Now that my transmission is rebuilt, I slid under the car to insert the throwout bearing on to the fork. Surprise ! The fork and bearing do not match. The diameter of the bearing is too wide. I contacted the company and am waiting for their response. It has been over 60 days since I purchased it and really do not know if the ordering dept. has any idea if it is the correct part or not. Can the surface be turned down to fit the shift fork?
Seeing that the channel that the shift fork rides in, can I grind down two flats to fit the size of the fork?
Is there a number on the face of the original bearing ?? There should be. Clean it up, and look for it, to cross reference for the correct bearing.
The actual bearing is pressed onto the hub part with the grooves. If you got lucky, the new bearing might be the right inner bore diameter to be used on your old hub. Measure them both, or if you don't have accurate tools to measure, and if it seems to be correct, we can measure it here, and try to do the swap if both bearings are exactly the same. I should be here all day.
Alternatively, if there is enough material thickness there, it could be turned down, although swapping the bearing would be simpler if possible.
Is there enough meat on there to do that? Then send them an invoice for $90 an hour + "shop supplies".
On my 62 196 we had a problem with the throw out bearing HUB being wrong. Pressed the NEW bearing off the hub and put it on the OLD hub. Bearing was correct but hub was not. Nick
Thanks Seb, for the offer...we fixed it with a swap..but: I pressed the old one apart first, and it was 1.500" ID on the "back" side of the old bearing bore. Then I did not press the new one apart yet, before measuring a small exposed area of the bore on the "front" of the new bearing. It was around 1.545"?? So I thought it over, but decided to press the new one apart anyways. Learn something new every day...the machined bore in the new bearing was stepped, and the back side really was 1.500" like we needed. I do have a lathe, so I guess that's why I pressed the new one apart, even thinking it was wrong ID. .
BTW, I forgot to say that I think it was a manufacturing/blueprint error. The only thing not correct was the groove depth for the fork. It was obviously an offshore part, no ID numbers, no "made in-----" logo. Maybe someday they could make parts here again...that we all know would actually fit.
Stopped by at Frank's garage and he solved the problem. Transmission is in. I'm taking Frank out to lunch at the Chinese Buffet tomorrow.
Torque tube re-connected, new rear shocks, new gear oil, ran it through the gears while on the jack stands, A-OK. Now to put it back on 4 wheels and road test.
Viva la-HAMB! I love shit like this, but a Chinese restaurant? Irony imitating life? You'll both have to eat for an hour...
Transmission and torque tube installation a success. New rear shocks. As soon as the roads are dry, off I go in the Havana Taxi.
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