The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Felt smart for 1 min, and then "Oh Man!, What?"

Hi All, I'm new to the forum, and was soo happy to stumble across this site, while on the hunt to find an answer to my recently acquired 48' 1/2 ton issue...

Summary of issue:

1) Acquired 48' truck and knew it needed a brake job (original Huck)
2) Goal to replace fronts first...Bought new shoes, springs, clips, drums, wheel cylinders, and bought an upgrade roller bearing kit (CPP), which came with aluminum Hubs with racers installed.
3) Pulled off original drums with hubs on outside. Pulled off everything else and cleaned.
4) Put new shoes on brackets, along with new wheel cylinders, springs etc.
5) Pressed studs into hub, greased bearings and installed into the new Hub, slid onto spindle and adjusted spindle nut.
6) Thought I was home free while sliding the new drum over the hub....NOPE, it wouldn't slide back far enough. Left about a 1/2' gap between back of drum and back plate (see pics).

> Called CPP and sent pics to them....tech is confused and said I mounted correctly...He was questioning the drum, which I bought new for the truck, and is as deep as original.
He said that a Sr. Tech will be calling me. Nothing yet...

My gut tells me that hub should be mounted on the outside of the drum, like original, or the spacer/collar in the inner bearing needs to be a half inch shorter?
Your time and comments are much appreciated.

Thanks
Steve

I see two glaring errors- - - -there's not enough threaded stud sticking out of the hub to attach the wheel securely, and there's a big gap between the center hole of the drum and the shoulder of the hub. There's no way that drum is going to run concentric with the hub with nothing but sloppy lug bolt holes trying to center it. Check the back side of the hub flange and see if there's a shoulder that will center up the drum correctly, and then buy some longer wheel studs to attach the drum to the back side of the new hub.
Jerry

Hi- When I place the new hub in front of the drum there is a space created due to the shoulder. hopefully you can see the space in the pic.

As I'm looking at it. Picture #2 looks to have a "shoulder" on the inside, the exact same size as the center hole on the drum. My money's on your last suggestion, Jerry.
Good call!

@OhioSteve. Welcome to StoveBolt! Nice to have you aboard, OhioSteve!

Chris

"My gut tells me that hub should be mounted on the outside of the drum, like original."
Listen to your guts on this one.
You will have to press out all of your lugs from the hub, and then put the drum inboard of the hub so that the the drum will index on the hub, then press the lugs into the hubs again. Your drum will then be sandwiched between the heads of the lugs and the inboard flange of the hub just like the original.
I would recommend mocking up just one lug, then mount the rim on the assembly to ensure that your lugs are long enough.
Carl

Thanks Jerry, Chris and Carl. I like your idea Carl of only pressing in only one lug as a trial run. I definitely need to make the new drums work with new or original hubs. The original drums are pretty banged up on inside.
I'll keep you posted. thanks Steve

Update: I just got an email back from CPP stating that now another Sr. Tech says the hub needs to go on the outside of the drum.
I just went into the garage and pressed out the studs and put on hub. Not impressed at all studs wouldn't even come close, and doesn't lock on.

Have you tried removing a drum from one of the original hubs and trying the new drum on it? It would be possible to machine the new hub with a square shoulder on the inside to make things work, but it shouldn't be necessary to modify an expensive new part that's supposed to be a bolt-on situation.
Jerry

So, the guy at CPP thought my new drum may be the issue, and asked today that i measure the holes, as well as try the new hub on the old drum.
In turn, I pressed out the old studs and removed the old hub. Both new and old drums are a match as i would expect.
The new hub from CPP does not properly fit in the old or new drum.
I also noticed the the inner-bearing from the original hub is about 3/8" smaller in diameter then the roller bearing in the upgrade kit from CPP. I though maybe I would just put the new upgraded roller bearings in the original hub, and mount to the new drum. No joy on bearings working...After about 15 pics to CPP, hopefully they can accept it wont work, without having a buddy with a machine shop! I appreciate the feedback and items to check...

Since I quit heating the house with a wood stove, my 16-lb. splitting maul with the triangular head has nothing to do- - - -until something needs to move- - - -RIGHT NOW! Of course, these days it also needs an operator, but I've got a son and a grandson who are usually willing to be on one end of the procedure.

The simple solution to the dilemma would be to have a good machinist fabricate adapter sleeves for a set of tapered roller bearings that are a closer fit to the original hub dimensions and forget that ill-fitting money pit new hub! Any machinist worthy of the name should be able to do that in a couple of hours.
Jerry

I very surprised that CPP did not say those hubs are for disk brake conversion only ?????????

If the original hubs are in good shape, you can order a set of upgraded tapered bearings from Classic Chevy Parts to fit the old hubs. Then send back (as HRL stated so eloquently) those “ill-fitting money pit hubs”.

https://www.classicparts.com/1941-57-Roller-Bearing-Upgrade-Kit-1_2-Ton/productinfo/73%2D061K/

When I ordered from Classic Parts, there are 2 options. One for Drums and the other kit for Disc. Both cover 1947-1956 year trucks 1/2 ton...The drum kit is $220 and come with studs. The disc kit is 189 and has no studs. Waiting to see what CPP says today after my pics last night. Looks like I'll be going the route Phak1 outlined...Thanks

Just checked box

If you can measure the OD of the hub (the shoulder where it centers the drum) and the ID of the drum (where it sits on the hub) it will tell you if it’s going to work. This would require micrometers to get accurate measurements.

Update - CPP's support was poor to say the least. In short, I was still promised several calls today like yesterday, only to get another email for a request of original hub pic and year of truck...ha! The other guy said an engineer would now have to call me, but he is out of the office today...of course. I don't like to spotlight poor service, but those with 1948's like me and thinking the same way, buyer beware...Going to clean old hubs and get bearings that fit, then crack a cold one.Shiny doesn't equal good quality...

My bet those are disk hubs in a drum box. Or the disk style inner bearing spacer in the drum kit.

I would have to agree....I just got off the phone with the nice lady in returns at Chevy Truck Classic Parts. She wanted all my emails, pics and names of folks at CPP. She has to forward to see what she can do... kinda getting silly at this point. On the lighter side, if I have to jump through any more hoops, I'm going to eat the cost, and make a video of putting their aluminum hub under my press. My wife thinks I should just make a big necklace out of it. ha

I have had very good success with CPP in the past. Stuff happens. If your new and old drums don't fit their hubs, send them back. Maybe they will take the time to figure out what went wrong with your order (wrong part in the wrong box probably). They don't want to sell bad parts any more than you want to buy them. Its bad for business. Its difficult for them to figure out what is off over the phone.
Also you can bet money that they get all kinds of calls from folks who have no business trying to work on anything mechanical, and have to take the time to try to walk them through doing something which they have no business attempting. (Not you, BTW.)
Carl

Yep, all businesses have a certain amount of defect/errors...not a bid deal and stuff happens. But, it's how a business (large or small reacts when it happens).
My money is on a picker pulling the wrong hub and putting into the correctly labeled box. Either way it's going to be snowing in Ohio if I wait longer. All a brother man has to say is, "Steve, can you tell me what your micrometer shows for section A versus B." Sorry, we sent wrong part, a correct one is coming out." On to plan B with original hubs on new drums tomorrow, followed by a good bleed. Then to electrical for the weekend. This old girl has wires so brittle that many break when looked at sideways.

Another data point on the hubs.

I ordered the disk kit with the hubs upgrade from CPP. The hub kit was about $20 more than the bearing retro fit from other vendors.
One minor problem........The hub to disk attachment hole was drilled to small.

About 90 days in the proportioning valve stated to leak. CPP sent a new valve no cost, no questions. The leak was not from a fitting.

I'm sure they help their customers, just not me. I suspect I'm just one of the 3 out of a million that fall through their cracks... Still no emails or calls.Maybe they will call me in 90 days.. Most of my restoration work came from the 60s. Summit-Racing or Camaro-Central would have resolved same day. If CPP calls me and says Steve, you're wrong and here is why, I promise to eat crow and promote them up and down..lol..I am saving the parts in my inventory, as I suspect they will fit on another project some day...

Update: The nice lady at Classic Parts contacted me today... She said their main boss and their own technical guy both agree the CPP sent wrong parts, and no way it would work.
They are taking care of me. As far as CPP goes, she said not to expect any communication from them.

Classic Parts = Good Folks...Rock on!

CPP = Boooooooo.