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FAQ > Q. how hard is it to change bearings?Responses by Doug Littlefield and Carl Tilley of the Tilley Foundation Response by Doug Littlefield of the Tilley Foundation
----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Littlefield" <dougl@pshift.com>
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 8:40 AM
Subject: Re: Q. how hard is it to change bearings?
There are a host of reasons, people seemed to think it was so simple.....but they did not consider the other potential conditions such as: 1) If 1 20 year old bearing failed...could one of the other 3 wheels fail ? 2) Did the failed bearing cause damage to anything else ? 3) Was the inertia of the 14 degree banked track too much for the car, as you may know cars that usually run on a track like that have specially designed frames and suspension, etc. 4) The offer of a DeLorean owner to use his from the car he towed was generous, we did not ask how old that bearing was....as you might have heard there was another DeLorean owner that said that particular bearing was a design problem and he even stated he had once had to change the same location bearing twice in one month. 5) The DeLorean owner that advised all in attendance said the reason that bearing fails seems to be because it is the first one to get the torque. We wondered also if the faster application of torque (a function of electric motors vs. gasoline) could have anything to do with exasserbating the situation. You see, in our effort to be certain of the conversion aspects we had already "proven" that we overlooked the mechanical aspects of a 1981 car. We weren't about to repeat that, while we are disappointed we couldn't complete the distance we had set out to do ... and we were not happy to disappoint the people that came to see it....to rush into a repair would have been foolhardy. On a safety note, that same fellow that "educated" us about the presistence of those bearing failures also cautioned that when they completely go the wheel falls of. Having that knowledge there was no way we would put any driver at risk . Sometimes there's a blessing in a problem, Carl was feeling more and more confident in the speed with each lap. The last lap was clocked at 96MPH and he had not yet taken the car out of second gear ... he was figuring in a couple more laps he'd go into third gear and run it up well over 100MPH, imagine losing a wheel at that speed. NO, the decision was the right one....bring it home...NOW pay full attention to all the mechanical aspects of the car and do it again ..... safely and successfully. I am certain with the above information even those that were adamant about doing the immediate "patch up" would agree it was the right decision. Sincerely, Doug Littlefield Response by Doug Littlefield of the Tilley Foundation
----- Original Message -----
From: The Tilley's
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 8:53 PM
Subject: Re: Tilley Response: Q. how hard is it to change bearings?
Thank you ...... Valid question you asked.....we have now discovered
that the other shaft was being cut by the body frame hitting the shaft on the
curves.....regardless I take full reasonability for not properly checking the car out...I put
my efforts on the device .....that is not an excuse but it is the fact.
Carl B. Tilley
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