not having the same success with the right side, but I realize patience pays off.

I finally received an answer from Barratt about the pinion seal gasket. According to them, the new design pinion seal does not require a gasket, but they recommend a light coating of gasket sealer. I will wait to install the new seal until I have gotten the other hub off and figure out what parts I need to replace. Thanks again for all of your suggestions and ideas.

 

Glad you got the first hub off Ted, I'm sure the second will have less perseverance than you and will give in also.

SNG should make the gasket issue clear on their website, it would save people buying a gasket that either does not fit, or is not required. I had the same thing with the rear wheel bearings, I ordered the bearing kit and the seals, which they duly supplied, but it does not tell you that the seals are included in the kit, and they simply filled the order without question, so I have spare seals for the rear in the workshop! I also ordered the rubber pipe between the sump and the oil filter, the one they supplied was the wrong size, and said that the one I had was for a Mk1, as my car was a '67 Mk2 340, I seriously doubt the factor fitted an old sump and oil filter housing, but I had to pay for the replacement before they would send it out, and wait weeks before they credited the incorrect part !
SNG also had the brake pedal return spring and Clutch pedal return spring listed the wrong way around, after having to order the wrong part to get the right one, they did say they would change the part no's over, but I do not know if they have done this, the issue was the same in the UK and the US.

I would recommend you check part numbers against the parts list catalogue, as they do not always show the different variations between any updates and chassis number

 

Can you guys reference the make/model of hub pullers you've successfully used? I'm about to go down this path with my '62 Mk2. My car has knockoff hubs (not sure if that matters?).

I know the proper tool is the Churchill tool that threads onto the knockoff spinner threads, but have also read others having success with other pullers. I plan on buying one assuming sufficient functionality and reasonable cost.

I'll also be replacing the pinion seal, but don't believe the puller here is anything special. If that's not the case please let me know.

Thanks,

Tom

 

Tom,

I purchased a 5 ton hydraulic puller from Harbor Freight. Price was $80.00, but I had a 20% discount coupon. With tax it was about $63. After struggling with other methods, this puller seemed to work. It is a 3 leg puller and some assembly was required (very simple). I have been able to remove only one of the hubs so far, but I remain optimistic about the other. My car also has wire wheel hubs. As Jon mentioned in an earlier thread, you need to be very careful not to damage the threaded part of the axle. What ever puller you use, make sure it is centered and not able to slip onto the threads. As far as the pinion seal removal, I simply drilled a small hole in the middle of the metal area of the seal, screwed in a sheet metal screw and used a small pry bar to pop the seal out. Putting the new one in might be more of a challenge. I hope this helps. Good luck with your project.

 

I have this type of puller, monumental pulling force, and you can get different adapters for many uses, so if you look for one that has other options, you can add to a kit for multiple uses.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hydraulic...cAAOSwrfVZUVa8

The pinion seal is straight forward, but you will destroy the old one getting it out, I have a slide hammer with a hook for such things, but it destroys the existing seal. A screw and lever as Ted did works too.

 

Thanks for the responses, guys. So looks like both of these pullers are the hook type (as opposed to ones where the leg mounts under a bolt/nut). I assume the hooks go around the tapered flange where the wire wheel hub sits?

I like the idea of mounting the legs of the puller on bolts. Question I have is whether the disc bolts are long enough to mount a puller (they don't appear to be)...or even if longer bolts could be snuck in from behind the disc temporarily. Assumption here is that the disc can remain bolted to the hub and they come off together.

Tom

 

Tom, I don't think you can get longer bolts in there is not enough room.

The one I posted can come with bolt type legs, or a full hub type flange for standard hubs, as I said there are many guises for that type of puller, the same centre part can fit to many options.

The legs do go around the flange as you say, and I normally put a stell zip tie around it so they can't let loose !

 

I found what I believe is the equivalent of the Harbor Freight puller on eBay for $44 delivered. I don't plan on doing this for a living, so if I only get the hubs off it will be money well spent. Will be here next week. In meantime axle is ready and waiting. I like the idea that the hydraulic function means it pulls straight off the axle, seemed better than the ones you need to wrench on.

The castle nuts were a bit of a bear to get off. Got them off, but not without some persuasion. Probably making it more difficult was I already had the axle out of the car on my workbench. Had to clamp one of the discs in a vice (discs are being replaced).

 

My $44 delivered puller arrived earlier this week. Took me about an hour to pull both hubs off. Would consider this a success given the horror stories. Puller itself worked okay...not the highest quality tool, but did the job. Was a little tricky to get it to pull perfectly straight as one of the three claws always seemed to be pulling slightly differently. I would pump up the hydraulic piston as hard as I could, then hit the backside of the disc/hub. Eventually the puller would loosen up (sign of the hub moving ever so slightly) and I would reset and repeat the process. First hub came off dramatically with the puller onto my concrete floor (I have the entire axle on a wheeled workbench). For the second hub I gave it a soft landing with an old dog bed I have in my workshop.

Only issue with the puller was that the bolts holding the claws bent. I could replace them with grade 8 bolts...but it served its purpose.

As far as putting the hubs back on...any tricks here? Torque specs, process, etc...

 

Tom,

Good to hear that you were able to get your hubs off the rear end. I finally had success on the second hub with the puller I got from Harbor Freight. Like you, I noticed that the puller was not completely straight and I suspect one of the legs was a different length than the other two. I too will likely have no need for the puller again, but it was a cheap investment that got the job done. On another note, you had asked about the pinion seal. If you purchase a new pinion seal from SNG Barratt, don't buy a gasket. When I tried to fit the gasket to the pinion seal, it broke. I contacted Barratt and was told that the new design pinion seal does not require a gasket but they recommend a good gasket sealer be used. I used a Permatex product that I have been using for years. I don't have any suggestions about torque specs or any other tricks, but one thing I have done was polish the taper on both axles and the inside of the hubs in the event I have to remove them again. I will also apply a light coat of grease before installing the hubs on the axles.

 

Thanks for the guidance on the pinion seal. I've yet to dig into that, but don't believe it won't be too tricky. After going through the front suspension the rear seems so easy (save for the muscle power required with the hubs). Guess there's a plus to having a solid axle.