Hello Roger, I've previously asked the question the other way round.e.g. will the insides of a D axle fit a banjo case and the answer was yes, it will but you need to check on the type of bearings fitted.
I dont suppose that you want to sell the banjo axle casings? I really only need the actual banjo but would take all three parts if necessary.

Location: Near M1 Motorway Jtn 28

A long time since I messed with a heavy axle but aren't the two diff halves the same on both types but with a larger diameter bush on the heavy axle? If so, they should fit together but someone, somewhere, might have an axle with the halves and halfshafts the other way round

Still not keen on Loctite on the tapers!

Steve

Location: North Yorkshire

I think I remember reading in the Loctite technical blurb that to remove an item you can heat to X degrees to "melt" .
Have a look at their website to check.

Location: NW Devon

Thanks Brian,

I think that one solution to my problem is to use the half shafts from my banjo, especially as the tapers are a good fit with the hubs. For the time being I shall keep all the parts 'just in case', but if I do decide to sell I shall email you.

Yes Dennis, you are right, Loctite say heat is the way to separate a joint if one of their more powerful products has been used - eg, 660 otherwise known as Quick Metal.

Roger

Location: Dorset UK

The short taper halfshafts should fit in the axle OK, but as it appears that you have one "heavy" i.e. thicker halfshaft in your diff, you may need to either bush down your "D" axle diff for the smaller halfshaft(s), or just use the diff from your banjo axle.

BTW, on the melting Loctite thing, the "normal" grades of loctite do melt with heat, but you're pretty much in the tempering range of steel when it does melt.

I have done this loads of times with stuff where previous heat treatment isn't there/isn't important, but it would be an absolute last resort on something like a hub and halfshaft combo for me.

Location: N W Kent

I'm with Stuart on this one. I use Loctite 641 on half-shaft tapers and haven't yet failed to dismantle cold subsequently. If heat were necessitated, a specified 230°C is all that is required to release the retention; not high enough to affect the state of temper of the steel.

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

OK, egg on face time!

I have now split my D-type axle case with a view to fitting the half shafts from my banjo axle. This is a capital idea as the hubs I am using are also off the banjo and all have decent matching tapers.

On closer scrutiny on the brightly-lit bench it is clear that I do actually have matching correct half shafts in the D-type - but what I had taken to be one with a larger thread had, in fact, been walloped on the end (probably to remove the hub) which had slightly mushroomed the thread giving the impression to this mechanic grovelling about on the gloomy garage floor that it was of a larger diameter.

Now I have a couple of questions to help me make one good axle from the two:

1. I haven't yet removed or dismantled the torque tubes, so I don't know the state of the bearings, but I have measured about .050" pinion end float on the D-type. This seems too much, but it isn't clear to me how it should be adjusted. Advice please.

I have noted the eye-watering price of the torque tube AC bearings and hope that I can avoid having to buy a pair!

2. The AC differential bearings all have varying amounts of movement if I hold them between finger and thumb and 'rock' them while they are still on the diff. What is the correct way to establish if they are reusable?

Cheers,
Roger

Location: Dorset UK

There's no adjustment as such. There should be zero end float on the pinion. It's highly likely that the pinion nut which sandwiches the two AC bearings, the distance piece and the roller bearing together against the heel of the pinion gear has come loose. It is fortunate if the crownwheel or more usually the pinion hasn't been damaged by this movement; normally going on the overun allows the pinion to be pulled too far into mesh causing damage to the the teeth.



Once you've stripped the torque tube you will be able to clamp the (cleaned) bearings in a vice and see if there's any movement then, you will also be able to spin them and see whether the tracks and/or balls are OK.



As these are adjustable via the star wheels each side of the diff. it's really a matter of whether the balls and tracks are in good condition as to whether they're usable or not.

Overall, I take the view that axle bearings aren't cheap, but if you don't have decent bearings correctly fitted up, you may destroy an expensive CW & P and will still need to deal with the bearing issue as well as replacing the gears if they fail.

Location: N W Kent

Stuart,

Many thanks for your advice in your last post.

I have now dismantled both torque tubes and find different faults in each. All the bearings have differing amounts of wear, so I have ordered a complete new set for the D-type which should put things back to as good as new.

I plan to keep the banjo diff assy and the banjo undamaged half shaft as spares for the D-type as I believe they are the same (??).

But I see that the pinion shafts are different, the banjo having a shoulder behind the pinion that the D-type does not. However. . . will the complete banjo torque tube & pinion assembly (with its mated crown wheel) fit the D-type? It would be good to rebuild that and keep it as a spare also.

Advice, as usual, much appreciated.

Roger

Location: Dorset UK

Correction - I should have said that the D-type pinion has the shoulder . . sorry!

Roger

Location: Dorset UK

Along with the matching Crownwheel, either pinion will fit either axle but you need to use the matching radial load bearings (the one that sits against the pinion gear) and the matching spacer.

If you banjo axle is as it left the factory, it will have a ball bearing against the pinion gear. The Semi Girling D type should have a roller bearing on the 1 1/8" stepped shoulder next to the pinion gear. On both pinions there is a spacer between the paired AC thrust bearings and the radial load bearing, but as these bearings are not the same width, you need to use the matching spacer to the bearing style. The roller race radial load bearing spacer is narrower as the the roller bearing is wider than the ball race used on the earlier axles.

The outer diameter of both radial load bearings are the same, so, the ball and roller styles will interchange between the axles. If you look at your D type axle, there is a peg sticking out just below the roller bearing outer track, this was to stop the track wandering down towards the Crownwheel. When I've installed roller type CW & P assemblies in early axles, I've always drilled and tapped the banjo case and fitted a peg made from a sawn off bolt.

The diffs and short taper shafts will interchange between your two axles.

Location: N W Kent

Many thanks, Stuart. I shall let you know how I get on.

Roger

Location: Dorset UK

All proceeding well. However, a couple more questions:

1. Is it necessary to replace the felt seal behind the pinion ball bearing at the anchorage ball end? The usual suppliers don't list one.

2. How does this ball bearing get its lubrication? Is it greased via the nipple on top of the anchorage, through the 2 holes in the spherical torque tube end?

Thanks,
Roger

Location: Dorset UK

1) I believe a sealed bearing is available for the top of the torque tube from cherished suppliers.
2) Yes, it's lubricated via the spherical bearing. On my 1929 axle there was only one hole so the torque tube needed to befitted with the hole at the top.