help neede

[Guy Mayers]

That's worrying as I'd imagine Pim's old car is low mileage. I wonder how Guy's car has faired over the decades?

I fitted the Beta bearings into the hubs back in 1988 when I first got the kit together with the hubs and driveshafts from the donor car. The bearings were original Lancia ones and I'm sure I've still got the invoice to prove it. When the Gp4 wheels were done it all had to be dismantled (destroying the bearing) but went back together with new bearings four or five years ago on the original modified Beta hubs. The new bearings were OE spec but the outer CVs are the 1978 Beta ones from the donor. Inner ones have both been replaced recently after one finally gave up the ghost.

Never had any bearing play but always had the bearings pressed into the hubs and torqued the stub nut up to spec. I've never been able to remove these nuts once torqued though and had always had to resort to drilling a pilot hole and then carefully enlarging it until I could split the nut with a cold chisel. I prefer this method to brute force removal as it destroys the nut that you're not supposed to reuse anyway! The new bearings haven't seen the anywhere near the mileage the originals had.

My hubs are the early variety with the castellated Beta lockring and not the Thema type with a circlip? I don't know if that makes a difference? However I did find a crack in one of the hub carriers during the current overhaul that's been welded and plated. Like Robs it was on the outer face of the carrier on the fold just below the base of the strut clamp. I'd recommend that everyone keeps an eye on this spot. Failure could be spectacular!

Guy