Greasing C1 question......
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Greasing C1 question......
So I'm off to grease the front end of the 62, and it dawned on me that it might be better to take some load off the suspension before I do. Wheels off or on? Whats the consensus?
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I've always greased the front end of the 61 with the wheels on. Any way you do it it's a PITA. Don't forget to do all 24 fittings 
Safety Car
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Makes no difference. Wheels on or off, loaded or unloaded, it is all the same. Just hit all the fittings. All the joints are steel on steel and the grease will distribute fine once the suspension is working up and down.
If I remember right, the factory recommended lubrication interval was every 1000 miles! If you really lubed them that often, they would last forever! I have rebuilt several C1 front suspensions that still had the original parts in them and the originals went right back in, with the exception of the kingpin bushings.
Regards, John McGraw
If I remember right, the factory recommended lubrication interval was every 1000 miles! If you really lubed them that often, they would last forever! I have rebuilt several C1 front suspensions that still had the original parts in them and the originals went right back in, with the exception of the kingpin bushings.
Regards, John McGraw
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Army
22 fittings if you have sealed U-joints (e.g. Spicer) on the driveshaft. Leave the wheels/tires on the car.
You can grease the car on a "drive on" lift with the weight on the wheels. However if you still get the occasional squeak it never hurts to grease the noisy area with the wheels hanging free just to try to get some grease in hard-to-reach spots... That's from my 72 year old front end expert...
I put one of these on ALL 22 fittings so they are easy to spot and keep them a little cleaner (a Tom Parsons tip):
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/CAP...ting-Cap-2PB19
You can grease the car on a "drive on" lift with the weight on the wheels. However if you still get the occasional squeak it never hurts to grease the noisy area with the wheels hanging free just to try to get some grease in hard-to-reach spots... That's from my 72 year old front end expert...
I put one of these on ALL 22 fittings so they are easy to spot and keep them a little cleaner (a Tom Parsons tip):
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/CAP...ting-Cap-2PB19
Le Mans Master
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I just did the job on my 59 last week. I think the job is a little easier with the wheels off the ground but on so you can move the steering around to better access the grease fittings. I had just purchased a new grease gun with much better pressure than the old one and that was a real help. Found one bad fitting that would not take grease, and the rest did. Some were easy, some were hard. Drove the car afterwards, then got under again and cleaned up all the extra grease that had found it's way out. 
Pilot Dan
Pilot Dan
Last edited by Pilot Dan; May 4, 2011 at 01:29 PM.
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thanks for the help guys, I don't trust those quick lube places to get them all.
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Army
I bought one of these just for this job but I wound up using it on my boat trailers, boat lift, you-name-it. SURE makes life easier:
http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-29...acy-l1380.aspx
Keeps you from having to have that "third hand" when wrestling with the C1 grease fittings and also trying to pump a standard grease gun.
http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-29...acy-l1380.aspx
Keeps you from having to have that "third hand" when wrestling with the C1 grease fittings and also trying to pump a standard grease gun.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; May 4, 2011 at 02:19 PM.
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I bought one of these just for this job but I wound up using it on my boat trailers, boat lift, you-name-it. SURE makes life easier:
http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-29...acy-l1380.aspx
Keeps you from having to have that "third hand" when wrestling with the C1 grease fittings and also trying to pump a standard grease gun.
http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-29...acy-l1380.aspx
Keeps you from having to have that "third hand" when wrestling with the C1 grease fittings and also trying to pump a standard grease gun.
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See Section 3 Sheets 1.00 & 3.00 in the AIM. Check both sides.
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The ONLY place that there is no grease fitting is the bearing for the center steering arm. The original bearings were open and had grease put in them at the time of assembly. The REPLACEMENT bearings are sealed on both sides.
Tom Parsons
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I recall seeing a diagram with all the grease locations highlighted. Perhaps it was Tom or JohnZ, but if it's possible, I'd appreciate someone posting it up for me. I don't have an AIM, and I'm too lazy to dig out the big books. It's rainy and cold here, so I'm waiting to get her out on the drive and run it up the ramps. Garage is too small to be rolling around on a creeper. Thanks, Robbie
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As long as you're going to the trouble, be sure and use raspberry red Mobil 1 synthetic grease! It resists washout and should be good for a couple of years or 20,000 miles minimum. If your joints and such are in good shape, they might last forever.
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Don't know if it's good, but it was the best one they had. Opinions?
Last edited by Kerrmudgeon; May 5, 2011 at 08:01 AM.
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Army
I personally wouldn't go 20,000 miles (or even 10,000) regardless of what lubricant I used. As Tom Parsons constantly reminds us these old front ends have moving parts that are all metal-to-metal friction points and it is all meant to be floating in its own ocean of clean, abundant grease.
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I recall seeing a diagram with all the grease locations highlighted. Perhaps it was Tom or JohnZ, but if it's possible, I'd appreciate someone posting it up for me. I don't have an AIM, and I'm too lazy to dig out the big books. It's rainy and cold here, so I'm waiting to get her out on the drive and run it up the ramps. Garage is too small to be rolling around on a creeper. Thanks, Robbie
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Next time you go to a swap meet, put it out on the table and ask for best offer. If the best offer is .50cents------------------take it!!!
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