Bearings repacked but had to use old seals??

[Gone Kayaking]

So took my 1956 1500 in for wheel bearings to be repacked at the local Big 0. Charged $40 per wheel. Said if they need new seals they'd be another 20 each or so. Got a call about 1 hour in to the job....yep you need new seals and they cost $48 a piece, you want em? Well safety is safety so I said yes. Well turns out those fancy seals were the wrong size, so they went ahead and used the old seals.. Tire guy said they would be okay....so here are my questions.

1. Should I be worried? If they could repack with the seals that were there will I be okay?
2. How do you find the right size seals? The Big O guys said take it to a trailer place and said they'd have to look to get the right size.
3. What else should I know for next time?

[universalexports]

when I worked at autozone 15 or so years ago, we had a big book, and you could look the seal # up and cross reference it to a brand we carried, I looked several up that way. the big chain automotive stores usually have some guy behind the counter that needed a job not a mechanic or car guy,
I was a true car guy, drag cars, dirt track, etc. so I knew parts, and had people that would come in the store and ask for me to get their parts, if I was busy with another person they would just wait patiently.

some of the people that work their dont know a flywheel from crankshaft.

[Gone Kayaking]

So where does one find the seal number? Have you had to replace the seals on yours yet?

[universalexports]

no I havent, they will usually be along the outer metal edge, and very small.

but I have seen them inside as well, you just need to clean it up real good wipe it down, and start hunting.

[universalexports]

here is a pic of a seal you can see the part# on the rubber lip.

[pathfinder3081]

Mmmm Kinda hard to stomach all of the "hard to find strange bearing". Mind you, Timken Bearing is close to me, but as I have been told by many wiser than me.. "You can find the bearing and the bearing sills have always been made in increments away from the size of the bearing". The bugger is that you have to have them in your hand to look for the spec # on the rim as shown above. Good luck on your search. If I can help you find a set here for the future,let me know and find the number.

[cowcharge]

As for the old seals, it depends how worn they were and how careful they were taking them out. They're not very rugged if you start prying on them with a screwdriver thinking that you have new ones handy. But on the plus side, at least it isn't an oil seal, it's grease so you have some time to look.

[jbar2bc]

Oh I'm happy to see this thread! I just replaced a baring and re packed both and need new seals. A few places have told me that comparable seals are 20 something a piece! Does the sound right? I have seen other seals that look similar for a dollar and change online. I have a compact I think its a 61. The number on the seals is "national 6362" they are about 2 1/2 inches across.
Thank you for any help!
Jill

[Gone Kayaking]

www.etrailer.com/faq-wheelbearingpack.aspx seems to be helpful. I'm not thrilled about the idea of taking the wheels apart again to check this.

Does anyone have the seal number/inner outer dimension for a 1956 1500 wheel. 5 bolt pattern

[diamondrelics]

I've worked in automotive all my life. When I pulled the seals out of Coralee I had the same problem. The seals were $20 ea. I took the dimensions and checked a spec book and found a seal that was just a hair wider. I measured the alxe and they fit perfect. I got them on Amazon on a close out for $5 for both. I'm a happy girl! Remember when you have someone else do the work you will pay full retail price on that part.

[Gone Kayaking]

Was the spec book on line? I wish I'd ask them to write the dimensions down for me.

[offspringin]

i found mine at the local hardware store, im thinking like 5-6 bucks. of the two on my trailer, one was mangled and torn, the other was entirely the wrong size, too big on the rubber side, too small on the metal side. took them quite a while to find a match. ended up using the part numbers off an entire replacement trailer hub assembly off the shelf. they were an exact match. ours is a 1970 though. maybe its harder to find the 50s models parts.

as far as re-using the existing ones. if they are in good shape, not torn/bent then they really should be fine

[Gone Kayaking]

I didn't actually see them (wishing now that I had) They told me they were going to replace them , and then when I got there they said the replacements didn't fit so they used the old ones. Said they just looked old, but went in okay.

[diamondrelics]

Yes the spec book is online. Owning vintage cars ( mine range from 1922-1977) with cars from every decade in between I learned to be creative on my parts. It's just part of the vintage life. I think I did post the number that I did use in the seals section. I'll take a look and if I didn't I'll post it here.

[diamondrelics]

So Coralee is a 1960 Airflyte with a 15" Ford bolt pattern rim. I only say that because it is the same pattern as my 60 Starliner. The seals I used were a timken # 8516N. These seals are timing cover seals but are the same size and material and fit perfectly. I ended up paying $1.37 each on Amazon + shipping. Couldn't beat the price. Good luck!

[hambone]

OK. I'm going out on a limb here and admitting that I've taken my '58 Airflyte to the local truck repair folks, who tell me it will set me about $250 to remove, replace and reseal the wheel bearings. I was kinda stunned, but they also promised to not do all that if a visual check shows no unusual wear. The P.O assured me they had repacked the bearings every year, so they should be reasonably tight. Am I a sucker? I replaced the front bearings on my '68 ford Maverick back in about '76, so I had a vague recollection of the process. I've looked at the U-Tube videos, and read all these comments about the trouble with finding the right bearings and seals and whatnot, so I think for this first time, its not a bad idea to get it done professionally. What do you all think?

[azshastanut]

It's your money, but you are being ripped off in my opinion. This is one of the easiest mechanical repair jobs you could do. Loosen lug nuts, jack up trailer, remove wheel and tire, unscrew grease cap, remove cotter pin, remove nut, pull brake drum out slightly and remove outer bearing and washer, pull drum completely off, wash bearing and inspect for damage pitting, rust etc., incidently paint thinner works well as a solvent to wash grease covered parts in, wipe off bearing and let air dry, inspect seal, if it shows signs of leaking, replace it , if the brake shoes and drum and backing plate are covered with grease the seal is leaking. At this point you are going to have to clean everything up r&r the grease seal and since the brake shoes are impregnated with grease, you will have to replace them also, they cannot be reused. When you have the seal out of the drum you can clean and inspect the inner bearing, if it's ok, repack it and reinstall it in the drum you have already cleaned up. The new seal is then installed, the drum reinstalled on the spindle and the re-packed outer bearing and flat washer installed. With the bearing and washer seated in the drum, install the nut and tighten to seat the bearings in the bearing cones. Back the nut off slightly 1/4 to 1/2 turnand turn the hub to make sure it turns freely. If you leave it to tight it will ruin the bearing, to loose will also possibly ruin the bearing and eventually also the seal. Reinstall the grease cap, wheel and tire , and the job is finished on one side. If all you have to do is repack the bearings you can be finished with the whole job in less than an hour. It is a messy greasy job, but it is not difficult. If you can get a friend to help you who has done it before your first time thru it would probably help. That's my $02 cents worth, hope it helps. There's nothing you can damage or screw up, and if you need more coaching or help in any way, it's available on this forum.

[Bow_Tied]

$250 is actually not that bad *IF* you got everything, bearings, bearing races, seals, remove, repack and install. Those parts add up if you aren't getting a deal somewhere. My trailer had sat for quite a while and the bearings had some pitting. I went and bought complete new bearings, new races, seals, for both wheels PLUS a complete set extra to keep in my travelling tool box along with spare cotter pins, grease etc such that if I had to I could change on the side of the road a complete bearing set for one wheel. I was over $150 in parts. I went to a local industrial bearing supply place that seals to factory maintenance shops, they have all the catalogues for cross referencing.

[hoosierpoet]

Would the seal size be the same for a '61 AirFlyte as it is for a '60?

[Bob]

Here's what I've found so far on my '56 1500
Inner bearing: Bower 15123 - 1.25" id
Outer bearing: Bower 09067 - .75" id
Other companies make the bearing using the same part # 15123 & 09067
Grease Seal: National 6362 which is an obsolete part number and the "best fit" number is National 440265 or SKF 16811, NAPA 16811

[bigbill]

If you have a tractor supply store near you you might want to see if they have a complete new axle including hubs that would fit for less than some of those quotes. and a straight axle would increase you road clearance. They offer a new electric brake kit cheaper than you can buy repair parts. Just a thought.