Hi all, I need a hand with the axle bearings for a 67. I have the small bearing housing, & have upgraded to 31 spline axles. I now need different bearings. The OD is 2.83, & the ID is 1.55. I have looked all over, but can't find anyone that has these bearings. I will also need seals, as they are different as well.

Stacey

 

You should not need different bearings....if you purchased the correct axles.... the axle shaft is the same size at the bearing end for 28, 31 and 35 spline axles... it is thicker at the end where the splines are cut.... if you look at new and old axles then you will see it visually.... the 28 spline axles have more taper than 31 spline axles....

They should use the same bearings and seals as the 28 spline axles you have.... you can pull the outer axle seals and they will have numbers stamped/printed on them for cross reference... the bearing will have stamped numbers in them as well.... no cross over bearing are needed... if you have the correct axles...

Use a caliper:
caliper - photo/picture definition at Photo Dictionary - caliper word and phrase defined by its image in jpg/jpeg in English

pictured above. you can get them at HDP, Lowe's, Harbor Freight, etc... measure the area where the bearing seats on both axles and confirm...they should be the same...

If they are not the same then.... you got the wrong axle for the application....

Here is the deal.... broncs came with a few different 9" rears over the years... there is original which is "small bearing" the bearing is a sealed ball bearing unit that looks like a big version of a bearing of a roller skate.... then Ford went to what is called a "large bearing" which is a tapered roller bearing....it looks like a front spindle bearing... has a race that is hammered into the rear end and a conical cage with rollers in it on the axle....

(there is also an old "large bearing" that uses a fizically larger sealer ball bearing like the small bearing... but that is pretty rare and only found on 50s stuff.... )

The bearing mounting surface for the tapered roller is thicker than the sealer ball bearing.....

you cannot run tapered rollers on a housing with ends for sealed ball.... the races will not fit into the housing end cups....

 

Eh, Boba,
Good 2 C U again.
It took @ least 4 bronks to make my one so I have a lill different info /or/ I'm misunderstanding.

1) 66 - 75 small bearing (2.835 inch)
2) 66 - 75 large bearing
3) 74/5 medium bearing
4) 76/7 large bearing (3.150 inch).

Break drum diameter (10"?, 11"?) or inspection of where the axle tube meets the drum assist in ID of which bearing. I find the most controversy in bronkdom around this (& carb) issues.
If U increase the spline count U increase the axle diameter.
Keep talkin...

 

Thanks Chrs! Been busy....

The whole medium bearing thing is IMHO kinda a misnomer...

Heres the deal wit that:

Early "Large Bearing" rears starting with the 50s stuff that was a large ball bearing and continuing with the tapered roller style had 5/8" studs on the housing cups..... these 5/8" stud housing cups require compatible axles retainer hardware/drum backing plates/disc mounting hardware etc...

Later "Large Bearing rears came with a 3/8" studs on the housing cups....

On Planet Bronco people call the later "Large Bearing" medium duty and the earlier style "Large Bearing"...

Everywhere else its small, large, late large..... The confusion for most people is that some large bearing 9s have 3/8 studs like small bearing rears....

 

What really gets crazy is axles.... early large bearing and small bearing axles are totally swappable.... and you can use inner axles seals and early large bearings to run small bearing axles in a large bearing housing.... obviously you probably are at the point where you weld on you disc caliper mounting brackets and use currie or moser retainer plater ie the kind you dont need to press the bearing off to swap from early large to later large to small....

however, you cannot use a tapered roller style on any other housing... 1 the offset it wrong. 2 the diameter of the boss where the bearing pressed on is larger.

Kinda wild....

Here is my best project done ever:

Factory tapered roller setup sucks.... first their are two seals that can leak: 1 the seal on the axle itself that is part of the hat setup which is placed on the axles first 2 the seal between the hat and the rear.

Ever wonder why so many 9 housing get water contamination when fording? The large setup factory stinks...

Once you start pulling axles all the time it get even worse... the silicone you use to seal the hat to the housing begins to mess up that hat and then you have a leaker...

Also after 250k miles like some of the axles have on them the last seal surface dies on you during operation... and you have a leak through the axle...

The problem is simple some beancounting dork at Ford realizes that if you do not machine a seal surface on the axle for an inner axles seal, you can use the diff lube to oil the bearings.... plus its also more likely over time to leak, which because gear oil smells like dead dinosaurs.. will annoy customers and make them more likely to get rid of the vehicle to buy something new.... (like not a ford... MBAs never think that hard... they get about one step out on the what happens next)

So what are you to do if you encounter these problems? The best option is the "Mitt Romney" solution... order custom axles with a machined inner axle seal boss that are new... hammer in inner axles seals (all ford 9s accept them.... NAPA 15142 for a large bearing housing with 3" tubes) and then pack the bearing with grease before having them pressed or pressing them on....and you have an awesome axles... that are easily pulled in and out...

But you are not Mitt Romney.... and 400 bucks for a set of axles out of your budget.... and you have leakers....

Well you can use a needle fitting on a grease gun to pack the current bearing with grease after you brakleen them down and that is done...

Then you need a seal surface on that axle.... but you dont have a lathe to chuck it up on and create it... and hell... but the time you pressed off the bearing, pressed on a new one, and put the seal surface on it.... you about paid for the custom axles with one.... bearing are not cheap....

Well heres the magic trick....

chuck that axle up on a vise and work the boss on the axle over with some sandpaper..... until the ridges are sanded down so the boss is not flat.... stock axles have this boss in rough or unfinished form....and you are golden....

now hammer the outer axles seals into the housing.... and then take a big sharpie and color the boss area front to back with a line... put the axles into the housing and the seal will wipe away the marker up to a point... this is the area where the seal will ride... take a picture or it with your phone/digital camera/ or noggin and remember this... each side may be slightly different as there seal surfaces are about 1" wide....

Then you need a speedi sleeve 99149. Obviously you will notice that the install cup SKF gives you will not work to install the sleeve on the axle... so how you you get that bugger on there... undamaged... well you could ask Vezzini... but he's dead and would tell you the same thing... you take some electrical tape and wrap the speedi sleeve seal surface with three or four layers of electrical tape... and bend the tail over on itself like a 15year union man so its easy to unwrap... then take a 1 1/4 PVC coupling, a length of 1.5" pvc pipe and one 1.5" pvc coupling...

You want to cut the length of 1.5" pvc as neatly as you can... mark to size in 8 places if you are cutting w/ a hacksaw.... Now put the 1.5" coupling on the end of the pipe that will be used as a press and then the 1.25" coupling inside the 1.5" coupling.... you may want to make a few figure 8s on a piece of abrasive paper on the face of the 1.25" coupling you will use as a press on the speedi sleeve... the reason u use the 1.25" coupling inside the 1.5" coupling... feel free to use electrical tape to located the 1.25" coupling inside the 1.5" coupling... and then smear some red locktite on the boss area and press that baby on with a dead bounce hammer so that the mark on the axles made by the outer seal is on the seal surface area (not the lip area) of the speedi sleeve...

and you have axles that wont be lamo leakers....

 

Kouwell!
Thanks,
Guess yer new to it?
hahaha (no, I wouldn't think so)...