Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rosco663]

Gidday all,

I am currently working on my Series 1 Morris 8-40 Tourer and am in need of some technical advice or indeed a solution.

I have a damaged rear axle half shaft oil retaining seal which needs to be replaced. The Morris 8 Part Numbers for the cork seals are 53020 and 53021 (these seals are directional). I think the way forward would be to replace both the left and right side units with a modern alternative. Failing that the old style cork seals would have to be sourced.

Has anyone out there had this experience? And what would you recommend as a solution?

Cheers
_________________
Rosco

[47Jag]

Rossco,

Measure the housing and shaft diameters and go to you local seal stockist. They might be able to match you up with a modern lip seal. I replace the corks seals on My Jaguar steering box that way.

Art

[ukdave2002]

I fitted lip seals on my Series E (8/40), it involved turning a simple retainer that sits in the end of the axle:





Dave

[Bob T]

Hi, I have 2 Series 1 cars. The seals you require are availablw in plastic from Ian Harris 01462 659969.
If you desperately want the original cork I may have some lying around.
Regards
Bob T

[goneps]

I've been using a conversion identical to Dave's for many years, and assure you it's the way to go (unless you find the idea of oil-cooled brakes appealing). However, a couple of points to bear in mind when using lip seals.

1. Lips seals need to run on a perfectly smooth surface, so it's an idea to put the shaft into a lathe and dress the area where the seal will run with fine wet-and-dry.

2. Make sure the seal and its carrier are inserted far enough into the axle housing to sit well clear of the shaft splines.

3. In service the shaft splines at the diff end tend to form tiny but sharp ridges. Withdrawing a shaft in this condition through a lip seal will destroy the knife edge it depends upon to be effective. This can be overcome by partially withdrawing the shaft and working a strip of thin oiled paper between the shaft and seal, then holding the paper in place to protect the seal while the shaft is withdrawn through it.

Personally I would not advocate using a lip seal directly in the axle housing, even if you can find one with the appropriate dimensions, because without a carrier as shown in Dave' pictures it's very difficult to align the seal properly in the plane of rotation—seals tend to twist unless positively located against a shoulder.

Richard

[Rosco663]

Gidday all,

Thanks very much for your feedback - very much appreciated.

My first port of call was to Ian Harris and I reckon I will get a pair of the Nylatron oil retainers and give them a go. But Dave's engineering looks to be a very elegant solution which will be considered for future should it become necessary.

Until such time as I can budget for getting my own lathe even small turning jobs proove to be quite expensive and my Father-In-Law (Now 84) throws himself into these projects with so much gusto that his health suffers. So to keep the peace with the In-laws I will choose the off the shelf option.

Again thanks to all for your replies,

Cheers
_________________
Rosco