So, lost the bearings in one front hub. Not as much damage as I was expecting, but the hub may be no good. What do you all think, replace it? Is there a speedi sleeve to fix this? Shim the seal plate out a little further?
Fix or replace?
- Thread starter srgould41
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That isn't the primary grease seal. Its more for diverting the grease away from the brakes if the primary seal should fail. I'd say if you can't easily find a replacement (there's an early and a late and they are different) that you could either ignore it or fill the groove with something like JB-Weld or Miller-Stephenson 907 and then file it smooth.
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- #3
I wonder if I could weld it in?
Hard to say without knowing what it is made of. If it is cast steel then no problem. If it is semi-steel then maybe. If it is cast iron then somewhere between not going to happen and possible with the right filler and the appropriate technique.
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- #5
I can mig weld it or not. That is my choice 
A thorough cleaning & de-rusting followed by a quality epoxy is likely the better way. Of those, JB Weld is the easiest to get. There is even a paste version (think "Play-Doh") that would be ideal for this.
White vinegar with eat the rust right off of it if submerged overnight, BUT when you rinse with water it will flash-rust before your eyes if you let it air dry. I use compressed air to thoroughly dry parts after a water rinse.
But first I would try for a replacement and keep that one as a spare for "just in case".
White vinegar with eat the rust right off of it if submerged overnight, BUT when you rinse with water it will flash-rust before your eyes if you let it air dry. I use compressed air to thoroughly dry parts after a water rinse.
But first I would try for a replacement and keep that one as a spare for "just in case".
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- #7
This makes no sense. Since the bearings run on the inside of the hub, and the hub has a seal to keep the junk inside, how did the outside get damaged? That surface runs on the seal bolted to the backing plate. Personally, I'd run it as is.
A more likely cause is something managed to get between the backing plate and the rotor.
A more likely cause is something managed to get between the backing plate and the rotor.
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- Thread starter
- #9
I am sure it was the seal mounted to the backing plate. I didn't say just how bad the bearings were. The hub was riding on the bearing housings. The bearing rollers were totally gone. The top of the tire could move inward and outward at least 4".