After a month or so of waiting, my new wheels and brakes from Matco arrived. When I took off the old assembly, I found that the axle beneath swells to 1 inch diameter instead of .75, so the Matco gear will not fit. Any suggestions on how to proceed? Order standard axles from Sonex? Have the sleeve turned down at a machine shop? Cut holes in bottom of plane for Fred Flintstone braking?
I’d vote new axles from Sonex, assuming you really want your new wheels and brakes.
Probably the thing to do. Might mean bean being grounded until sometime in 2026 because Sonex is so painfully slow. Starting to get a little discouraging.
I’d buy the parts and live with what you have until you have everything.
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Is the “swell” a sleeve? Heating the whole assembly in an oven, then chilling the smaller diameter might loosen it, OR you can try using a cold chisel to split it lengthwise.
If it’s solid then machining it down seems valid, just leave a nice radius when you get to the backing plate.
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I’m thinking that might be a Tracy O’Brien axle. I wonder if there are any structural issues with the loss of support of the axle if you remove the sleeve.
I think that sleeve is just a spacer to set the Sonex caliper at the correct distance. You should be able to remove it and cut it to length to suit the new setup. Matco also sells an adapter kit for the Sonex setup but that might not work with your non Sonex style.
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I think it is a Tracy O’Brien axle too. Anybody know if that means the wide spot is an interference fit or just part of the axle? If Murray is correct, it would be possible to remove.
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I sent a PM but not sure if it went through.
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Yes, I believe it did and I responded.