Front suspension needle bearing loose

[Leo Boudreau]

Hi,

While greasing the front suspension on my 1964 C, I noticed that the needle bearing on the lower right side was loose and out of its sleeve. I removed every other components and the bearing came off on its own and was in fact cracked. I think the previous owner hit a rough bump on the road since cylindrical roller bearings on the same side was bent. I thought I would simply need to change the needle bearing, but new bearing is loose (see gap in picture link 2). I thing there is a pressed sleeve in the main beam in which the bearing rests (see picture link 1). Maybe this sleeve was worn down and bent while I used the car on this cracked and out of sleeve bearing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gMtJvr ... share_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DNYA3X ... share_link

I found this article on the registry, but there is no sleeve on the end of the beam showed: viewtopic.php?p=271819&hilit=needle+bea ... se#p271819. I thought maybe I could try to shape back the end of the beam, but that will only help if there is no wear. If there is in fact wear, maybe I could take out the sleeve and have a new one made to measure? Has anyone done that? Maybe someone has an idea.

Thanks in advance.

[Martin Benade]

I don’t think there is a removable sleeve. Can’t the outer race be put in place with a Loctite product as mentioned in the earlier thread? I’d think that would be fine.

[Dave Erickson]

Yes, Martin has a good suggestion: use a retaining compound, like loctite 768. The torsion bar tube does not have a sleeve in it; it is machined on the inside to accept the roller bearing. The shoulder you see is the end of the recess for the bearing. I think that if you do use retaining conpound, you should install the trailing arm to help align the bearing while the retaining compound sets up.

[Phil Planck]

Leo
I had a similar problem. Solved by buying. 2.25" shaft collar to tighten up the tube

https://forum.abcgt.com/forum/main-foru ... post113253

[Martin Benade]

Did you just use that as a tool, or left it in place?

[Olivier AUVRAY]

Sorry this link is in French. But you can use google translator.

You can see the full service: remove a bump on the axle tube / collapse the needle bearing area / machine the needle bearing area for size & alignment

http://resto356a.fr/train-avant-reparation/#more-196

[Al Zim]

Lee: I cannot tell you how to fix your situation nor can I offer a suggestion where you should go. Look in your shop manual it will give you a list of the tools necessary to check your suspension components. Find a shop that can do that. Take your parts to them and watch while they are measured. Everything that moves will wear, probably not at once but something may have happened in the last 57 years. It is also a good idea to measure the bore of the king pin the impact from the movement of the front suspension in normal driving may have caused damage. Check you parts book C SUPPLEMENT regarding the application of trailing arms suitable for the C cars. Zim

[Leo Boudreau]

Thanks everyone for responses: I might do a mix of various solutions proposed. I will check kingpin for lateral play, but invoice records state that they have been changed in 2008 and I don't feel any large play in kingpin (but will have to see for the 0.1 mm tolerance). Will change link pin and bushing though. Will see with a friend who can probably check tolerances and machined a collar with the right outer diameter to try and do as proposed above and on Oliver's suggested site. If only we could take out the beam like on VW : )
Leo

[Dave Erickson]

Olivier, C’est fantastique!

[Brad Ripley]

See https://www.stoddard.com/catalogsearch/ ... ?q=341-014 If the outer sleeve is damaged, you will have to use the factory part with the outer sleeve; the outer sleeve in not available separately. To do that, a factory tool is required as Al suggests.

[Mark Roth]

Lee: I cannot tell you how to fix your situation nor can I offer a suggestion where you should go. Look in your shop manual it will give you a list of the tools necessary to check your suspension components. Find a shop that can do that. Take your parts to them and watch while they are measured. Everything that moves will wear, probably not at once but something may have happened in the last 59 years. It is also a good idea to measure the bore of the king pin the impact may have caused damage there. Check you parts book C SUPPLEMENT regarding the application of trailing arms suitable for the C cars. Zim

Al,
You can tell the poster how to fix his situation, just not suggest that he take it to your shop.

[Martin Benade]

Brad the outer sleeve is the entire torsion tube. The item you pictured on the right is the same as the one on the left but also includes the inner race.

[Jacques Lefriant]

Hi Leo
if you use the part that is available from Stoddard you only need 1 of the Neddle Bearing for your 356C you would need 2 if you had an earlier 356 and were replacing the dual bearing. If you provide me with the INA part no from a C will research the availability in case it is different from the one that replaces the A/B one in pairs
j

[Leo Boudreau]

Hi Jacques,

I already have the new bearings for my 356 C. I went to my local shop and bought the exact part number that was on the ones I extracted. Thanks. Leo

[Leo Boudreau]

Hi everyone,

Here is a follow up on my loose needle bearing issue. I bought a 2.25in shaft collar (https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/SHAF ... p/WWG2APY3). I heated up the end of the beam with a heat gun and then tightened it. I did these two steps five time, turning the collar clockwise 1/6 of a turn each time. Then I pressed the needle bearing into place after heating up the end of the beam another time. I had ponder whether or not to use Locktite 638, but I finally decided not to use any because the sleeve seemed tight enough. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fUwxvZ ... sp=sharing

Thanks for your help, hope this will help others too.

Leo