Land Rover Series Front Axle Overhaul - Part 2

[@paulbignell6977]

I really enjoy your videos they are very pleasant tto watch, also lots of laymans informa ation, i am looking forward to rebuilding my series 3 using your additional help

[@steamwally]

Thanks, hope the rebuild goes well. Cheers, Phill.

[@martin-et9gt]

Just love how you carry on whatever the weather and the dark nights,Brilliant approach to the job as usual Phill.

[@steamwally]

It's tempting to sit and watch the rain through a window, but that's boring! Quite pleasant working from paraffin lamps, warmth, excellent light and I like the noise they make. Cheers, Phill.

[@odc43054]

Nice work as always, Phill. I love your lamps burning away to light the night. Who needs electricity anyhow. :-)

[@steamwally]

Thanks, it's quite easy to get carried away working by lamp light - what with it getting dark by 4pm, I just loose track of time. Cheers, Phill.

[@odc43054]

I'm in Ohio in the U.S. We are dark by 6 now. Mid December is dark by 5:15, then thankfully they get longer again!

[@steamwally]

I'd gladly swap the extra daylight hours for our dark, cold and wet evenings!

[@christyglynn4684]

great video are you still working on land rovers.

[@ColinTonkasdad]

new diff as well....pushing the boat out !! should sound nice and smooth when done .. cheers phill

[@steamwally]

Thought I might as well go the whole hog.... but I expect the rear axle wants doing before it will be quiet running. I'll get there in the end! Phill.

[@greenwolf8732]

Buen trabajo y gracias por el video.

[@joeobrien167]

I’m curious if you pack the swivel pin bearing with grease prior to reassembly? I’m always Leary about oil and grease mix but it seems like that’s standard procedure with the swivel ball assembly with greased hub bearings and grease packed sweeper seal

[@steamwally]

grease contaminating oil generally isn't good, yes, but probably a bit academic with Land Rover swivels. Grease up on assembly, it'll be fine.

[@MikeRatcliffe24]

Interesting that the replacement diff has a thicker gear, was this an updated/uprated replacement?

[@adamfilmore6358]

Just made the alarming discovery that a good portion of my front axle case isn't even metal but just a huge patch of filler where a previous owner broke it... How much of a job is it just to change the axle case? By which I mean how much or little stuff will I need to remove?

[@steamwally]

Nice! If that's the standard of the PO's work then I would go for a rebuild. I would strip the axle case in situe, much easier to release rusted bolts with the axle fixed to the vehicle. If the swivels are good, remove the hubs, brake back-plates and suspend them out the way - no need to disconect hydraulics, remove stub shaft, withdraw half shafts, unbolt swivels whole, remove diff and then release the axle case from the springs. I would advise checking swivel pre load after removing the track rod/ drag link - if you decide the swivels need a rebuild then strip them in place as you go. Parts for a front axle rebuild will cost in the region of £250, more if it's all genuine parts.

[@JoshKilen]

nice job.

[@paulbignell6977]

hi wally, how much was the price of the upgrade and where did you get them from,,,,thanx paul

[@jjt1093]

What manual are you using ? I have a 1970 Series 3 109 2.25 diesel.

[@mikefoxo]

I'm concerned to hear your comments about the halfshafts breaking under load. I have ideas of converting an old tractor to 4 wheel drive using an LR axle. Any thoughts? The tractor is about 45 horsepower, not sure what sort of torque would be coming out of the transfer box

[@steamwally]

Broken half shafts are quite common, though mainly dependent on vehicle use and driving style. The splines in the diff are the weak point, the end usually twist off and gets stuck in the diff centre. I can't see a problem with using a Land Rover axle on your tractor, it all depends on the ratio. A standard Series diff is 4.7:1. Because of the UJs rather than CV joints, you would need selectable 4x4.

[@mikefoxo]

Thank you for your reply. I was intending to make it selectable 4x4 but didn't know about the UJ problem so thanks again. I'm just worried that if I were doing something like, say ploughing, which would be tough going on a tractor, that the half shafts would wear very quickly and lead to all sorts of trouble

[@steamwally]

I think it's more about shock with the half shafts, progressive loading shouldn't be such an issue - it's wheel spinning and that kind of thing they don't like. UJ's cause transmission wind up if you try and drive a "proper" Land Rover on tarmac. That said, you could use a 90 or 110 axle, these have CV joints and would be more suitable.

[@mikefoxo]

I plan on fitting a manual torque limiter between the 4x4 output shaft and the prop shaft so hopefully I'll avoid that problem! Many thanks for your input

[@grahamabbey3835]

Hi. A quick question, did you fit any shims into the bottom steering arm or just load at the top as required?. Thanks

[@steamwally]

Just at the top pin, there shouldn't be shims on the bottom arm with the railco bush set up. I believe some earlier Land Rovers are an exception to the rule.

[@grahamabbey3835]

@@steamwally Thanks. I thought that was the case - appreciate the quick response.

[@dylanclaydon623]

Yes, the half-shaft bearing doesn't come with the rebuild kit!! Back to Paddocks it is then.

[@ammettheyellingfrog1]

I have been watching your videos and found them very helpful. I am overhauling the front end of my series 3 as one of the problems I had is the small half shaft heating up and snapping. I have discovered the problem is that there should be bushes in the stub axle. However I am having problems finding them. Did you replace the bushes in your stub axle or are you using a different stub axle that does not require the bushes? I would be grateful of any advice.

[@steamwally]

Thanks for watching my videos, that sounds like a nasty fault! Mine is a very late Series 3, around 1980 there was a "rationalization" program which slightly simplified some aspects of the axle design and made more components interchangeable between long and short wheelbase models. Even before that though, I'm not aware of the Series 3 ever having a bush (bronze?) inside the stub axle - the floating half shaft just being supported by the hub, half shaft roller bearing and differential. Do you have 24 spline differentials from a range rover? I believe some Range Rover axles had a bronze bush in the back end of the stub axle. An original Series diff' is always 10 spline but they can be both 10 or 24 spline at the hub end. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure the very early Land Rovers had a bush in the stub axle too - might be worth studying some parts books to see what you have.

[@ammettheyellingfrog1]

Cheers. Mine is a 1973 SWB I also was not aware of the bush but having re checked the Haynes manual I can see it there on the diagram. I have found a company on Ebay that makes the bushes but they are £30 for a pair which seemed a bit quite steep for such a small part. I am not sure what else could be causing it I have changed everything and had the diff checked out. Anyway keep putting the videos up as they are very informative.