Main shaft bearing on old 5000 red flat side upgrade question

[ace2]

A friend is wanting me to trick out an abu 5000 flat side for his dad.Has anyone tried to add a bearing to the main shaft by drilling the bottom of the main shaft. I know 1117079 bearing fit the stud on the set plate. 

[Ken_D]

Hi, you are using nomenclature unfamiliar to me.... Unsure what a main shaft is, and a set plate...could you post a link to the drawing, and indicate what you mean? Or use this one perhaps?

Is the setplate the brake plate? And the main shaft the driveshaft?

http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/schematics/albums/ambassadeur/Ambassadeur_5000B_1969.pdf

[alantani]

i'm curious, too.  not sure where you would need to add an extra bearing. 

[Ken_D]

Possibly he's thinking he can turn an Abu into a Shimano. They and other Pacific rim products use an e clip/ bearing setup for their driveshafts, with a bb pocket pocket underneath. I cabbaged this pic from Killerbug's Calcutta repair thread here, (Thx, M)       http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=3380.0
It's not going to work, if this is the case...the brake plate does not have the properties to make it so.  Nor does the driveshaft, as the anti-reverse gear is affixed to Abu's shaft, unlike the other makers.

[Ken_D]

A friend is wanting me to trick out an abu 5000 flat side for his dad.Has anyone tried to add a bearing to the main shaft by drilling the bottom of the main shaft. I know 1117079 bearing fit the stud on the set plate.  

1117079 is not a bearing.... it's the idler gear. Stud on setplate becomes post on sideplate. Are you wanting to put a ball bearing idler gear on the post.  If so, just look up the drawing for a Record 50, or 60, where you will get the stock numbers for the ball bearing fitting inside the idler gear, and the gear. About 15.00 the pair, from Abu, plus any adds of tax, handling, and freight.