Front axle chewed up.....

[Bob Carriere]

Some good news some bad news....

Last Friday will passing time washing parts with Rob Clarke the ever rethorical question came up concerning whether I should have really stripped down the axles to the finest possible parts.

Make you wonder when you have every table and stands in the barn covered with parts...... Personnaly I have to admit a certain obsession to see how things work and how they were made.... what ever the reason I am now re-assured that I did the right thing.

I had to fabricate a puller to remove the pivot pins on the short side of the axle. Well when I finally pulled them out they were heavily scored. I finally got the big u-joint out it fell apart. The central ball bearing had somehow lost the securing pin which was floationg loose in two battered pieces. Got the retaining drift pin out and no spring... which no doubt was also chewed up. Both sealed bearing hold the pivot pins... top and bottom... cvame apart.... balls flew everywhere ...... Once collected the bearing race was scored and worn unevenly.... parts/pieces of the cast bearing was in the larger cavity grease...etc etc...... sure glad I took the time to check it out.

Now the good news... on the long side everything was in very good shape and the large U-joint is the early "B" type... a very impressive piece of engineering.

Now I have to strip down my other two spare front axles to look for salvageable parts.... it would be nice to find a matching "B" type for the long side.

Question for Phil.... any surprises when you took your axle apart?

What kind of large U-joint did you find in the Cab 12???

What condition were the pivot bearings???

So far this has beent he worst surprise.... glad I found it now and not on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere.

Bob C

[RHClarke]

Well, Bob,

I am glad that your sense of adventure lead you to tearing down the axle. Now doubts are arising in my mind about the health of my banged up HUP. I will be drawing on your experience in the future should I get brave enough to venture deeper into the mysteries of CMP drive trains...

Rob, (just call me doubting Thomas...)

[Bob Carriere]

Why don't you get the C60 axles the guy in Vineland is selling..... would look great on your HUP .... it would be original.

Are you still ready to leave at 4:30 am on Saturday for OshNawa?

Hope they have enough room to let everyone set up inside the main hangar if it rains.......

I am on a course away from the office until Friday morning in case you need to discuss logistics.

Bob C.

[rob love]

Bob
Wait until you order your new kingpin bearings; they can be pricey. I actually had a source for them a few years ago (but now dried up), but when I gave Peter Ford the part number, he was quoted $200 each. And that was 10 years ago. Ouch.

[Bob Carriere]

Ouch......at that price I will have to sell the truck to fix the front axle.

The Dodge Power wagon front axle originally used a brass cone... now enthusiast are using a coned roller bearing that was a perfect match.... with added benefit of easier steering.

Wonder if an existing stock flat bearing could not be matched from size????? certainly a challenge for the parts clerk????

What are others using for replacement?????

Would Dirk have any such a bearing.... and if he does he is a rich man.......

Any suggestions guys????? How about slice of Carmen's tea biscuits?????

Bob C.

[chris vickery]

If looking for kingpin bearings, the ones Rob Love speaks of, well... Guess who bought all of Rob's stock?
I'll be at Oshawa on the weekend and will have bearings on my table at a much more reasonable cost - $25 each.

[Bob Carriere]

Yew daw mann Chris.......

Sold one set of four..... cash on the barrel head..... will bring one of my old ones to match....

Now who's got seals...????......felt......???? shims...????
..... tie rod ends...?? ...small inside door (2) handles...??

See you in OshNawa Chris....

What would we do without the MLU forum...

Bob C.

[Phil Waterman]

My Pattern 12 front axle has the Bendix style joints both are in very good conditions. http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.c...FrontAxleL.jpg

As to the felt wipper and springs in the front ball seals my HUP had what appeared to leather instead of felt so I got some leather belting and cut strips the right size off. I used the same stuff on the C60 Pattern 13. Have not decided what I'm going to do on the Pattern 12. I took the felt seals out very carefully and they are not in bad condition. I may clean them carefully and put them back in.

[Bob Carriere]

Oshawa gathering was highly successful for me..... been grinning ever since I got my bearings from Chris.

The bearings came in a small tin can like a tuna can...... I haven't opened them yet..... sure hope it ain't tuna!!!!!

Thanks Chris

Bob C

[gordon]

Well, the Power Wagon does indeed use a brass bush on top on the steering hub but they didn't always.

Up till the 1940 military Dodges (VC and VF series) they used the same tapered roller bearing top and bottom on the steering ends, then from 1941-up they went to a bush on the top as they discovered that under an extreme overload you could get collapse of the top bearing.

Since the aftermarket bushes and pins that are available now are of variable quality (and usually well out of spec for size which is particularly important) some PW and WC series Dodge owners have started to use bearings top and bottom again as it's unlikely that the trucks would now ever see the gross overload that brought bearing collapse.

Gordon

[Bob Carriere]

Got most of my PW education from the Powerwagon Forum and Vintage PW in Fairfield.

I will be working on a 56 C4 PW next.... and have been accumulating parts here and there.

It seems that the felt seals and springs for the front axle may be very similar...
...however..... my CMP felt seal seem to have some sort of rubber backing which is partly supported from the text in the MB- C2 manual.... may hold off and get some NOS from Dirk...... I am only going to do this once..... and I want to do it right.....

Bob C.