66stangman

I need some serious help with a problem that has been persisting now for some quite some time. I am only 17, and I bought a 1966 Mustang with the Sprint 200 out of someone's front yard. The engine and tranny are in superb condition, with the exception of an exhaust leak that I have solved. However, when I bought it, the suspension and steering components were thouroghly beat. It wandered all over the road and squatted pretty low in the back. Over the past year, I have put countless hours and coming up on $2000 into restoring my baby. This is no modest task for a teenager. I have replaced all of the rear suspension, front suspension; including all control arm, spring, and ball joint components, all of the steering components; including a new manual steering box. I even replaced the front spindles because they had some wear on them. All new hubs, bearings, studs, and brake components. Everything under the front is brand new, except the spindles, that I bought on ebay, but they were fine when I got them. However, even with all of these additions, the brand new bearings in the brand new hubs are loosening. I installed them correctly by tightening the bearings down until they were "snug", then backed the nut off and tightened as much as I could with just my fingers. I drive the car back and forth to school, and by the time I get home, you can grab the top of the tires, move them side to side, and feel play inside the bearings. It has begun to wear my new tires abnormally and I am afraid other things are being damaged.
I have been learning all along with restoring this car, and I am thouroghly stumped with this one. I have no idea how to stop these bearings from loosening. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
One other thing; all of the suspension, steering, and wheels were converted to V-8/GT by a previous owner. It has a six cylinder, but has five-lug, style wheels and the beefy version of all the steering and suspension components.

Soaring

There is a cap that fits over the nut that has grooves in it to allow you to put a cotter key through it and through the bolt, then come out the other side and bend the the cotter key. There is no way that nut is going to come loose with the cotter key in it. Maybe you left that out. See if this looks like yours.

[IMG]local://upfiles/10034/520442022E834EC49EE240F485858D93.jpg[/IMG]

THUMPIN455

also please describe the procedure you used to grease your bearings. As you are finding out, those bearings are a very important part of the car..

quinchem

Two things, one be sure the hub space from the center of the wheel is correct. If the the wheel is out too far you will put undue strain on the bearing. Two if the nut keeps backing out on you try how VW does their rear spindles. It uses a "star like" nut cover with a cotter pin. The purpose of the nut cover (not sure what it's called) is to use the cotter pin to lock the nut where-ever you tighten it. Otherwise the nut will back out to the pin. If you have a friend with an mid eighties or nineties golf/jetta, ask them to look under thier dust cap. LOL just now noticed others wrote basicaly the same thing!! Good luck!

rmodel65

if u just tightened the bearing thats the problem! u must use a beam type torque wrench and do a rolling torque(spinning the wheel while tightening) then back off of it then while spinning again doa ur final rolling torque

Soaring

We have had this discussion before Stephen, and you mentioned using a torque wrench earlier. But, you gave no pounds setting on the torque wrench. A beam torque wrench is most likely the most innacurate torque wrench available. A clickable torque wrenchj is by far more accurate. What do you suggest this young man torque the nuts? If he is going to torque them, then back off, that just doesn't make sense to me. A crescent wrench and fingers is all I have ever used in 50 years of wrenching.

rmodel65

my beam torque wrench has lbs on it? u have to do a rolling torque i know we had this discussion but it the proper way its not inaccurate for this type job u have to properly seat the bearing rolling the wheel, and back off a quarter turn then tighten using the value on the beam wrench while rolling the wheel again

rmodel65

What I came up with is as follows. “Rotate wheel and drum while torquing the wheel bearing adjusting nut to 17 to 25 foot pounds of torque. Back off adjusting nut 1/2 turn and retighten to 10 to 15 inch pounds while rotating drum and wheel.” (Source: 1967 Ford Car Service Specifications manual. PN #01856 - $11.95)

but it must be done with a beam type wrench


http://www.mustangsplus.com/tech/bearings/brng_2.html

bronco1

+1 on the procedure. However, I've always done this without a torque wrence as well. Spin up the wheel while you're reefing on the nut to seat the bearings...then stop the wheel, back off the nut about a turn, then snug it up, add the grooved cap and cotter key, slap on the hub-cap (not to be confused with the shiny one on the outside of the wheel), and you're good to go. In retrospect...a torque wrench would probably be the right thing to do...

66stangman

Thanks for all of the input!
The only problem is that I have done all of the things suggested. I have packed the wheel bearings correctly with the correct grease and was extremely careful in their correct installation, along with the rear axle seal and the nut cap and cotter key. I used a crecsent wrench to tighten, while rolling the wheel. Then I backed off and tightened to finger tight.
Are their any other components in that area that could be causing the loosness?
All the suspension is new. Maybe the lugs? The rim?