Hey All, I'm working on my wife's '48 Pontiac. It's got the old cup & cone ball bearings. My experience is with tapered roller bearings (aside from old bicycles of course). My go-to grease is usually Valvoline Synpower full synthetic, the thick gray stuff. But since these ball bearings are different, should I go with the older stuff? I've got a tub of the old Sta-Lube sodium based short-fiber heavy duty drum brake grease (SL3131 I believe). Were the fibers crucial for keeping it on the ball bearings? Also, who is familiar with this seal type? Can I service these without destroying them? If I'm changing grease types, I want to clean whatever is in there out 100%. The old stuff is slinging out the weep hole in the front of the drum. Is this the old felt type seal I've heard about? Can I just punch the bearing/seal out together from the opposite side? Looks like someone center-punched it to stake it in at some point, so maybe it's not crazy tight...
I had a bad experience with the old fiber type grease several years ago, so I use the modern stuff, and it does fine. That's a felt seal. Might try the trick of removing the outer bearing, put the hub back on the car, put the nut back on, and pull the hub off quickly, the nut will catch on the inner bearing and pop the seal out, leaving it mostly intact. I reuse those seals whenever I can.
I'll do that, just wanted to make sure there's a chance it'll come out without a fight. Do you clean felt seals out with a solvent? Brake cleaner? Gasoline? Or just wipe off as much grease as you can? I imagine if I got it wet with solvent, I'd have to let it dry for a good long time.
I guess it’s time for me to jack up each front wheel and feel if it’s got looseness and spin it to see if I hear the bearings and if I do repack it with the good ****. it was fine when I last checked, but how many years ago was that? I honestly don’t drive the car much because of the price of gasoline and the way it likes to guzzle it.
For many years I used Lubriplate wheel bearing grease. I was introduced to it when I bought my first sprint car. It is white and looks a little thin, but it works well. A lot of boat people use it on trailers as it is supposed to be waterproof.
Yeah, it's always interesting to see what the grease looks like after many years. This car was parked in 1976. I've put about 30 miles on it with short trips since getting it going. Everything seemed fine, but curiosity got the best of me. I had to see what the brakes and bearings looked like, despite someone supposedly going through them 10 years ago, prepping for a drivetrain swap that never happened. Once I saw the oil residues coming out the weep hole, I figured it was officially time for a freshening up in there.
Reading a few other threads, there seems to be a widely held belief that this type of fiber grease is still the best thing for caged ball bearings. I'm glad I still have a tub sitting around. Here's a potential USA made alternative: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH1YNT7P/?tag=atomicindus08-20
I’ve got several cans of the fiber grease here that were my dads and granddaddy’s and used it a few times in my youth. I use the newer red grease for my cars now but it’s nice to have the “good stuff “ laying around
Yep! Had to order thru NAPA. It’s recommended for DRUM brakes ( not discs). Looks and goes in the bearing “fibrous” like the good Ol’ days.
I thought I would update to share my dumb luck. I needed a replacement New Departure 909702. I figured I was in for a wait, and would miss the car show on Saturday. But it turns out, the world's best place to buy a new bearing was just a 35 minute drive away. An amazing local auto parts store referred me, after quoting me $176 for an overseas reproduction. They thought I could do better at this Chevy specialty shop. The Filling Station had the bearing I needed on hand. An old USA-made "Green" bearing IIRC, wrapped in wax paper, several "updated" part numbers scrawled on it (B-52 included) and lots of tape holding the old box together. The grease was crunchy, but nothing a gas bath wouldn't fix. So bearings/hubs are all cleaned up, greased/packed, brakes adjusted, tires and portawalls installed, and ready to roll! Now it's ready for a wash and buff.
I pick up tubs I see at garage sales. Usually a few(many) years old. Never pay,always free. Know a few guys in the hobby who are wayyyy more serious than me about maintainence. I keep them supplied. They smile and thank me but for all I know they toss the old stuff in the trash.
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