Hey All,

I'm going through my driveline and replacing all the u-joints and such. While I'm down there, I'm going to grease up the splines past the center bearing.

Since my truck is lifted (4" blocks in the rear), I have considered dropping the center bearing support to cut down on the drive angle. Does someone make the shims to do that, or is it all home made?

Also, is the center bearing itself hard to replace? Is it pressed on or will it slide right off the shaft?

TIA!

 

There is shims sold for the carrier bearing but It is easier for me to make the same thing out of flat stock. The center bearing is pressed on and can be removed by cutting the bearing (be careful not to cut the driveshaft).

The easy way to replace it is as follows remove the metal housing and the rubber this leaves you with just the bearing. Cut the outer race twice 180 degrees apart this allows the race to fall apart and the ball bearings to fall out. Throw all the parts you have removed up until now away! The inner race is left on the shaft only make one cut this will leave the inner race intact but will expand it enough to slide right off! Save the inner race!! Next take you new carrier bearing assembly and apply a light coating of Ford Spec'd moly grease to the inside to make it slide easier over the shaft.

Push the new bearing by hand as far as you can. Next take the old inner race and slide it on the shaft (the old inner race makes a great install tool) take a small drilling hammer and a wide enough blunt chisel or a drift and start knocking the bearing into place working in a full circle. It should take you only a minute or two and you will have it in place. Just work in a circle and make sure to put all the force straight down on the old bearing race to prevent any damage to good parts. You can either keep the old race as a future tool as I do or junk it.

 

10-4, so it's a bit more involved than a "while I'm down there". =)

Anyone have any thoughts on greasable vs. solid U-joints?

 

AND...........(I know, another dumb question)

Does anyone know if the rear U-joints on the Super Duty's are 1350 or 1410 style? (V-10, not diesel) They list both in all the parts lists I'm looking at.

 

They should be 1350! But this has the specs so you can measure what you have Solid Spicer Life OSR Style U-Joint - CCIDriveline.com I prefer spicer sealed u joints for strength the life is really about the same between sealed u joint and a non sealed as long as they were both good quality to begin with.

 

Thanks for the info Ford. I checked that site then measured the joints with calipers (approximately 'cuz they're still in), they're 1410's.

Just a hair more than 4" across.

 

K, last dumb question (or maybe not),

If I make a shim for the center bearing myself, can I make it out of pretty much anything hard or does it have to be steel.

Just curious, I have little to work steel other than a drill press.

 

I just replaced mine with precision 295 greaseable u joints. I believe the yoke is a 1410 spicer.

You need a puller typically to pull the center support bearing, but you can tap the new in.