Ok, so I've searched the HAMB for a week and tried to find it on the internet, but so far I haven't had any luck. I have a Halibrand magnesium Culver City champ quick change that I'm taking apart to rebuild and I want to make sure I'm doing it RIGHT. I know I've read that you need to take special care when removing the bearings, but what EXACTLY do I need to do? Do I heat them? If so, how? I just don't want to screw this thing up and I've never really played with magnesium so that makes me a little nervous too. If anyone knows of a thread or site where I can find detailed information I'd love to know about it. THanks.
I don't know if it will help but I posted what info I had on Halibrands on this thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=475716&highlight=halibrand+irs If anything it has an exploded view for you.
Thanks ZomBrian, but I'm looking more for the teardown process. I found the exploded view, but it doesn't say anything about HOW to take the thing apart. Since it took me so long to find one I could afford I don't want to screw it up doing something stupid.
This might sound ridiculous, I've pieced one together - but never taken one apart. I'll talk to a couple of my friends that I know, know what they are doing tomorrow and see if I can get some answers for you. If I don't post in the morning, please shoot me a P.M. to remind me. Chip Quinn
You should always use heat to take the pinion/bearing assembly out of a mag QC case. If you press it in and out you will ruin the case eventually. You need to use a rosebud tip on your torch as it take quite a bit of heat. Remove the side plates and the ring gear and carrier then heat the area that the bearings are in with the torch, probably needs to be 200 to 250 degrees and the bearing/pinion assembly should slip right out. Use heat to reassemble also. Heat the bearing area and the bearing/pinion assemble should slide in easily. If your side plates are also mag you also need to heat them to get the bearing races out and in. You cannot set the mag on fire and when you re-assemble be sure you let every thing cool down before you set the depth and back lash on the gears. Rex
If you're using steel side bells the way to remove the bearings races (if you're gonna replace them) : Get yourself a length of 2' or so of 2X12 and lay it in the floor or up on a good stout workbench. Then take your arc welder and string a continous bead in the center of the bearing race where the rollers normally roll. Immediately pick up the housing and slam it down , bell end down, on the 2X12 and the race will fall out! Dave
Winters specifically recommends against using a torch. They suggest using a BBQ grill to heat the entire center to 300º. They claim the localized heating will cause the mag to crack. I suggest getting a catalog from Winters Performance. It contains the setup/teardown procedure for their rears, which is very similar to a Halibrand, except for some minor details.
Yep use an oven and wear a pair of those big ass elbow length welder gloves !! The heat will be slow and even. Grab the center section after it heats up turn it upside down and have a buddy ready to catch the pinion gear as it will fall right out. Assembly is the reverse procedure. Oh yeah you better have your buddy wear gloves too as he'll be mad as hell when he catches that hot ass pinion !!! >>>>.
Thanks everyone for the response. Just to make sure I completely understand....I preheat my BBQ to around 300 degrees (it has a thermometer on the lid) and then stick the center section inside. Wait for probably 20-30 minutes, then using my welding gloves I quickly remove the QC and when I hold it with the U-joint facing up the bearings in the back should just fall out, right? Will the front bearing come out at this time as well? I assume that I can let the pinion, shaft, and bearings just fall onto my welding apron on the lawn and they shouldn't be harmed (dropped only from a foot or so). Does that look about right Engine Pro 5x? Thanks again everyone.
#### Yep. It seems to me we heated the center section to 400* but we didn't have a mag section as ours was just aluminum >>>>.
We have left them on end on top a wood stove . After a while you hear a clank as the bearing falls out. I would be leary about the BBQ open flame and a Mag rear end.
I was thinking the same thing about the flames, so I figured I'd set it on one of my wifes older cookie sheets to keep it away from the fire. Wish I had a wood stove....that would be really easy. Kenny G.....mine is cracked on both sides of the inner pinion bearing support. Its been fixed before, but not well. I've talked to a local weld shop and after looking at it he said it won't be a problem to TIG it and make it great again. The cracks are both easy to get to.
Welding the mag with TIG is not a problem, the challenge is to get the crack clean as it is full of 140 wt gear oil. Soaking in lacquer thinner and also heating can help but my guess is that it will be hard to make the weld look good. Rex
Ive had the center section soaking in my parts washer for the last couple days. Do you think that will be enough to desolve the gear oil in the crack? oldebob, I wonder if I could use a frying pan on the stove? did you remove the studs for the rear cover or leave them in when you stood it on a wood stove (just wondering if the heat will transfer well enough through the studs)? Thanks.
I would think that your cleaning fluid would not be much better than the gear oil. I would suggest that you talk to your welder as I bet he has seen this before and probably has a proceedure that will clean out the oil and fluid. Regarding heating with a torch, I have done a number of quick changes, my own mag quick change included, plus I did work on sports cars, Indy cars and sprinters back when I was much younger and always used a torch to heat the cases and never had a problem and that was on March, Hewland, Porsche etc gearboxes. I suspose it is just a matter of what you get used to. You cannot set a mag case on fire with a torch unless you are really trying to, which means you want a fire that you cannot put out or you are really stupid. Rex
You don't have to remove them. I would think a BBQ turned up high and the the case setting on the closed lid would work as long as it was out of the wind. I don't know how hot the stove actually gets them, but unlike with a torch the SOB is hot all over.
Studs don't have to come out. I think it would work turned uo full with the lid closed and setting on top if it wasn't out in the wind. Wood stove is easy but I forgot but I forgot no trees down there.
Ok, so I finally got the courage to throw the sucker on the barbee (and my wife was out shoppin' for the afternoon). I can not believe how freakin' easy that thing came apart!!! I was able to set the QC on its side on a cookie sheet and shut the lid. I turned it up to about 3/4 throttle and watched the temp gauge on the lid. It got to around 400 degrees and I let her sit for about 15-20 minutes. I used my heavy welding gloves and picked it up and PLINK PLINK, both back bearings fell out on the cookie sheet along with the short shaft and its bearing. I turned it up the other way and PLINK, the front bearing fell on the cookie sheet and the main shaft came out with it! That was the slickest, easiest, most non-knuckle-bustin' way of doing something I've found in a LONG time! Thank you everyone for the advice and info. I'll be taking the housing to the weld shop for crack repair and the bearings down to get new ones. Hope this helps the next guy.....it sure did me.
Ok, so now what is the best way to clean/prep the case and side bell adapters? I have a blasting cabinet but is that too aggressive? What abrasive should I use? I want to run this thing totally naked and let mother nature do her thing to the finish. I'm not going to paint it so what can I do to remove all the old existing paint/grime and start fresh? Thanks.
Sorry, I guess I never really explained what I'm working with. It is an early 60's Culver City magnesium Champ 12-bolt center section with the original magnesium bell adapters using early ford steel bells. It had a spool so I'm looking around for a good DPI gold track diff. to use and will be making up my own axle tubes and axles using Ford 9" bearings and axles.
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