400/4 Front wheel bearings a bit different to the rear arrangement.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I had a look at the front wheel bearing arrangement  today and there are a few obvious differences from the rear wheel arrangement.

There is a lock ring for the brake disc side of the front hub to hold the nearside wheel bearing - there are no central fins to hold the wheel spacer in position, neither is there a shoulder for the offside wheel bearing to but up against - this seems to be done by the retainer cover & speedometer gearbox plate on the offside of the wheel?

Is there some trick to holding the centre wheel spacer in position whilst fitting the last bearing?

[Bryanj]

It should have 3 ears on it similar to rear but they get damaged and lost when you remove the bearings as you have to knock the spacer sideways to knock brgs out.

Fit the one to shoulder and screw in retainer

Slide wheel spindle through fitted brg then slide on spacer

Slide other bearing over spindle anuse a big socket to tap down till it traps the spacer.

I would do all this after fitting everything else to wheel(inc tyre) so you dont shake the spacer loose and make spindle fitting difficult

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

It should have 3 ears on it similar to rear but they get damaged and lost when you remove the bearings as you have to knock the spacer sideways to knock brgs out.

Fit the one to shoulder and screw in retainer

Slide wheel spindle through fitted brg then slide on spacer

Slide other bearing over spindle anuse a big socket to tap down till it traps the spacer.

I would do all this after fitting everything else to wheel(inc tyre) so you dont shake the spacer loose and make spindle fitting difficult

I've looked inside the hub with a torch Bryan- no evidence of it ever having had any fins - smooth triangular casting faces inside - maybe they had some sort of plastic insert on some hubs?
I'll have to assemble it as you suggest - there is no big axle nut just the front axle shaft & spacers to clamp up as per the manual.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I've used a Rawlbolt to hold the spacer in place before now. Fit it through the bearing already in place, slide spacer over it and expand it until it grips, then you can knock the other bearing home without the spindle getting in the way.

Thanks for the tip Ken - I have quite a few Rawbolts in my tool box of mixed sizes from when I did some hotel  maintainance a few years ago.

[Bryanj]

From guiness and age raddled memory the spacer there was a very thin 3 outside prongs and a turned edge inner hole that sort of slid tight onto the spacer and the prongs on the bit the brg outer fits in

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

From guiness and age raddled memory the spacer there was a very thin 3 outside prongs and a turned edge inner hole that sort of slid tight onto the spacer and the prongs on the bit the brg outer fits in

Your memory is correct Bryan : - The centre spacer has three prongs on each end - it must be handed as one end is larger than the other - both front bearings are the same size. It's a pain as I did not dismantle the hub it was done at Central Wheels hence my lack of clarity. Ted

Just found this tells you which way up the prongs go! Result.
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Cwe-tUgzs

[Bryanj]

Couple of things wrong with that vid
1 screwed ring goes in immediately after the brg that side

2 Waaaay too much coppaslip

3 when i done them the old centre punch marks have always been very close to aligning again

4 even with heat that second brg went in way too easy

Glad the sozzled brain still worked, i found it common for those 3 legged washers to deform and fall off the spacer

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I would not use copper slip on that part plus as you said lock that bearing in first. I didn't use heat on my hub but did freeze the bearing first - just made it easier to drift in place. My original lock ring is badly damaged so I have a new one to fit. There is a bit of tight thread on the hub so I'll need to clean up the thread near the locking punch mark as you can see the wave in the thread.

Hope the bit I was interested in was correct - small prongs on the end of the spacer against the lock ring side!

[ST1100]

Couple of things wrong with that vid
1 screwed ring goes in immediately after the brg that side
2 Waaaay too much coppaslip
3 when i done them the old centre punch marks have always been very close to aligning again
4 even with heat that second brg went in way too easy
Glad the sozzled brain still worked, i found it common for those 3 legged washers to deform and fall off the spacer

I also would have applied a film of marine grease on the surfaces of the spacer tube to prevent corrosion...
(also the space between hub seal and bearing receives a nice depot of marine grease... I don't mind it oozing out later, better then having water seeping in there...)

[Bryanj]

Oooh Barbatia4 i remember it well, takes weeks to get it off the skin!

[ST1100]

... takes weeks to get it off the skin!

Like Molycote G-n Plus... those substances are alive, and they reproduce... drop a dab somewhere on the workshop floor, go and sit absolutely still in the opposite corner and wait...
... half an hour later you'll have a smear on your cheek, another 30 minutes one across your forehead, within 45 minutes it's on your knees, shoes and the back of your hand... sneaky stuff... 

[Bryanj]

Also used to use Clydespin which was for Very high steam temp bits, had a phenominal amount of graphite in it and got into places you would not believe