How do I shim the rear axles?

[ojxxx]

I have a ton of freeplay in the rear axles, with the backing plate removed it looks like i am seeing the race, the tapered bearing is on the inside, race on the outside. I have tinkered to get a feel for it, I can drive the race in to the tapered bearing with a drift. I can see a void where shims could go but don't see what holds the shims and I don't see what to do if you overly tighten it - it calls for something like 6 or 8 thousandths freeplay, thats tough to get to using tools like big hammers, drift pins and slide hammers.
Anybody else done this? I have the shop manual but it isn't much help.
Thanks, Oj

 

[67 Tiger]

There should be a Bearing Retainer Plate, between the Brake backing plate, and the shims. The plate holds the race from moving out, the shims set the free play. If your Retaining plates are bent or warped from ABUSE, getting the right free play was Impossible for me. I cant speak for anybody else, but it took more tries than Id like to admit to get .006 on both sides, with the same shims on both sides. I'm sure there are people here than can give more specific instructions. I used a home made slide hammer, straight edge, and feeler gauges, to measure shim size. Also a dial indicator from Harbor Freight to measure free play.

 

[ojxxx]

There should be a Bearing Retainer Plate, between the Brake backing plate, and the shims. The plate holds the race from moving out, the shims set the free play. If your Retaining plates are bent or warped from ABUSE, getting the right free play was Impossible for me. I cant speak for anybody else, but it took more tries than Id like to admit to get .006 on both sides, with the same shims on both sides. I'm sure there are people here than can give more specific instructions. I used a home made slide hammer, straight edge, and feeler gauges, to measure shim size. Also a dial indicator from Harbor Freight to measure free play.

Thanks for that, I have learned, since originally posting, that shims add freeplay not remove it. There is an 'axle shaft spacer' that I believe was left out when the carrier was assembled, that would account for the huge amount of freeplay in the axles. I was having a time of it getting my head around how pounding a bearing race in or out to exact tolerances is acceptable engineering. Now I see how it works.
Getting the hubs off is another story, I bloodied my nose on the right side hub, thats all we need to say about that!

 

[67 Tiger]

I thought the same thing. But I was wrong. Follow Randy's advice, (from brake thread) "Start in the middle....." I removed all free play, with both races pushed in the same distance from rear end flanges, measured with straight edge and feeler gauges. Then CAREFULLY pulled races until I had .006, measured with dial indicator. THEN Measured clearance between race and flange. (.033 on my car) installed shims, DONE. As a side note I bought a hub puller ,and a fourth leg to remove hubs.