Front hub question

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Reno Speedster
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Front hub question

Post by Reno Speedster » Sun Jan 29, 2023 12:09 am

I have been working on the wheel rebuild and I got another front hub to replace one of the ones I had that had a spun bearing race. While bead blasting the new one and getting the races out, I noticed that the rough casting was about 1/10th of an inch off center. This made it tough to get to the back side of the race on one side and the rough casting was eccentric. Since this was an original ford hub off another car, it’s obviously been in use for a long time. I chucked it up in the 4 jaw, centered it up on the bearing race, then trued up the outside of the casting around the inner bearing. I thought having a true surface would help in getting a speedo gear centered up on the wheel.

This all got me wondering about the outer diameter of the turned hubs ford produced. I just bought a Stewart speedo drive gear. According to my speedo book, the gear slips over the turned Ford hub, but I don’t have it yet and can’t find the diameter of the turned hubs. Does anyone know it?

Also, the book says that the gear can be bolted to the hub or screwed to the spokes. Does anyone have pictures of one bolted to the hub? This seems like a more secure way to mount it.


Allan
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Re: Front hub question

Post by Allan » Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:43 pm

Morgan, all castings have to be mounted for machining. Differences in the castings and initial mounting for machining will produce some parts seemingly out of whack. Manufacturers have tolerances for these variables. Sounds like your might be on the outer limits of these tolerances. The hub can be machined for the speedo gear mounting, but it must be mounted/gripped in the lathe in such a way that it is concentric with the machining done for the bearings.

Depending on the gear, it may be suitable for mounting to the spokes of the wheel, using round head wood screws and spacers. It too, needs to be mounted concentric to the hub centreline. In the absence of the special Stewart tool for the job, you can scribe a circle on the inside of the wheel at the pitch diameter of the screw holes, by rotating the wheel while it is on the car. Then the gear can be fitted once the wheel is removed.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.


Topic author
Reno Speedster
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Re: Front hub question

Post by Reno Speedster » Wed Feb 01, 2023 3:13 pm

Thanks Allan,
Quite right. The original cast core was grabbed in the lathe a bit off center. It would not have been an issue except for the difficulty in getting to the back of the race for removal. I am a machinist so I chucked it in a 4 jaw and indexed it off of the bearing race so I could turn the area outside the race to be concentric with the bearings. Not a problem. The gear I have coming is one of the ones that fits snuggly over the turned Ford hub (the one produced for the ford standard Speedo’s). So if I turn the hub to the correct dimension, the gear will be centered on the hub. I can make any tools/jigs needed to mark the proper bolt/screw locations. But since I have it all apart, mounting the gear directly to the hub, rather than the wood spokes would be pretty easy. I have read that the wood screws tend to loosen up over time.

I just don’t know the correct hub diameter yet and have never seen one installed directly to the hub (which the speedo book says is possible).


Scott_Conger
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Re: Front hub question

Post by Scott_Conger » Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:44 pm

Morgan

based on your other thread regarding buying a speedo gear, I think you're going to find that you have purchased a large Stewart gear which mounts on standoffs directly to the wood spokes. The one that mounts concentric to a machined portion on the hub is a different gear Ca. 1915. They attach through holes drilled in the hub backplate and are considerably smaller than pictured in your other post...as such it takes a 1:1 gear drive. They were for Ford Special, Johns Manville, Sears Cross, Standard Thermometer, and Jones during 1915.

Your choice of gear depends on your speedometer.

I hope it all works out for you, of course, but I am suspicious that you're going to find you're not there yet.

FWIW, the correct hub that is machined for the small gear had a "flare" cast into it so that when the hub was turned down, there was a small but positive seat for the gear to sit against.
Scott Conger

Tyranny under the guise of law is still Tyranny

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Steve Jelf
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Re: Front hub question

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:18 pm

Does anyone have pictures of one bolted to the hub?

When Ford quit supplying speedometers in 1915, they continued using front hubs that were machined for mounting a road gear up to 1918. That's why I sent Noah Stutzman 1918 hubs for my new 1915 wheels. They are not only a little sturdier than the earlier hubs, but are also made for mounting a speedometer road gear. They were also originally equipped with roller bearings, so I added notches inside the hubs for removing Timken bearing cups.


IMG_0073.JPG
This shows the screws that hold the Stewart road gear against the machined hub flange. The hub has Ford-supplied holes for the screws. If your hub is later than 1918 you need a gear that mounts on spacers and is screwed to the spokes, and you need to be very careful to get it centered. Russ Furstnow's book tells you which speedometers are right for your year (several companies made them).
The inevitable often happens.
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Topic author
Reno Speedster
Posts: 439
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Re: Front hub question

Post by Reno Speedster » Thu Feb 02, 2023 11:03 am

It is a Stewart 11077 gear that according to the book can be bolted to the turned hub or screwed to the spokes. According to the book, it is the correct one for cars with 30 3 1/2 wheels. Once it gets here, I will see what is actually possible.


Scott_Conger
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Re: Front hub question

Post by Scott_Conger » Thu Feb 02, 2023 11:13 am

Yep, 11077 fits machined hubs. My reply above is pretty much moot then. Good luck. Have fun. I think you're on your way.
Scott Conger

Tyranny under the guise of law is still Tyranny

NH Full Flow Float Valves
Obsolete carburetor parts manufactured

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