MGB Register Forum

I am looking to get a standard Salisbury axle rebuilt, and would like to ensure I get top quality bearings and other components in the rebuild.
If anyone has any experience of specialist rebuilders I would like to hear of your experiences.

Ian F

No-one have any advice for me?

Ian F

Ian
There are lots of notes on the V8 website http://www.v8register.net/ on back axles and repairing/rebuilding them.

If you can access these notes they may help.

If difficult contact the webmaster

George

Be warned. A DIY rebuild of a Salisbury axle is definitely not advisable. It's not a DIY friendly axle and will you have access to a case stretcher to get the diff out and facilities and knowledge to preset the load on the pinion bearing. The collapsible spacer has to be collapsed by the exact amount.
It's best left to a knowledgeable expert.
Even a simple job like replacing the pinion oil seal is complicated on a Salisbury axle as the existing preload on the bearing must be maintained otherwise the bearing goes.

Definitely not doing it myself!

Looking for advice on specialist rebuilders who would use quality bearings etc.

I know of Heathrow Transmissions of course, but surely there must be others out there?

Ian F

I suggest you try Hardy Engineering at Leatherhead. It's an outfit run by classic enthusiasts and I'm sure they'll be able to help.
They've recently done a gearbox rebuild (5 speed LT77) for my V8 conversion and I'm likely to get them to change my diff ratio in due course.

What you can or can't do yourself to a Salisbury axle depends on what is wrong with it. The most common issue is the pinion develops too much backlash and this is usually caused by the thrust washers wearing out or breaking up. There are 4 of them two on the Sun gears and two on the planet gears. These can be easily replaced in situ and easier if the axle is off the car. The procedure is well covered in Lindsay Porter's book MGB Restoration Manual. You don't need any special tools to do the job and the book tells you how to measure the backlash on the pinion without any clever devices. The outer (wheel) bearings are also a straightforward job.
Beyond this the job is one for specialists. Porter mentions Nicol Transmissions in Kidderminster as having good expertise in MGB rear axles.

See also this thread: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=528&p=2402&hilit=rear+axle#p2402