Stanley 54mm socket

[Rob]

Has anyone used the Stanley 54mm bi-hex 3/4" drive socket that was on offer on ebay in late February successfully on a front wheel bearing on an 80? I had no joy so I when back to the laser 54mm deep socket which actually works fine if you have decent nuts.

Is the Stanley socket deep enough (did not think to check this at the time)? Does the large chamfer on the front cause the socket to come off the very thin nuts? If its deep enough and its the chamfer then would facing it off on a lathe improve it?

 

[Gav Peter]

I have a 54mm Stanley socket which I use on the front hubs - it is 'just' deep enough but I will try to 'deepen' it at some stage as it does bottom out slightly on the end of the CV joint. I've always been able to push it on enough to nip the nut up as required...

Do you want me to bring it along to the Pyrenees dude?

Cheers

 

[nivapilot]

I have a 54mm box spanner that I bought from difflock.com shop.
Welded a plate across the top and drilled a large hole in the middle to weld a spare 1/2" drive socket into it.

works a treat..

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[Chris]

Stanley socket worked for me with no issues at all. But it won't fit Milner nuts which are sort of rounded

C

 

[Nick Shepherd]

I picked up a Qualitec 'proper' socket to replace a wheel bearing as it was the only one I could find. It fit with pretty much no spare room and definitely benefited from having the bevel removed. Works fine with Milner's nuts.

I bought a Laser one for the future though, the bigger socket just doesn't have the wiggle room I might need if anything isn't lined up perfectly.

 

[Rob]

Well I bought it with the intention of using it instead of the deep laser socket, which is far too deep making it difficult to torque up correctly. Looks like I shall be selling it.

 

[Red Oktober]

is this any good .... http://www.oecinternational.com/item/31 ... 4mm-toyota

 

[Rob]

Thanks Carl, but I already have something better:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003AN3ONO/r ... B003AN3ONO

I am after a normal socket that just works, will not bind on the hub as it slips off the nut due to ridiculous chamfers, fits a 1/2" or 3/4" drive and is not 200mm long.

This looks like it will do job but I cant see then delivering to the UK
http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/otc6612.html

Gav no need to bring yours along, already done the bearings. Nick where did you get yours from?

 

[Chris]

They are good in that they are lightweight, fit ok and are cheap. But box spanner tend to start to wear at the lip quite quickly and then they just slip off. If you have a linisher or belt sander you can grind them back to an edge when you need to. So to throw in the overlanding box, they're fine. But if you plan on making a career out of adjusting hub, then I'd by a proper tool. As they are pressed into shape they tend to fit Milner nuts rather well. The Stanley one is very good.

Chris

 

[Chris]

I have the Amazon one Rob. But paid less than that. It's OK but wore quite quickly. It's a box spanner. The Stanley socket worked much better for me. Not sure I understand why you didn't get on with it.

Chris

 

[Nick Shepherd]

Nick where did you get yours from?

Local tool shop, I'm afraid, Gibb Tools

I gave it a quick belt with the angle grinder to make it more useful on thin nuts:

I don't remember precisely but it was in the £20 ballpark.

 

[Rob]

It just kept slipping of the nut and as a result would bind against the hub affecting the torque values. Maybe the CV spline was not pushed in all the way? I did not think to check as I just assumed it was the chamfer on the front of the socket and just used the box spanner.

Don't worry Chris I did not pay that much for it

That is what I was thinking of doing Nick but I might end up having to bore it out as well to clear the CV spline

 

[Nick Shepherd]

Well I was pretty low tech with the mod but if you've got a lathe then I'd narrow it slightly at the same time, that might help and you won't need all that wall thickness.

Probably

Or you could part off the Laser one and reweld the square drive on to your new short socket.

 

[Chris]

Ahh, I see. I do my hubs slightly differently to that. I tighten them up with the TW sure but the value doesn't matter that much in terms of super accuracy. I know it says 47 or something, but I just do them up slightly more than that until the hub just starts to bind (not jam, I said bind) I then just back the nut off with the socket until I get a reading of 12 lbs pull, tangentially on the wheel studs. I find that at times the torque on those thin threads on the stub axle can be affected by the nuts actually binding rather then contacting the thrust washer. It's not really the torque that's key in my view, it the resistance of the hub to rotation. OK not as the book says I know, but it works beautifully every time and I have never had to tighten one up later.

I have come across people who do it the same way. But I haven't noticed the inside of my socket hitting the end of the axle. I shall look more carefully next time I do one. Nick - nice job with the precision grinding there mate!


Chris

 

[Nick Shepherd]

Nick - nice job with the precision grinding there mate!

I have deliberately not taken a picture of it on a flat surface

 

[Rob]

Seems that I need to modify it on a lathe at work, I have had a proper look at my Stanley socket and you can see where the socket was rubbing on the CV spline so will bore it out as well.