Technical 41-48 Ford spindle nut stripped

Took my car for a ride to check out the new rear brakes I installed this am, and all of a sudden I feel it pulling to the right and making noise from the right front.

I can feel a shimmy in the wheel turning right too...I take it home and pull the pass side front tire off and find the spindle nut is loose so I can be turned by hand, thinking it worked it's way loose I tighten it and add a new cotter pin and try it again, same thing. I pull it off and the spindle looks ok but the nut looks kinds like its stripped.

My thinking is the spindle is made of stronger metal than the nut so I'm going to order a new one but could my spindle be stripped?

 

picutres

 

Even after I enlarged the pics, it's still hard to tell. The nut looks good, maybe one of them has under sized threads?

 

thanks
I've put 10,000.00 miles on this spindle and nut combo...

 

That top wheel stud doesnt look too good either ,might be the angle of the pic.

 

When I enlarged it, it looks like the threads on the spindle are stripped.

 

Nut threads look better than the spindle threads..Guess the cotter pin kept you from losing everything!

 

Is that the Correct washer? It looks like it is pretty loose on the spindle. Could it be spinning on the spindle?

 

washer is notched to fit in the groove, it loosened when I undid the castle nut

 

took the bearing out, it showed some wear, I ordered 2 replacements. Macs is about 15 minutes from my work so I am going to get 2 new castle nuts on Tuesday, and we'll see what's what

 

hard to tell by those pictures , you could try a new nut and see if it helps..... Dorman part # 615-067

 

crappy cell phone pics....

 

try another cell phone....

 

That last picture of the spindle looks like the threads aren't that deep anymore. With all the shrapnel on the spindle in the 1st set of pics I would test fit the castle nut from the other side. Screw it on until the threads are level with the end of the castle and try to wiggle it, if it moves mic BOTH spindles and compare.

 

if I need a new spindle, who sells good forged ones? Can the threads on mine be re cut?
Do new spindles come with forged stock steering arms? These are the 42-48 square spindles

 

no one that i am aware of is reproducing the `42-`48 square spindles , and the `37-`41 spindles that are being made do not have the steering arms attached....you have to use bolt on arms

as for re threading your current spindle , i think if the threads are bad the spindle is junk

a good used one should not be too hard to find

i still can't tell by your pictures if the spindle threads or the nut are bad or not. and is it the correct nut?

 

That nut looks like a MII nut not a 46-48 nut.

 

You should be able to find someone on here that has a good spindle or find a good used one. Even IF someone was repoing them I still would buy good used.

Another thing is to take off the rotor and look at the threads where the nut doesn't hit. If they taper down then the threads are toast.

 

having a fire and a few beers, and at some point I remember that I had another set of nuts for the spindle

Bigger than the other, will see if they hold or not that way I know if it is the spindle or not...

 

So is the new nut tight on the outer threads?
Did you pull the rotor off and have a look at the threads that are in beyond and untouched by the original nut?
I would not be satisfied to simply toss on a new nut and give it a try by driving down the road. Even if it lasts 20 miles...how do you KNOW it will last 21 miles?
I'd never have any comfort driving the car until I was 100% satisfied that the problem was fixed, and in this case I'm very doubtful it will be.
How tight have you been putting those nuts anyway?

 

going to pull the rotor off tomorrow to check
The nuts have been tight enough for the rotor to spin with no movement forward and backward, I have re searched the preload needed for the application I have.
the nut was just put on tonight to see if I felt any movement.

 

Spindles show up all the time on Ebay and square backs more often than round backs. So you should have on problem scoring one if you need to.

Don

 

A good indicator of bearing adjustment is being able to move the washer sideways with a screwdriver, turning the blade between the edge of the washer and the inside edge of the hub. The washer should not be loose, but neither should the movement require much pressure.

Ray

 

Pulled the rotor off this am and the inner bearing was toast, so I may have not had the proper pre load or the bearing was bad or???
I am using the speedway kit so I have to figure out how to take their bearing adaptor off the spindle, anyone have tips for removing them?

 

Got torches?

Heat front and back side of race, barely dull red is plenty. Let it cool or not, but take a blunt angle cold chisel to just make a deep groove from front and back where you can swing a hammer.

You are not trying to cut through the race, the deep grooves from blunt chisel angle, will "spread" the race a bit.... and it will pull right off

 

It appears my spindle is bad, the nut will go on all the way but it "jerky" in the middle, I have a new bearing set and bushing ordered, I will try to find a set of spindles, I am afraid I will go all through this and still have a problem.

 

Why would there be an issue with a good used spindle and new bearings?

I would pull the other rotor off to see if that inner bearing is just "low on grease" ?

Lack of grease is most likely why your bearing went bad, IMO... or... a slim possibility that the seal let water into the bearing. Take the other one apart to see how that one looks; low on grease or maybe water/rust/ or milky color grease

 

I've always spun the drum/rotor as I tighten the nut with pliers back and fourth (tighten and loosen) to seat the bearings. The final movement being loosen, then turn the nut by hand until it stops (2 fingers), then turn to the next cotter hole. Always use a good quality high temp disc brake grease on tapered bearings (ball bearings are different and don't hold grease well).

Put up a wanted ad here for square backs, I'm sure you'll find a good set close to home.

 

I will have to check the other side...the grease looked pretty cooked when I pulled the bearings out.