Is it possible to space the gear hub on the rear wheel?

I have a slight tire rub on the drive shaft case on my 82 xj750j, Ive heard this is common and some people take a grind wheel to the casing to give them some extra space. Im wondering if its possible to put 5 thin washers between the gear hub and the wheel to push the wheel away from the casing by a fraction of an inch. There is a bushing in the swing arm which I believe butts up to bearing in the wheel, will this be an issue if I put washers in? Maybe someone else has tried this? Thanks guys.

 

I put a washer in mine with the spacer to get a bit more clearance.

The one I used is an 18mm ID oil drain plug washer, and the thickness is .100 (thousandths). See if you can find an aluminum one at your local car parts store. A copper one should be OK too, if that's all you can find.

Worked like a charm and didn't offset the wheel too much. Just enough to keep it from rubbing.

Tony

 

Thanks tony! So you just put it between the spacer and the wheel bearing? Did it affect the seal of the gear hub too much? I noticed that it kind of pops into place on the swing arm.

 

I put the washer on the end which goes into the differential hub. Used some grease to hold it in place. That allowed the spacer to still contact the hub drive gear the same as without the washer. There's a lot of surface area on the inside the differential for the o-ring on the hub gear to provide a seal. With moving it only around .100 (thousandths), you shouldn't have any sealing issues.

Tony

 

Wouldnt that throw the alignment off?

 

Initially I thought it may cause a noticeable change. But, by using a very thin washer, it's not an issue at all.

Tony

 

it worked perfectly, I have perfect spacing now. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet but im confident in it. Thanks a lot Tony!