Axel Shims

[Mopar_man]

Thanks to Scott for noticing that my rear wheel was hitting the dust cover. I ordered shims as well as the felt that goes in the hub and they should arrive soon. I watched a video of a guy putting shims on the axel of a Model A and I would assume that's how you do it for the t as well. It didn't show him putting the wheel on. My question is: How do you get the shim to stay in place when you put the wheel on? I know it wraps around the axel and the open end is where the axel Key is but when you put the wheel on won't the shim slide on the axel? Or is the end of the shim touching the dust cover?

[TWrenn]

I can't explain it, other than to say..."it just does"!

[speedytinc]

The problem I have seen with using shims, is they pound & flake. The edge works its way to the felt seal & cuts it to ineffectiveness. I would only use the thickest one offered if I were to use one. & only as an emergency, temporary patch. Not a fan. I consider it a 1/2 aced fix. Others will disagree. My way is to do an axle stretch. (longer axle or moving the gear inward about .080") Thats a permanent good fix.

[Scott_Conger]

Pounding and flaking only occurs when there is relative movement between the wheel and axle tapers, meaning one or both are ruined, anyway.

The axle "stretch" is a valid repair, but if done when one or both parts is ruined anyway, the movement and fretting are still occurring - you just don't have a shim pointing that out to you.

[KBurket]

This post explains how to cup the end to hold it in place while sliding the wheel on. See John W’s post and photos further down.
viewtopic.php?t=7293
It worked for me.

[speedytinc]

Pounding and flaking only occurs when there is relative movement between the wheel and axle tapers, meaning one or both are ruined, anyway.

The axle "stretch" is a valid repair, but if done when one or both parts is ruined anyway, the movement and fretting are still occurring - you just don't have a shim pointing that out to you.

I wouldnt go so far as to say the parts are ruined, just damaged. Cleaning the taper when the axle is out & lapping the hub to get back reasonable contact & keeping things tight is a reasonable answer. No more movement & fretting. Most hubs have been abused. I have read here in the past that the new hubs cause other problems because of different steel/iron composition.

[Allan]

If you use a shim on a clean, dry fitment, make sure you only use one. If the wheel/hub goes on too far, you don't need to add another shim. You need to use one thicker one. That way you keep interfaces between components to a minimum, giving the assembly better chance of working successfully. Any shimmed fitment needs monitoring as it settles in. The axle should be re-tensioned as required. This is the best way to reduce the flaking that occurs when the components are free to move a bit.

Allan from down under.

[Mopar_man]

Thanks for all the input. I did order the thicker shims. I guess the key thing here is to monitor how the wheel is doing.