Spigot bearing

[mike-b]

Hi all readers,
Having tried Google without result I was hoping someone could help in locating a spigot bearing.
I have the RV8 - T5 and I am looking for a bearing and not a bush.
I am sure that I have seen one type that had a needle rollers type bearing and that is exactly what I am looking for.
A bush being the most popular system I know but surely a bearing is an improvement?

Anyone?

Thanks, Mike-b

[sidecar]

Yoy can get the needle bearing off ebay for a few quid but you need to get an adaptor machined up to decrease the diameter of the hole in the end of the crank where the bearing is located.

[stevieturbo]

Hi all readers,
Having tried Google without result I was hoping someone could help in locating a spigot bearing.
I have the RV8 - T5 and I am looking for a bearing and not a bush.
I am sure that I have seen one type that had a needle rollers type bearing and that is exactly what I am looking for.
A bush being the most popular system I know but surely a bearing is an improvement?

Anyone?

Thanks, Mike-b

Bearings can fail.

Bushes...well, they almost last forever.

I can see little reason to go out of your way to find a bearing.

[Blown v8]

When i had my T5 box beefed with Quaife internals,I was given a Ford roller bearing,so much easier to put engine and box together !
Give the gearboxman a call,he stocks them

[sidecar]

When i had my T5 box beefed with Quaife internals,I was given a Ford roller bearing,so much easier to put engine and box together !
Give the gearboxman a call,he stocks them

My box also uses Quafie internals and was supplied by Gearboxman, they supplied my bearing too, it still needs an adaptor machining up in order to fit it to an RV8 crank.

Bearing... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-SIERRA-C ... 432wt_1001

[sidecar]

Just for interest I thought that I'd post up an issue with the T5 box which is that it is quite possible to build the engine and gearbox up without realizing that there can be very little spline engaugement between the gearbox imput shaft and the clutch plate. When I built my power train up I had around 9mm engaugement which is not good, I am using a JE bellhousing and in the end I had to have alot of machining done in order to get 29mm engaugement. The central boss in Borg and Beck clutch plates is 20mm deep from memory so that the most you can get out of one of them, I'm using a Helix clutch and the boss is deeper and off set too. My mates engine is using a TVR bellhousing and if we had just thrown the engine together that would have only had 9mm engaugment, that bellhousing needed machining to get the figure up to 20mm. With his bellhousing we also had to make ajustable off set dowls in order to dial in the bellhousing, it was miles off with the standard dowls!

[Blown v8]

I don't think all bell housings are created equal !
I bought mine in 98 brand new for £250 from here

No fitment problems,I even semi-polished it ! Sorry no pics,didn't have camera phones then
I had my Quaife kit fitted in 95,by a company called competition transmission services,who eventually became the "Gearboxman"
Mine runs a McLeod twin plate paddle clutch,a little heavy in traffic,but no trouble......yet ! And I've been putting over 400bhp through it for years !

[mike-b]

Hi all,
many thanks for your helpful answers - it seems a bearing would not be the final answer as a spacer would also be needed. Yet more work and expense.

I was thinking ( never a good idea ) that a bearing would give some support to the end of the box input shaft better than a bush as a bearing would be the "Needle" type and not of course a ball type bearing.

Stevie .... Cheers for that .... a very good point and taken on board, probably best to not fix something that is not broken.

Here is where I was coming from ........
We all know that when the clutch is engaged the `box input shaft and the crank are going at the same speed. A bush that is basically a spacer - well in this instance it is ...would be all we need. However when the clutch is disengaged that is a different matter, now the crank and input shaft are not at the same speed and now a bearing would be a better idea? The bush though has proven to work well enough but is it really perfect for the job?
Many thanks to you all, Mike-b

[stevieturbo]

Depends what you class as perfection.

A needle roller might offer slightly less friction during those times your fiit is on the clutch and there is a disparity between input shaft speed and crank speed.

Lets face it, time spent there should be very little.

Bushes work, are virtually trouble free and last a very very very long time.

Bearings work....but bearings also fail. And a failed bearing tat goes un-noticed, which is very easy in that application, can lead to transmission damage.

So is a needle roller the best solution ? I dont think so. I'd sooner use a proper fully sealed bearing, then a bush, and then a needle roller.

[mike-b]

Stevie,
You had already convinced me to stick with the bush than change to a bearing in your first post. There is no argument here.

I entirely agree with you, especially when a bearing decides to commit suicide, and yes the least the clutch is disengaged the better anyway.
A disengaged clutch is just wasting liquid gold.
My last post was just an explanation of the way I was thinking with a small percentage rate of being right ..... however .... food for thought. Problem was - bad food.
Regards, and thanks, Mike.

[sidecar]

The needle bearing that Ford use is effectively sealed once the shaft has been passed through it as it does have a proper seal. If you are going to use a bush then it needs to be made of a material that has lubricating properties otherwise you could be in trouble.