Rusty Balls and Tractor Joints story

[Team Idris]

I've had my series one for a long time. And it's a long time since it had new challice, and a long time since they started rusting!

This is a 4x2 1958 landy with 54' front axel, 49 tractor joints and railco swivel housings.

First set of balls were off the 4x2 axel. I tried taking the high points off with a grinder and it was a bad idea for 12 months. Not even oil-greece mix stayed in!

Then I fitted new balls with leather covers, which seemed to make the rust come quiker. I also had the brass taper top thing with new top pins. But the pins were soft, proving rubbish pattern parts go back to the early 1990's (and beyond). Knowing the S3 set up was better I changed to that, as everyone did at the time.

A swivel seal retainer bolt had snapped and it was well hard! So I drilled right though and used a small nut and bolt instead. (young and impatient)

Roll on to 2012 and the rust is really biting. On the right hand side I decide to go with a Yota fix of body filler and new seal. Mainly because stripping the tractor joint half shaft is a pig of a job and because the bottom half of the ball is okay. This fixes the worst leaky hub.

At the same time I use phosphoric acid based 'genolite' to remove rust from the brake back plate. I get most of it off and repaint.

But the left still leaks, so this week is the time to crack on! This time I go for the full monty on the back plate. The acid rust eater is weird stuff? I have figured that you apply and wire brush, and apply and wire brush and so on, until the white powder stops being created, you get back to a good base.

Is it better than shot blasting?

No way

But you don't have to strip it all down and you arn't introducing abrasive grit to the spinny bits. (And you don't have to travel anywhere).

It's also good if the parts can go in a jam jar of it, or if you soak kitchen towel in it and leave to penetrate.

Rust-eating the chrome ball and wire brushing shows it has had it

The bottom half has pitting and I'm not that hungy for a bodge, so Paddocks are sending a 'kit'.

This leaves the next problem of the tractor half shaft. It's an interesting look back in time, as a large ball bearing aligns the half shaft in the swivel ball. This is pressed on, as is a collar that seals in the axel end lip seal. The half shafts are fixed in place with no end play. Many years ago Dad said it was best to grind the collar nearly through, so they cracked and fell off. But this is 20 years later. Who knows if I can get one or what they cost? Plus, I don't feel like hunting one down

So I go for the gas blow lamp with bits of sheet to protect the bearing, so I can expand the collar and hammer it all apart. And I say "protect the bearing" in the loosest term, because its big enough to be a wheel bearing and all it does is align the CV joint!

Anyhoo, warming, whacking and warming some more and its all in bits.

Next is my younger selfs failure at the brocken bolt. And no wonder I struggled! It's nearly too hard to file! An M8 tap doesn't fill the hole, so its time to risk all with the mig welder. And this is a risk, as I'm guessing high carbon content in the swivel housing casting is going to make the mig weld rock hard. But I can just about drill the odd shaped hole I've created to 6mm for an M8 tap and all is good.

Lessons learnt;

Maybe body filler on the chrome ball if you feel tight or lazy and the bottom half is good.

I would buy new if the chrome ball is pitted below the oil level.

You can weld to the swivel housing, but you might as well drill a fresh hole and tap it the correct little screw size.

If you are persistant, acid rust eater does the buisness.

The chrome balls are rubbish compared to the rangy ones.

Pattern parts and Land Rovers poorer design choices are statistically going to screw you

[Phil Hancock]

IIRC the ball bearing race is dimensionally the same as the later parallel roller bearing, so the retaining collar is probably the same as the later and available.

[Team Idris]

Makes sence. Tempting to change to the roller bearing so I dont have to strip the hole hub if I ever break a half shaft. But I guess the ball race may be needed to keep the halves of the CV apart.

[secondjeremy]

Later shaft joints will have the sideways movement controlled by the nut on the end of the halfshaft in the drive flange - and so must float sideways in the intermediate bearing. Tracta joints fall apart - and so the end float of the inner part of the shaft must be controlled - hence the type of bearing originally used.

[Team Idris]

I'm a bit scared ? The full kit at £70 has so many parts in it, I can't think the quality of any of them are high

Either way up, it's got EVERYTHING. Even the lock tabs for the bolts that hold the stub axel on !

Nice to see such a comprehensive set of parts including swivel greece. It was like Christmas again as I opened little blue bags

I thought I might try some hot/cold assembly as opposed to the usual large hammer.