Hot Rods Convert to tapered roller bearings or no

Yes, cars got faster, better suspension, both which required more/better loads to work with...but if you think about it in today's world, who's road racing a '53 Chevy?

 

I'd guess GM changed for the usual reason--tapered rollers are cheaper to make . But I must be doing something wrong. My Pontiacs have all had ball front wheel bearings including my '41 I've been driving for 45 years, and none have gone bad. The thought of changing to rollers never crossed my mind until reading this thread. Adjustment is more critical than with tapered rollers, but if you have one go bad on a trip, it's because it was bad before you left home!

 

That is still a radial bearing. If it sees thrust, the roller ends will contact the lips and smear themselves to failure quickly.

 

Do it! Ball bearings need much more attention and definitely wear out quicker. My 55 Olds needed attention every year before cruising season, and even then I had 2 failures, but I drove it anywhere from 2-8K miles every season.
For the folks who always bring up the argument about , "it was good enough back in the day", you're obviously too young to remember "back in the day". In the 50's, people did NOT drive around like they do today. The modern highway systems were just getting built then. Jeez, the old Chevies were really pushing it, running 60 MPH! Lots of people almost never left the town they lived in, unless they went on vacation somewhere. It was almost unheard of to live more than 30 miles from where you worked. Tires didn't last as long. AND most important, cars were considered just about worn out when they hit 70-100K miles.

 

I replaced the ball bearings in my '49 Chevy 1/2 ton when I first got the truck 18 years ago, repack every year, 95 k miles on a daily driver, only vehicle. So yes you can do it and if your bearings are worn go to tapered, but only if you NEED to.

 

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I'd expect the ball bearings on a wheel hub are not deep groove, but angular contact type, with the inner and outer races cut at an angle.
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1954truck/54ctsm0302.html

The have decent radial and axial load ratings, but must be installed the correct way. with "angles" point opposite, just like tapered rollers.

 

Actually they are deep groove ball bearings, not angular contact.

Since I started this post a while ago I have found out some other things, besides what I have learned here.

Apparently, the old style bearings were fine when the car was new and/or still in perfect alignment all around. If not in perfect alignment, they will fail quicker, depending on the severity of the "out of whack." I'm not just talking front end alighment, rather things like a rear axle not exactly "behind" the front axle. Cars that have been in accidents, you know?

That is one reason people switch to tapered roller bearings. Likely why the auto industry changed to tapered; they did not want their cars known for falling apart from getting in an accident and repaired.

For people having constant "old style" bearing failure, I bet if you took it to an alignment shop and asked for an honest ***essment of your ch***is, you might be surprised. On the other hand, if your ch***is is truly in perfect 4-wheel alignment, no reason why you could not run old style bearings, as long as you kept up with the increased maintenance schedule.

 

In machine design, selection of bearing type does make a difference. Consider the service reqd and replacement sched.
I've run tapered rollers on front end builds, either IFS or beam.

 

Harley Davidson used straight roller bearings in the wheels, with bronze thrust washers at the ends. Same rollers they used in the engines.

 

Yes, and your front ends are probably very well aligned with the rest of the car. Tapered bearings are probably the ideal type wheel bearing for beam or IFS, whether the rear wheels are in in good alignment with the front or not. Am I correct that tapered front wheel bearings, along with being very good in general, also have qualities that are somewhat forgiving to minor front/rear axle misalignment?

 

went on a 300 mile trip in my 49 Chevy many moons ago like a week after I bought it. the next time I drove it I heard some noise, took it apart and there is one of the bearings trying very hard to escape from the retainer. scored my spindle as well. I fixed it by installing disk brakes with modern bearings because it didn't stop very well either.

I can't see any reason not to switch over, unless you like fiddling with old **** that could leave you stranded, I don't know about other ball bearing cars, but 1949 Chevrolets' are more difficult to adjust than a roller bearing.

they worked in the old days because old cars are maintainence heavy, that's why there is 100 lbs of crusted on grease under every unrestored old car you see. everything needed to be greased and adjusted regularly.

 

yeah, that describes me pretty well.



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The 'lash' adjustment technique allows only the minimal gap in clearance for tapered rollers. A loose, or run-in ball bearing pair would be biased up against one side, if adjusted in this manner. It helps to picture the effect; of rolling (brn-type) face-to-face contact as you tighten the spindle nut, then back off "one-twelfth" or the next nearest slot for a cotter.

 

trebell- Initial question (part of which you quote) a bit awkward in wording, but the added stresses referred to a car keeping the deep groove ball bearings that came on the car originally--rather than converting to tapered (when the car is a bit out of whack). I have concluded you will burn through a lot of non-tapered bearings if your car is not in good parallel and "square" 4-wheel alignment. It will also stress the front spindles by being out of whack, and trying to use non-tapered. Tapered will help ease the stresses on the wheel bearings of a car in good square alignment, as well as a car not in good square alignment. But, as you state, the stresses on front spindles on a car that is in good square/parallel alignment will be the same weather you use one or the other.