Projects Mid Life Crisis 62 Vette

We'll see, won't we? Used to be BCA bearings were made in the US, but like pretty much all companies today, global sourcing is a way of survival.

 

I'm okay with them, I've been using them for a while now. I have a set on the axles of my Ford.

 

And Argentina, Bulgaria, Italy, Malaysia, Spain and the good ol' US of A.

 

no such luck here....the O ring grooves are not deep enough, so can't install the bearing without damaging the O rings.

 

Time to get out the cutoff wheel and deepen the grooves....yeah, I grew up on a farm.

 

Before I retired about 11 years ago, virtually every SKF bearing I bought for maintaining and building new manufacturing equipment in the plant was manufactured in France. Obviously they have opened more locations than they used to have or the sizes I was buying were mostly made in France. I'm not as concerned with the location of the mfg plant as I am in the specs they manufacture them to!

 

I would look at sourcing some O-rings with a slightly smaller cross section to make it easier to install without O-Ring damage, or next size smaller OD so they would stretch over the bearing and maybe solve your problem.

 

No argument here from me Jim, but I just can’t believe that a company like SKF would put product like that out in the marketplace. It’s ludicrous that they would put profit above quality and not police what their suppliers are producing. Part of the blame is Wall Street, JMO.

 

The highly experienced guy who did the gear change on my 8" used gears made in Italy. Said they were excellent quality. Not sure about SKF off shore bearings.

 

I think I'll try another Precision bearing (I think I can get one free under warranty). And then find a few NOS bearings, and keep them around for when it starts leaking again. And return the SKF and try to get some "defective" refund money.

what a pain

 

SKF is a Swedish based company, and have had plants around the world for a long time. A lot of old school companies built plants around the world, for various reasons- shipping, local tax breaks etc. Henry Ford did that years ago. I think nowadays, that quality slips slightly at the established name companies, to stay price competitive with the price only suppliers.

 

Throw them in the freezer...

 

yeah, a seal leak. I got some National seals, as you can see in the photo above...changing seals is another thing I was working on....but putting a lot of miles on the car, I want to be able to clean out the gear oil and replace it with grease, which is kind of hard to do when the bearing is on the axle.

I'll get it figured out eventually.

 

How big is your freezer?

 

Squirrel some reading ,, you are not alone.
C1 & C2 Corvettes General C1 Corvette & C2 Corvette Discussion, Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Project Builds, Restorations
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Yeah, seems to be a common problem today.

I ended up cleaning, packing, and resealing one of the old bearings that was on the car when I got it, and putting it back on. We'll see how long that lasts.

 

I've been tinkering with the interior. I decided to spend the money on some matching new repop door panels, seat covers, and seat foam. Even some generic aftermarket red seat belts with chrome buckles. I finally got it all installed. Along with a new old red steering wheel I bought yesterday.



I also found an original air cleaner housing. I had a new wire and some other foam elements that I was able to cut/glue/make fit, so now the engine looks 100% NCRS, right? Well, maybe not, but it looks ok for an old beater.



I also gave it an oil change and lube job, along with clutch adjustment.

Getting ready for the LeMons Route 66 rally in a couple weeks, from Santa Monica to OK City. Should be a fun adventure...

 

Looks good.

 

That does look good. You must have an incredible amount of logged miles on these type of trips! Good for you!

 

Jim
Did you buy your wife a scarf?

 

She could use one, eh? Her long hair is a constant battle.....

 

I have a '56 Chevy rear in my '41 Ford p/u and found out about the new bearing and seal for it. The new National seals will fit SOME bearings, almost all new bearing are not made here and it's best to find NOS ones. I have a set of NORS BCA and found some NOS ones that are leak free so far.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1941-ford-pickup.1057277/page-8#post-14842173

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1941-ford-pickup.1057277/page-8#post-14849004

 

It just seems right to see a Corvette roadster and a lady wearing a scarf, a winning combination in my book.
Even better with three!

 

Nice job on the interior; you have the perfect car for Route 66.

 

Trying to get Jim in hot water?

 

If I remember correctly, on Heart Like a Wheel, Shirley Muldowney was wearing a scarf while driving the Corvette.

 

Is that the original 3 two's?

 

What makes that shot right...........not a tatoo in sight!