Tire size, bearings & brakes Questions.

[Les Kovacs]

My 67' M38A1 has NDCC 7.00 x 16 tires....I have an opportunity to buy 4 new 7.50 x 16 NDT tires with rims....will these new tires fit....what is the difference in tire size?

Also, what part number is the front inner/outer wheel bearings & races for this jeep.

Lastly, what are the size in inches for the front/rear brake pads without having to pull the hubs to measure.

Regards,

lesk

[David Herbert]

Regarding the tires:
7.50 - 16 are half an inch bigger in their nominal width than 7.00 - 16 and as they are 100% profile they are one inch bigger in overall diameter. Therefore slightly less wheelarch clearance (not a problem on Jeeps), slightly higher top speed (handy) and slightly worse braking force (probably not noticeable). They will go straight on to the existing wheels as the hole in both sizes is 16".
Whether the new wheels fit the Jeep depends on the size of the centre hole and the number and pitch circle diameter of the holes for the fixing bolts. Simplest thing is just to try one in place and see if it fits, better to try a front one as sometimes the steering linkage fouls if the offset between the rim and the centre is wrong. It depends what the wheels were designed for.

David

[rob love]

Inner and outer were the same: SKF501349 for the bearing and 501310 for the race. A SKF 21159 seal will also be appropriate.



If the Jeep has not had a good going over for a while, I would suggest doing the upper and lower kingpin bearings while you are at it. A much bigger job, but it makes a world of difference on the steering.

As to oversize tires, guys have been putting oversized tires on Jeeps for the last 75 years. The 7.50 size will not make a big difference, although the brakes on the Cdn2 series are still marginal, especially compared to the brakes on the CDN3 series. I assume you have been looking at the tires from militarytires.ca . Quite frankly, it would not be that much more expensive to order the proper size from a place like summit racing, who offer free shipping to the border, and bring them across yourself.

[Les Kovacs]

Thanks David & Rob...so 7.50 x 16 are fine...the jeep just recently has had an extra leaf added to each spring pack due to minor sagging....it raised the jeep about 1/2 inch over what it used to be so clearance should not be a problem....34 inches at front floor to bottom of center fender well.

Any idea what size brake shoes (front & rear)a 67' CDN2 would have without first having to tear off everything and measure?

On that note....Rob... I read in a magazine that you can grease the kingpin bearings by removing one or two bearing cap bolts and by using a grease needle attachment. I read that diehard wheelers would drain water from their front axles after a river crossing by removing one bolt from the lower bearing caps. (Four Wheeler 1990's...with pictures)....can this actually be done?

Thanks for responding Rob.....its been a while....hope your summer went well...all the very best for 2019.

lesk

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Les Kovacs

I read that diehard wheelers would drain water from their front axles after a river crossing by removing one bolt from the lower bearing caps. (Four Wheeler 1990's...with pictures)....can this actually be done?

lesk

Yes, it can be done exactly as described, however, it won't drain water from your Axles, only from each swivel hub. It won't drain water from your diff (which will most like be mixed now with your diff oil and need drain and change), and nor will it drain water from your wheel bearings or free wheeling hubs (if fitted). The wheel bearings and hubs will generally be fine for water crossings, but the diff can "inhale" water through the diff breather on top as the oil cools as you drive through the water.

[Les Kovacs]

Thanks Tony....the article only mentioned water drainage from the kingpin cap bolts so I assumed that you can open one up and grease the kingpin bearings.

Regards,

lesk