Milling front hubs

[Christ]

The rio doesn't use a captive dual roller bearing, either, that I can see. Looks like it uses a tapered bearing on either side.

[Advancedynamix]

The aspire uses a tapered roller on either side, not a captured roller like the VW. If the bearings have identical I.D. then you may be able to just use the VW hub inside the aspire bearings. Depending on seal I.D. you may need to do some machining on the seal surface of the hub.

The VW design uses circlips to hold the bearing in place so you'd need to add those groves to the I.D. of the aspire knuckle. The groves would further weaken the part.

[blkfordsedan]

Interestingly, the VW bearing's OD isn't press fit into the hub.

The race that turns should get the press fit...the stationary race gets a slip fit or a very light press, since the load (weight of the car) remains in the same position and keeps it from spinning.

[Advancedynamix]

The race that turns should get the press fit...the stationary race gets a slip fit or a very light press, since the load (weight of the car) remains in the same position and keeps it from spinning.

IIRC they do have a slight press fit, not really interference though. It's been a long time since I've done mk1 wheel bearings. I also think I remember they are the same bearing as some Chrysler cars, which was a cheaper source than buying them for a VW. Probably not relevant these days though with the web cross referencing for us.

Christ, this is a very interesting project. Can't wait to see the result!

[Christ]

The aspire uses a tapered roller on either side, not a captured roller like the VW. If the bearings have identical I.D. then you may be able to just use the VW hub inside the aspire bearings. Depending on seal I.D. you may need to do some machining on the seal surface of the hub.

The VW design uses circlips to hold the bearing in place so you'd need to add those groves to the I.D. of the aspire knuckle. The groves would further weaken the part.

haha. I actually was ignorant of that up until now, for some reason, even though I mentioned it earlier... I'll have to look into that, actually.

My main objective is still to swap the VW hub/knuckle as a unit, using heims in place of the tie rod ends.

I'm still a bit unsure of using sleeves on the LBJ, though. In theory it should work fine, but in practice, I don't want serious injury or property damage on the menu.

[Christ]

Ah, crap.

I made a mistake, should have kept thinking as though it were 3 am and I was still half asleep, like when I did the research initially.

I needed to mill the knuckle to make the hub fit because the ID was different by several mm and I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to make a sleeve work.

I also (cursory search) didn't find any bearings that were the size I'd need to fit the Aspire OD and the Golf ID (bearing size).

[Advancedynamix]

If you have access to the necessary fab equipment you may toy with the idea of making control arms that accept the VW ball joints. They can be removed from the MK1 control arm by drilling the rivets and I believe replacements are still available, the MK2 ones always have been replaceable with just unbolting them. It wouldn't be that involved of a part and would be a more trustworthy alternative than the sleeve. The VW knuckle is the way to go, VW shocks are valved much heavier than anything available for the festiva. If you could use Mk3 knuckles, or corrado (essentially the same thing) that would be ideal, since the brake caliper carrier isn't integrated. Standard MK2 brakes are vented and will fit under 13" wheels but have an integrated caliper carrier which means you have to use the "gets the job done, but not the best solution" girling calipers that came standard on those cars. Most Mk1 brakes are horrible, the solid rotors can be swapped for the later vented units fairly easily, but they are still weak. 16V scirocco brakes are good, but rare and they require a 14" minimum wheel diameter. Really, the easiest knuckles to get, that work the best are the Mk3 (93-97) golf or jetta, but they also require a 14" wheel. I think the ball joint shafts are similar between all the models I've listed, but it's best to use the ball joint sold for the knuckle you choose.
Hope that all helps. Gotta make some use of all that info I acquired while wasting my time on the heavy german steel. lol.

[Christ]

Lol my Mk2 diesel has riveted ball joints. There is a way I could use the mk2 lca, but it's not pretty. Cut the dog leg off and weld a piece over the hole. I probably could actually use the dog leg section, too, if I thought about it hard enough. I rally don't want to try to swap the whole cross member, though, as that will add a tonne of unnecessary weight and complexity.

The Mk2 diesels came with solid front rotors. Mk3 knuckles are a direct switch, that I know of, I will just have to drill the steering arm for the heim joint.

Before I go spending money on parts, I'm certainly gonna try to use what I have and upgrade as necessary.

[Advancedynamix]

Lol, yeah I was thinking backwards, the mk1 ball joint is bolted, later cars are riveted. You could make a tubular control arm that accepts the VW ball joint. That sounds more simple than adapting the VW subframe. Also, I'll measure a BMW2002 lca tonight, they are similar to a festiva, but may have a ball joint That could work in the VW knuckle. It's a long shot but possible. Lol

[Christ]

That would be awesome. I just need the measurement of the "waist" and the overall diameter. (Waist is the area the bolt goes through... redneck terms.)

[Advancedynamix]

Sorry to get your hopes up, the '02 uses a bolt on flanged style ball joint. It's been so long since I worked on my '02 that I had forgotten. It won't be of any help.

[Safety Guy]

Charlie, just be aware I'm waiting on your completed BMW 2002/Festiva hybrid, complete with 2 liter DOHC and FWD.

Karl

[Christ]

Sorry to get your hopes up, the '02 uses a bolt on flanged style ball joint. It's been so long since I worked on my '02 that I had forgotten. It won't be of any help.

Aw, darn. I was kinda hoping. Honestly, I don't see a reason the sleeve won't work, it just seems a bit "engineered", so it's on my mind.

Thankfully, I'll be the test pilot for the first XXXmiles, so it won't likely be anyone else that gets hurt if it fails. Not that it's gonna fail.

[Advancedynamix]

Charlie, just be aware I'm waiting on your completed BMW 2002/Festiva hybrid, complete with 2 liter DOHC and FWD.

Karl

Crap, I only have the 2.0 8 valve, but it is on standalone management and makes 180 crank hp! lol

Aw, darn. I was kinda hoping. Honestly, I don't see a reason the sleeve won't work, it just seems a bit "engineered", so it's on my mind.

Thankfully, I'll be the test pilot for the first XXXmiles, so it won't likely be anyone else that gets hurt if it fails. Not that it's gonna fail.

Yeah, it'll probably be fine. Use like a 1018 steel and tack them on the top. I doubt you'll ever have problems as long as everything is tight.

[Christ]

I wasn't even going to tack it on because the through bolt will still engage the actual ball joint, afaik.

If it does not, then I'm gonna look for another solution than sleeves, like other ball joints' sizes and/or putting heims on those, too.









Or just welding the stupid sleeve on.