Lower steering bearing

[1969 beep beep]

Hi everyone,

I have just completed rebuilding my 69 RR steering column. The shaft were the lower steering shaft bearing rides was originally rusted. I used a 3m course pad on a dye grinder to clean the surface.

The bearing was kind of rough when you spun the shaft at first. I cleaned the bearing and repacked it with new grease. The ball bearings surfaces looked okay. I reassembled the column and noticed the bearing is a lot smoother. A few times spinning the shaft by hand I noticed the shaft spins and the bearings stays stationary. Which is a indication of a loose contact point.

Not sure if the bearing is worn out or the shaft. Is this normal? I would say probably the shaft.

Are the bearings usually hard to get on?

Should I replace the bearing or use a couple drops of loctite bearing retainer.

 

[Yatzee]

Hi everyone,

I have just completed rebuilding my 69 RR steering column. The shaft were the lower steering shaft bearing rides was originally rusted. I used a 3m course pad on a dye grinder to clean the surface.

The bearing was kind of rough when you spun the shaft at first. I cleaned the bearing and repacked it with new grease. The ball bearings surfaces looked okay. I reassembled the column and noticed the bearing is a lot smoother. A few times spinning the shaft by hand I noticed the shaft spins and the bearings stays stationary. Which is a indication of a loose contact point.

Not sure if the bearing is worn out or the shaft. Is this normal? I would say probably the shaft.

Are the bearings usually hard to get on?

Should I replace the bearing or use a couple drops of loctite bearing retainer.

If the shaft is worn, a new bearing will spin same as the old one. Loktite is doable as long as none of it gets in around the balls of the bearing. If you replace the bearing here's a trick that works every time on a worn shaft. Using a small cold chisel, make indents on the shaft were the bearing sits, creating small raised ribs of metal in about 5 to 6 areas around the shaft. No need to hammer the hell out of the shaft, just make the outer surface of the chisel marks raise up. When done it should resemble slight splines on the shaft.The "strike" marks run parallel to the shaft and when you push the bearing on these raised ribs will secure the inner race. This would be a good time to apply the Loktite as well.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Screw the factory lower bearing, they aren't that great. Get a real bearing for it. I'll look up the number.

 

[1969 beep beep]

Thanks Yatzee! Great idea.

5.7 hemi let me know when you find the number. Thanks

 

[5.7 hemi]

ER-16 bearing. Find it on eBay for about 6 bucks. It has a 2' od and a 1' id.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Here is the bearing.

 

[cdr]

Just did this yesterday , the factory plastic bearing is 90.00, the er16 was 6.99 shipped.