Bearing caps same as VW?

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gregg hake
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Bearing caps same as VW?

#1 Post by gregg hake »

My front bearing covers (drums) for my 62B are pretty pounded up. Looks like whoever pounded them back on used a rock hammer ! The cost of new ones is about 4X that of the VW beetle bearing cover, which appears identical in the various catalogs.

Are they interchangeable? Also, how about wheel bearings for the front drums...both inside and outside?

Thanks Much

Hope you all got what you wanted for XMas.

Dan Epperly
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#2 Post by Dan Epperly »

gregg hake wrote:My front bearing covers (drums) for my 62B are pretty pounded up. Looks like whoever pounded them back on used a rock hammer ! The cost of new ones is about 4X that of the VW beetle bearing cover, which appears identical in the various catalogs.

Are they interchangeable? Also, how about wheel bearings for the front drums...both inside and outside?

Thanks Much

Hope you all got what you wanted for XMas.
Pretty sure caps are the same. I seem to recall getting them mixed up with my VW parts. One of the bearings is a VW item, can't recall offhand if it's the inner or outer.

Brad Ripley
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#3 Post by Brad Ripley »

Porsche 356A/B grease caps are not the same as a VW - BUT, there is a VW logo stamped inside of Porsche originals. VW ones 111-405-453/454 will not fit into the drum. See photos below.

The currently available caps from Porsche - 356-41-453/454 - fit A/B drums but have a little bit different shape from the old originals. Give-Away is the bright yellow plating -- originals were grey phosphate. If your old original isn't too beat up, you can pound out small dents and then chuck in a lathe and take a shim cut, and then replate. The new ones cost about $20 each. And, right hand ones without the speedo hole can be used with careful drilling/making of the square hole for the speedo cable drive.
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Dick Weiss
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#4 Post by Dick Weiss »

Cap for drum brake fit inside the hub; Disc brake cap fit outside the hub.

Brad Ripley
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#5 Post by Brad Ripley »

Gregg you asked how about wheel bearings for the front drums...both inside and outside?
For the late drum brake spindles, you need:

Outer: Porsche 900-059-002-00; 20 x 52 int'l bearing # 30304; VW 111-405-647
Inner: Porsche 900-059-001-00: 30 x 62 #30206: various older Japanese cars applications

BTW, All bearings (roller, ball etc) have an int'l/universal number stamped in the edge of the bearing pieces, regardless of the bearing manufacturer. Have that number at hand when ordering bearings to be sure you get the correct replacement bearing.
Also BTW, the famous German firms of FAG, Schaefler, SKF, etc now manufacture bearings in various factories all over the world. It's almost useless to demand that a vendor sell you bearings only manufactured in Germany, thinking those will be the only "good" bearings. From my experience all the well-know names have very good quality control in all their factories.

gregg hake
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#6 Post by gregg hake »

Thanks Much, everyone.

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Al Zim
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#7 Post by Al Zim »

Many Items used on the 356 were parts taken from the VW. If you overlook the bushings on the front trailing arms most everything on the front end of the A cars was a modified VW part. The B and C cars still had a plethora of parts on the front end. The syncromesh transmission through 1956 used the VW split case housing. all the in the transmission have the same sizing as the split case VW transmission. The dust caps on the drum brake cars are VW. The speedometer cable is longer then the early vw's but can be replaced by the speedometer cable from the Super Beetle. The seal around the speedometer cable as it enters the stub axle is VW.
Without the use of VW parts Porsche could not have afforded the luxury of manufacturing cars. Even now Porsche vehicles use component parts from Audi and VW. al zim
Last edited by Al Zim on Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Jim Alton
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Re: Bearing caps same as VW?

#8 Post by Jim Alton »

There is in the Registry "Articles" an article titled:

Interchangeable Parts - VW to Porsche

It doesn't include those caps.
 
Jim Alton
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1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet
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