OEM Rear Bearings?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Greenville NC
OEM Rear Bearings?
I knocked out my spindles with a spindle knocker. (Not too bad! T/A off the car and it took about 50 whacks with a 5 lb hammer.) What did GM use for OEM bearings in 1977? I don't think my rear bearings have ever been serviced but I found Timken bearings installed.
Also, anyone ever reused rear bearings after using a spindle knocker? I believe Tom454 is against it and I certainly respect his opinion over mine, but these look good. (wishful thinking?)
Thanks for any advice!!
Also, anyone ever reused rear bearings after using a spindle knocker? I believe Tom454 is against it and I certainly respect his opinion over mine, but these look good. (wishful thinking?)
Thanks for any advice!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 6,692
Likes: 29
From: Texas
Re: OEM Rear Bearings? (snakey)
I used some aftermarket bearings in a recent rear end rebuild and the bearings lasted about 5 months. Now, they were probably set up wrong, but I went with quality GM parts this time around - and rebuilt properly.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 3,990
From: Connecticut, USA
Re: OEM Rear Bearings? (snakey)
NDH (New Departure Hyatt) were the original bearings I believe. Don't bother trying to reuse the bearings. For $25 replace the set. If they weren't damaged knocking out the spindle, the outer bearing most likely will be once you try to get it off.
Get Timkens,they're still made in the USA-I think! NAPA carried 2 different bearings,1 made in China,the other in Mexico. I would Japanese bearings but that's about it.
Gary
[Modified by gtr1999, 7:16 AM 10/14/2003]
Get Timkens,they're still made in the USA-I think! NAPA carried 2 different bearings,1 made in China,the other in Mexico. I would Japanese bearings but that's about it.
Gary
[Modified by gtr1999, 7:16 AM 10/14/2003]
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 18,478
Likes: 3
From: Quincy IL
Re: OEM Rear Bearings? (gtr1999)
when i re-did my rear bearings, i pulled timkens out and i had a replacement set from one of the national corvette supplier houses, no names will be mentioned, but the front bearings were timkens and the rear replacements were chinese made, so i went to a regional industrial bearing and belt house, called Berry Bearing. walked in on a saturday at 11:45 am, got the bearings and races, paid them, and they closed for the weekend at noon. i believe the bearings on our vettes are bearings that were also used on Impalas or full sized chevys, although i not absolutely sure of this.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 2,065
Likes: 1,395
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: OEM Rear Bearings? (Gary79)
when i re-did my rear bearings, i pulled timkens out and i had a replacement set from one of the national corvette supplier houses, no names will be mentioned, but the front bearings were timkens and the rear replacements were chinese made, so i went to a regional industrial bearing and belt house, called Berry Bearing. walked in on a saturday at 11:45 am, got the bearings and races, paid them, and they closed for the weekend at noon. i believe the bearings on our vettes are bearings that were also used on Impalas or full sized chevys, although i not absolutely sure of this.
I asked why they had so many of those bearings. They said they are used in "everything". Utility trailers, mobile homes, cars etc, etc.
When GM developed the IRS for the '63 model year, they used "off the shelf" bearings.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
Re: OEM Rear Bearings? (Barry's70LT1)
You can get Timken in a lot of places, including Auto-Zone. I had to go to a lot of different stores in town before I got a full set of USA made Timkens. Some of them are made in Canada, Australia, maybe Mexico. Anyway, check the box. It will give the country of origin.