Narhay

I have an early uniglide freehub and the cone or body fixing race (#12) is too tight. Are these washer spacers a common size or should I start fabricating some out of aluminum cans? It is #15 . I do have the 1mm spacer in there but not the adjusting washers.

joejack951

When you say the 'cone is too tight' are you referring to part #12 ? From the appearance of things, #12 gets tightened to a fixed stopping point to set the bearing preload for the freehub. That stopping point is adjustable with those shims. Is your freehub tight or is the axle tight in the hub? Or both?

Regardless, if you have #16 , measure it and find/make shims to match. Just note that if #16 is steel, you likely don't want to use aluminum for your shims. I have a Uniglide freehub somewhere that I can disassemble if you are truly stuck. Might take me a few days.

Bill Kapaun

You need to learn how to tighten a lock nut against a cone, with the proper adjustment.
Basic repair 101.
Those have nothing to do with cones & lock nuts. They adjust play in the FH body.

joejack951

Part #12 is a cone/bearing race. If spacers are missing and required, the freehub could be too tight. Of course, the more likely reason for a tight hub is poorly adjusted outer cones but without more information on the history of this freehub we can't conclude that just yet.

Narhay

I am asking for the adjusting washers in a freehub body to adjust play, not a hub axle with cones and locknuts. #12 acts as a cone in this instance. There is no locknut to adjust against, just a series of adjusting washers.

Narhay

Yes, #12 adjusts too tight. I am also assuming that the thin aluminum would shear, compress or not be very usable in this case with the forces on it as I think about it more.

icemilkcoffee 

I guess I don't understand your issue. You typically turn #8 to adjust the bearings, and then tighten #3 against #8 to lock down the adjustment. Why was there a need to disturb #12 ?

Bill Kapaun

Then don't call a part a cone that isn't a cone.
Ignore list

Narhay

The previous owner went in and removed the spacer washers (as well as the bearings) in the upper freehub assembly. #12 , without those washers, tightens too far down the threaded pawl body. It is both the outer race and the cone for the freehub and adjusts by adding or removing very thin washers in the position of #15 so that it tightens down with proper preloaded adjustment.

Dave Mayer

You need the appropriate number of spacers (part 15) to ensure that the freehub maintains a fine balance between binding up, or wobbling because it is too loose. These spacers can be very thin (<0.1mm), and there may be several of them stacked up. I have seen as many as 4. There are not many folks on the planet who have enough time to waste in servicing freehubs down to this level, but I am one. This is picky low-reward work, that may involve several trial-and-error iterations before you can get the dimensions and preload right.

Where to get these spacers? Off of other trashed freehubs. I suggest you wander into your local bike Co-op and beg for trashed hub and wheel parts. Or just chuck the wheel and get something better.

joejack951

Experiment with aluminum shims until you figure out the thickness you need. Once that's settled, you can find plenty of options at McMaster Carr or similar: https://www.mcmaster.com/shims/ring-...id~1-2/od~3-4/

Bike co-op would work, too.

Narhay

7 finicky aluminum can washers were needed but it has just the right bearing action now. Happy to have saved this 105/600 hub set from the recycling bin.