The Hemmings Speedster encountered an equipment malfunction on the last day of our Vintage Car Rally earlier this month that prevented us from finishing the event. Only three hours from the end of an arduous and sweltering five days, the driver’s side rear axle bearing exploded doing damage to the axle tube, wheel hub and the axle itself.
The problem caused the left rear wheel to lock up intermittently and jerk the steering wheel right out of the driver’s hands when it grabbed. Not only was the bad bearing screwing up the brakes, our Time Wise rally speedometer was attached to two sensors picking up their signals from magnets on the same wheel. This problem also compounded our not being able to keep accurate timing and distance calculations, so the crew found a nice place in the shade and waited for the Tommy’s Trailer to come get the speedster. The bearings had just been replaced this spring so we do not know what to attribute the failure to. Certainly the temperatures, at times over 110 degrees, had something to do with it.
Once we got the car back to Bennington, we discovered the ring gear was also showing some wear although the pinion seemed to be OK. Our speedster uses a drag racing 40-tooth ring and 9-tooth pinion gear giving us a 4.44 final ratio.
This gear was popular with race cars in the late Thirties into the Forties but it is tough finding that combination for our differential today. We were able to locate a NOS ring gear from Vintage Auto Parts in Colorado which we will be installing once we replace the axle tube, brake drum, wheel hub and bearing.
All repairs going smoothly, the speedster should be able to lead the procession to our Concours d’Elegance at Stratton Mountain next Friday. The Concours kicks off with a car show at noon at Hemmings World HQ Friday, July 17. An open-entry car show follows on Saturday, with the Concours event on Sunday July 19. Stop by and see all the Hemmings editors and some really fantastic classic cars.
0 коммент.:
Отправить комментарий