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Re: [GMCnet] bearings [message #328069 is a reply to message #328022] Mon, 08 January 2018 21:46 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Richard Denney is currently offline  Richard Denney   United States
Messages: 920
Registered: April 2010
Karma:
Senior Member
Bob, you have to be pretty sensitive to feel the change in camber during
jounce resulting from the slightly taller knuckle. I seriously doubt many
could feel it—I used to race cars and everything I feel is an improvement.

And I’m trying to think what damage it does. A bit more negative camber on
the outer wheel during body roll is actually a good thing, it seems to me.
It will reduce roll understeer slightly.

When I did my front bearings, I replaced the bearing on one side and had to
replace the knuckle on the other side. After removing the halfshaft and
caliber, the hub fell in my lap. The bearing had spun and the race was
loose in the groove it had worn. I had no idea there was a fault, and the
coach didn’t drive any differently after replacing the knuckle. Those
bearings had been serviced only 25k miles previously, by the PO.

One thing I can feel with distinction—better front brakes. And my old
brakes were fine, with good calipers, hoses, pads, and rotors. That extra
diameter makes a real difference.

The adjustment of the stock bearing depends on having the correct spacer,
and the prescribed spacer being correct depends on the holes in the knuckle
being perfect. That means that replacing a bearing just about necessitates
replacing the knuckle for those who don’t have the skills and tools to
measure not only the diameter but also the roundness of the hole. I have T
gauges and good micrometers and I fiddled with it for a hour to be sure.
Ken Thoma used a special three-point hole micrometer and it took him about
five seconds. But a loose bearing will spin and a tight bearing will
destroy itself.

I did not drill my knuckles. Dave didn’t provide the one I bought from him
with a zerk, and I didn’t have a jig.

Greasing the bearing still requires loosening the drive axle and backing it
out so you can see grease emerging past the face seal.

All freshly rebuilt stuff from Dave is great, but not cheap. And Dave is
not exactly sitting around wondering how he’ll fill his time.

And for those of us with ‘73 coaches, there is also the issue of
unreinforced lower control arms that can fatigue.

The one-ton kit doesn’t provide a better bearing, but it does provide a
more serviceable bearing. And a failing bearing won’t take the knuckle with
it, requiring that both be replaced. Replacing the bearing doesn’t require
popping ball joints, and it doesn’t require special tools. The bearing is
also more available.

For a front end that’s tip-top but for bearings, sending the knuckles to
Dave is a good approach. But if one needs to reinforce the lower control
arms, and replace the bushings, the one-ton kit will be cheaper. And the
bonus is 12” brakes on the front, in return for a geometry imperfection
that nearly everyone does not notice.

By the way, I have one-finger steering on my coach with
loose-as-wobbly-shopping-cart caster-wheels on the back. The big difference
for me was new bushings on the front, new gear box, and a better alignment.

Rick “who needs to sell his Darren Paget front bearing tool” Denney

On Mon, Jan 8, 2018 at 12:06 PM Bob Dunahugh wrote:

> Jim K at Applied, and Dave Lenzi to me are the best choices. I put a 1 ton
> unit under a friends 78 GMC. Nice unit. But I'll never install one again.
> We're thinking of pulling that 1 ton back out. It doesn't have the proper
> geometry. The big talk with the 1 ton is that it has a lifetime bearing
> that can't be greased because it's a sealed unit. It's a throw away unit
> at whatever mileage it fails at. Seen many in GM trucks that didn't make
> it very long. Then you go buy an all new one again. A rebuilt original with
> the grease fitting should more the likely never fail. Just get out the
> grease gun every 50,000miles. Put $2 worth of grease in. Done. But. Front
> components are only half the story. The back is another subject that you
> need to know about. Bob Dunahugh
> _______________________________________________
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--
Rick Denney
73 x-Glacier 230 "Jaws"
Off-list email to rick at rickdenney dot com
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