57 Chevy Wheel Bearings

[57wagon]

Just thought I would try and get some ideas before I placed my order.... I was messing around with the wagon this weekend and realized that the front wheel bearings were just about shot.. I went to the local Napa to see if they had any instock,,, which they didnt. .. They can order them, the outer bearing is about $50 and the inner is about $40.... $180 total... Wow didn't think it was that much!!!! So I told them to hold off for a day or two, and I would check with the online places... Danchuck offers a kit which includes new roller bearings, new hub to be pressed into the existing drum, seals, spindle washers, and dust caps for $184 plus shipping....

I can't see a reason not to go with the newer style roller bearings, as opposed to keeping with the original ball bearings, other than originality..... And shipping time http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The catalog says that the kit will work with the original stock spindles..

Anyone had any experience with this type of issue...

Thanks,

Steve

[DrJ]

There's a number on the inner race and another one on the outer race. take those two numbers to a bearing wholesale-to-the-public distributor and they can match it up with a roller bearing equivilant for a third that price.

[flt-blk]

OldCarPilot just went through a similar deal. The prices
he found were about the same for the stock stuff. If he
would have had time I'm sure newer roller bearings would
have been used.
TZ

[mr57]

I switched mine over to the new style bearings long ago. If you were ever going down the highway when one of those old style bearings grenaded you had you hands full. The new bearings also handle the load/stress of modern wider wheels and tires far better

[visor]

Steve......
The roller bearings and new hubs is the way to go.
You can also do it yourself by using the hubs
from a mid sixties car.
Its been awhile since I did this conversion, but
I used 62 impala hubs.
There was an article on this conversion in
an old Super Chevy mag and many others.I will try and
find it for ya.....or maybe someone else can recall
this article?
Also try and get in touch with Classic Chevy International.
They also have the info on this conversion.
---------------------------------------------------------
"OPOSSUM BENDERS"
Central Missouri Chapter

[57wagon]

Cool thanks, I know the kit that I can buy from Danchuck has the hub that will press into the existing brake drum... Anyone ever tried this?? Is that hard to do? Might have to take that over to a local brake shop and have it done?

[manyolcars]

I put disc brakes on mine. It has timken tapered bearings. Then I added a power booster and all is well. I recommend it. The disc brake uses 68-72 camaro discs so I got a booster for the same car. It mounts at an angle and no way does it fit. One piecut on each side and its a bolt on.

[visor]

[ QUOTE ]
Cool thanks, I know the kit that I can buy from Danchuck has the hub that will press into the existing brake drum... Anyone ever tried this?? Is that hard to do? Might have to take that over to a local brake shop and have it done?

[/ QUOTE ]
--------------------------------------------------------
Pressing a drum onto a hub?..... Thats a new one on me.
The original drums were rivited to the hubs. When it
was necessary to replace a drum. you had to grind off the
rivits and then just rely on the lugs to hold the new drum
in place.. which is the way later set-ups are anyway.
The only part that I recall that is pressed in is the
studs.
Also you have to use the later hub.
(such as the 62 impala) There isn't a tapered roller bearing
and race available that will fit into the 55thru57 hub.
----------------------------------------------------------
"OPOSSUM BENDERS"
Central Missouri Chapter

[57wagon]

you are probably right about having to grind off the rivets...


Here is a link to the kit that Dan Chuck offers

http://www.danchuk.com/11_02_roller_bearing_conv.html

I really didn't look at the drums yet, and kind of just assumed that they would need to be pressed in..

[OldCarPilot]

Yeah I put those ball bearings in mine. Since then I've heard that there are tapered bearing that will replace them. The best and the cheapest way to go is do the disk brakes. Check out this link for good info on what to get.

http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB4&Number=706990&Forum=U BB4&Words=disc%20brakes&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Sear chpage=2&Limit=25&Old=3months&Main=691933&Search=t rue#Post706990

[Andy]

I upgraded to tapered bearings for my 60 Chevy project. I used 68 chevy hubs and drums. the drums were just like my 60 drums except thicker brake surface. The hubs take a different cover than the 60. The outer bearing has a bigger OD.I can't say for sure but would try the later hubs,bearings, shoes, and drums. Self adjusting and all.

[SamIyam]

Roller bearings always seem to be a shit load more expensive than the tapered ones... I'd switch it over... maybe see if you can get the bearings and not the new hub?

I put '70 Chevelle disk brakes on mine.... modified the bracket and spindle (a little welding and drilling) according to an old SRM article... anyway, they sell the brackets nowadays...
Sam.

[Brad54]

Dumbshit me went and coughed up the cash for the roller bearings--I went to all the bearing houses in town, and they didn't have anything that would slide onto the stock spindle and into the stock hub.
The tapered hub conversion kit is absolutely the way to go--it's about the same price up front as the roller bearings, but when you have to replace the wheel bearings down the road, you're way ahead--they'll be a ton cheaper.

Cut an "X" into the rivet heads with a die grinder, then use a chisel to cut off the heads, and then drill out the rivet body. Not fun, but not impossible.
I would be very surprised if you DIDN'T have to press the hub out of the old drum after the rivets are removed.

You can probably get away with holding the new hubs to the original drums just with the pressed in wheel studs. However, since you've got the holes there anyway for the rivets...
I did a similar thing on my '54 Buick's front drums, and I tapped the rivet holes in the hub, and then used a stainless button head bolt (could only find it in stainless) with LocTite on it, and secured the drum to the hub like the rivets were used. Just a little added insurance.
-Brad

[Armstrong]

I was once told that '62
Chev hubs were a bolt on to get rid of the ball bearings.
This was an old stock car trick is how the story went. Anyone out there know anything about this?