not worth extra money to have the roller bearings, the ball bearings work fine unless you're going to disc brakes, and it wouldn't be surprising if your bearings [and certainly the hubs] were original if they were taken care of
"When we tug a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world" ~ John Muir "When we tug a single thing on an old truck, we find it falls off" ~ me Some TF series details & TF heater pics
The ball bearings are shot.. the roller bearings are 1/2 the price of new ball bearings. For less than the price of replacement ball bearings I can replace the hubs which also comes with dust covers to keep the grease in the bearings.
"When we tug a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world" ~ John Muir "When we tug a single thing on an old truck, we find it falls off" ~ me Some TF series details & TF heater pics
"When we tug a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world" ~ John Muir "When we tug a single thing on an old truck, we find it falls off" ~ me Some TF series details & TF heater pics
Most of the roller bearings for the 47-59 trucks are NO NAME Chinese bearings. If you search hard enough you might find a set of Japanese MBS bearings. The ball bearings do not have a direct crossover bearing. The after market brake companies had the roller bearings created to fill a need.
My advise to anybody that is considering using the roller bearings is to buy an extra set and keep them in the truck. In about 50,000 miles of daily driving I have been through several sets of the Chinese bearings. When the bearings failed they also wiped out the hubs and the spindles. Take extra time to examine the spindles for [ab]normal wear. Most the ones I have been coming across have had the inner bearngs score the spindle.
If there is any evidence of the bearings that have spun on the spindle or in the hub... replace as necessary before doing the bearing/brake conversion. Any play whatsoever can cause catastrophic failure. Ask me how I know! John
I will be installing front disks. Currently I am rebuilding front axle and want to assemble my own kit from parts I purchase for the front brake conversion. The roller bearing conversion has caused me some confusion. If I understand things correctly, a custom roller bearing (read expensive) can be purchased specifically developed for the Chevy truck spindle (talking advance design here). But, others make a bearing adapter that allows the use of standard and inexpensive, readily available bearings like the A2 and A13 bearings. I went ahead a purchase a caliper bracket kit that includes the bearing adapter. The bearing adapter increase front track by a total of 7/8" which I am hoping increases wheel to caliper clearance so I can still use my original steel wheels. We shall see. Is my thinking correct?
2 basic ways to tackle the disc swap in the pre 1960 stovebolts.
Use a 5 lug camaro rotor/hub with a machined inner hat race. Of course this sets up the truck to be 5 lug.
Most of the 6 lug disc brakes use the original hub, but it is reccomended by the manufacturers to use the custom roller bearings and seals. The bearings and seals can often be found on sale for less than $100. The 6 lug kit claims it may not work with orginal wheels.
I have an ad drop axle for my 1940. I mocked the available 6 lug brake kit up on the axle to check for clearance of the artillery wheels I will be running. I had to grind a little from the iner spokes to clear the callipers.
Several people have done the conversion using stock wheels. Grinding on the calliper, rim, or use of a spacer, or a combination of grinding and spacer should accomplish your goal. Remember DO NOT GRIND ON A RIM WITH A TIRE ON IT. ADDING HEAT TO A RIM WITH A TIRE CAN CAUSE A DANGEROUS PYROLYSIS REACTION THAT COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH.
Here's a video showing why not to add heat to a rim.
So, do the 5 lug and 6 lug chevy rotors use different bearing sets? That could be the difference in that the 5 lug uses the A2 and A13 bearings whereas the 6 lug rotor does not.
The entire purchase price for the 6 lug brakes without bearings is less than $700. That includes a new vacuum booster master cylinder. Inspect your spindles under a microscope before installation. Small amounts of slop can create big problems in relatively short anounts of time.
I want to piece meal the kit for several reasons. So, I think the bracket kit I purchased assumed using a 5 lug rotor/hub assembly. I want to reuse my hub with rotor that slips over wheel studs. So, I think to add roller bearings to my original hub require the special and expensive bearings. Or, is there a 6 lug rotor/hub that would work with standard bearings?
$120 bucks for all 4 bearings and seals is not expensive.
Most 6 lug brake kits are set up for 12 inch disc. Most 5 lug brake kits are set up for 11 inch disc. If you are using a 5 lug bolt on bracket for the 6 lug brakes, you will likely have to turn down 12 inch 4wd rotors to 11 inches, or find a rotor that will work.
On the 6 lug brakes, the rotor does not slip over the studs. The rotor sits on the rear side of the hub, and new studs are pressed through the rotor and then the hub to form a rotor/ hub assembly.
Of course this might be all moot if you are designing your own set of brakes. But hey, if you like a challenge go for it. TX is pretty far from CA, so I feel safe.
Agreed, after a lot of research online, I came up with the same conclusion. I will be attempting to return the 5 lug caliper bracket and will purchase a complete kit. I found the roller bearing set for $95 and will pull the trigger. I sure as heck don't feel like reinventing the brake system and risking failure.
I just bought the same kit from Eckler's for less than $200 I had the same condition:bad ball bearings, switching to discs and the added benefit of forged aluminum hubs and new everything else....
