Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Front spindle woes

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Front spindle woes

    Some of you may know that four years ago I had a wheel bearing failure on the highway which resulted in a front wheel nearly coming off at speed. I took that incident as a sign that I need to be better about maintenance tasks on my bronco because quite literally, that could have killed me. I replaced the spindles, hubs, bearings, and brakes at that time (GM disc brake conversion on a 72 bronco dana 44 front end).

    I decided last night that I needed to pull the front hubs and inspect the bearings, if for no other reason than to quiet my mind. The bearings are still packed with grease and look good, however I found some witness marks on the spindle which lead me to believe that all's not well. While I know that the bearings basically slide onto the spindles with a tight fit, I don't think the bearing is supposed to spin as it appears to have been doing here.

    Having slept on this last night and looking at this photo with fresh eyes, it may be that there's just grease and grime "stuck" in the machining marks on the spindle. As you can see there are machining marks along the whole length of the spindle, so perhaps this is a false flag and I am overthinking things as usual. It doesn't look like there's been any heat or other damage. Later today when I get done with work, I will probably hit it with some spray cleaner to see if my suspicions are correct.

    In the mean time, What say the experts?
    Attached Files
    1970 Bronco
    My build thread
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Looks completely normal. I wouldn't worry about it.

    Comment

    • #3
      Originally posted by helbnd1 View Post
      Looks completely normal. I wouldn't worry about it.
      Yeah I've sent this photo to a couple of other people by text and everybody seems to agree. I will re-pack the bearings and re-assemble today! Thanks for your response. That dark mark where the inner bearing rides had me a bit concerned.
      1970 Bronco
      My build thread

      Comment

      • #4
        Looks like normal wear Tony, I think you are good to go... Now get out there and Drive it!
        2002 F250 Superduty, 7.3 241,500 miles and counting
        1979 Bronco, 351M,NP435,4:11's on 33's
        2016 Race Red Shelby GT350

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by 904Bronco View Post
          Looks like normal wear Tony, I think you are good to go... Now get out there and Drive it!
          Yep I re-assembled with fresh grease and unobtainium (spindle nuts which are very hard to come by these days).
          I drive it pretty often, though with 100 degree temps I find myself taking the truck with it's cooled seats in the heat of the day...
          1970 Bronco
          My build thread

          Comment

          • #6
            Originally posted by CityHick View Post

            Yep I re-assembled with fresh grease and unobtainium (spindle nuts which are very hard to come by these days).
            I drive it pretty often, though with 100 degree temps I find myself taking the truck with it's cooled seats in the heat of the day...
            Funny, in our 20's we would put up with a lot. As we age, who wants to sweat like a pig on a drive.
            I remember in the 80's I drove my 81 Toyota 4x4 truck up to visit a gal in Paradise, CA. It was a 100* on the drive up Hwy 5, no A/C, ($900.00 ad on in those days) wing windows on full. Hot blast of wind the whole way there. Would I do it again, well I would prefer not to....
            2002 F250 Superduty, 7.3 241,500 miles and counting
            1979 Bronco, 351M,NP435,4:11's on 33's
            2016 Race Red Shelby GT350

            Comment

            • #7
              Originally posted by 904Bronco View Post

              Funny, in our 20's we would put up with a lot. As we age, who wants to sweat like a pig on a drive.
              I remember in the 80's I drove my 81 Toyota 4x4 truck up to visit a gal in Paradise, CA. It was a 100* on the drive up Hwy 5, no A/C, ($900.00 ad on in those days) wing windows on full. Hot blast of wind the whole way there. Would I do it again, well I would prefer not to....
              Yep... funny what age and a better financial position does to us!
              I still get enjoyment out of my Bronco, and that's all that matters. It's a different kind of "fun" than what something new would offer. Driving it around this weekend, my mind started working on plans for the next upgrade(s). But, that's a topic for another discussion.
              1970 Bronco
              My build thread

              Comment

              • #8
                Just saw this. Something I'd like to have for my front spindles would be a Dana 44 bearing spacer version from this outfit, if only they made them: https://store.drpperformance.com/bearing-spacers/ That would make disassembly and reassembly so much easier, among other things.

                Tony, I agree with the others even though at this point I'm too late.

                Meanwhile, I'm sure glad I installed AC! Did I mention how much I love the AC in my Bronco?
                1970, Exploder 5.0 with P heads, EEC-IV EDIS, lots of wiring.

                Originally posted by CityHick
                I suddenly feel rich and feel the need to dump more cash into my Bronco.

                Comment

                Previous template Next
                Working...
                X