‘Overland Cruisers’ are the ONLY company that we would use for work on our client’s Landcruisers.  Read More…
Matt Richards
I drove from my home in Southern Spain up to their workshops in Hereford.....I can definitely say that it was worth the journey.  Read More…
Dave Heppell
....the greatest resource you can have is a fully charged telephone and Julian Voelcker's phone number  Read More…
Daniel Dungate
I would have no hesitation in recommending Julian to do work on your Landcruiser, I have always found him to be very knowledgeable and friendly.  Read More…
Chas Spencer
A true specialist, I would not hesitate to recommend his services to any Landcruiser owner.  Read More…
Colin Moore
We'll be using Julian again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him others.  Read More…
Paul Driver
Discovering Julian and his knowledge of the Landcruiser is one of those "at last" moments when you finally discover an expert.  Read More…
Damien J. Hill
I have no hesitation in recommending Julian and Overland Cruisers to all LC owners.  Read More…
Piers Finlayson
We would recommend Julian to help with pre trip arrangements and servicing.  Read More…
Bob and Anne Finch
I recommend to anyone doing an overland trip in a Land Cruiser to spend some time in the Overland Cruisers workshop.  Read More…
Neil Lister
I was impressed by Julians knowledge, and the suggestions that he made . . . Highly Recommended.  Read More…
Ken Jordan
I have no hesitation in recommending Julian, his knowledege and his workmanship.  Read More…
Graham Smith
I am happy to say that I would thoroughly recommend Julian and his work to anyone, and would be happy to be contacted to verify this.  Read More…
Paul Mills
Julian is the acknowledged heart-surgeon of LandCruisers for good reason; what he doesn’t know is not worth knowing.  Read More…
Barrie Dunbar
.........it was Julian's voice that came through on the forums offering excellent advice.  Read More…
Graham Naismith
With an unmatchable knowledge of Land Cruisers and continued support on the road we couldn’t recommend Overland Cruisers more.  Read More…
Martin McGowan
His enthusiasm and knowledge is unrivalled in the UK (or Libya and Morocco as well, BTW). We wish Julian and Overland Cruisers all the very best.  Read More…
Paul Blackburn
Julian's knowledge of cruisers is second to none, and I thoroughly recommend him.  Read More…
Andrew Wightman
Julian is a master of Landcruisers. He took us from being a couple of novices into knowledgeable mechanics....  Read More…
Charlie & Nina
I have no hesitation in recommending Julian and Overland Cruisers.  Read More…
Richard Kaad
I thoroughly recommend Julian as someone who is honest, brilliant at what he does and has your interests closest to his heart.  Read More…
David Gittelson
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending, without qualification, Julian and Overland Cruisers to anyone needing work done on their Land Cruiser.  Read More…
Peter Jacques
I highly recommend Julian for his knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm in relation to Land Cruisers  Read More…
Barbara Hawksley

Wheel Bearing Tightening Procedure

The following is intented to be a rough guide for tightening up the tapered wheel bearings commonly found on 70, 80 and 100 series (fronts only) Land Cruisers but in reality can be applied to most 4x4s - they key thing is to make sure the bearings are bedded in properly.

This should be carried out with the brake pads out of the calliper.

  1. When you first put the hub on the stub axle, make sure that the seal on the stub axle and the inner hub seal have a thin coating of grease on them, but make sure the stub axle and inner races of the bearings are free of grease as well as the thrust washer and hub nuts when you put them on - it's very tricky to do but worth persevering with.  Once you have hub loosely on the stub axle and put on the spacer and inner hub nut, rotate the hub slowly as you tighten up the nut - this will prevent damage to the seals.
  2. Torque the inner nut to 43ft-lbs.  This setting doesn't have to be that specific - I generally aim for around 45-55ft-lbs.
  3. Turn the disk/hub at least five times left and right, perhaps do a few full rotations to bed the bearing in with the new grease.  This is made easier by slotting a stubby screwdriver or punch into the vents on the outer edge of the disk and using it as a handle.
  4. Repeat the 2 and 3 above multiple times until there is no movement on the inner nut when re-torquing (the torque wrench should just click with no movement).  If you have fitted new bearings you will probably find that the inner nut will turn quite a bit when you first start torquing it.
  5. ** You may encounter some stiffness when rotating the disk which generally isn't too much of a problem, however if you encounter some notchyness it may be indicative of dirt on the bearings or problems with the seals so worth pulling the hub off and checking everything. **
  6. Loosen the inner nut until it can be turned by hand, making sure that you do not rotate or move the hub.
  7. Torque the inner nut to 3ft-lbs.  This is very difficult to measure on the average torque wrench - I tend to just grab the hub socket with both hands and do it hand tight - yes it will be slightly over the 3ft-lbs, but it won't be too tight to cause problems). 
    ** If you are using wheel spacers, heavy wheels and tyres or rims with a big offset there is a lot more load on the bearings and I find that you need to tighten up the inner nut to around 10-20ft-lbs in order to compensate.**
  8. Check that the hub turns smoothly and that the bearings have no play.
  9. Measure the pre-load on the hub by getting a length of string (about 50-75cm long) with two loops at each end, loop one end onto one of the wheel studs on the hub, then wrap the string around the studs and attach the other end to the a set of fishing scales capable of going up to 15lbs.  Then pull on the scales to rotate the hub and check the measurement on the scales - this should be around 6-12lbs.  If it isn't within range, repeat all the procedures above.  (I tend to ignore this step and rely on experience - with different greases and different ambient temperatures the pre-load can vary greatly)
  10. Install the lock washer and outer lock nut, torquing it to 47ft-lbs.
  11. Check that the hub turns smoothly and that the bearings have no play.
  12. Measure the preload again.
  13. Once you are happy, bend two of the tabs of the star washer over the inner nut and the other two over the outer lock nut.
  14. Job done.