Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings ( updated )
 

I went looking for rear wheel bearings for my 12 bolt axle today. Boy what a difference in quality from each auto parts places. All except napa had larger but fewer bearing rollers. Napa had the " only " same as oem number of rollers in there bearings so napa was installed. Got my "timken " brand h/d oil seals at autozone. They was the best seals i could muster up, axle and pinion both. HOPE THIS HELPS SOMBODY.....
BOB

update...
got my ac delco wheel bearings today and there the large, fewer rollers style not like the original small roller and more of them. back they go.... I,am gonna stick with the napa replacement bearings as there just like what came in my truck new ( but there made in CHINA......)

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Hey Bob,

Got any pics of the install of the bearings...I gotta change my rear axle oil seals and might as well change the rear axle bearings too....Also, I gotta get a bearing puller from some place too...what did you use?

Also also, would you mind posting up part numbers and price??

Thanks

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

NAPA does say " Get the good stuff"
Please post pics if at all possible, it really helps out newbies like me :metal:

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

I sold parts at a "mom and pop" store for many years. We tried to sell nothing but the best parts available. Over the years I noticed trends in component longevity. I would see customers come back for the same part every few years and it got me to thinking about quality and materials.

I did some research on many parts over time and one of the parts were semi-float wheel bearings. I got to looking at these because many times a bearing failure on an axle assembly of this type means a destroyed axle shaft. We sold BCA and while their service life was acceptable, I compared them to other brands including dealer parts. Just a note to start off with: most bearing companies do not make their own bearing of this style--they put someone else's bearings in their boxes. What I found was the bearings made by INA/INF were complete garbage. I had a customer bring in one that failed in an absolutely spectacular way. It was reduced to mere bits and pieces (and took out the axle shaft). The best quality in both appearance and materials was made by Torrington. Now, I do not know if Torrington brand bearings can be bought outright, but they come boxed in higher end bearing company boxes. I got mine through AC Delco. This is the brand that GM uses as original equipment. I have run these for years and have never had a failure.

I also compared the seals. While every manufacturer has their own seal for these diffs, they also vary greatly in quality. The National brand seal that we sold was very inexpensive and I thought that to be odd for a "better quality" seal company. I compared the top brands i.e. National, C-R, and Timken. They were all similar in construction, materials and price. I decided to order some from GM and see what they look like. There was absolutely no comparison between the GM and any other brand. They do cost more--I *think* the last time I bought them they were about ten or eleven dollars apiece--but it has been a very long time since I bought some because I have not had to replace them. The quality of materials was much higher than the aftermarket units. The thing that struck me the most was the weight of the seals. They felt like they weighed three times as much as any other brand. Obivously thye didn't, but they were MUCH heavier. The ironic part is those seals are made by C-R or National, but they are made to GM specs. The same manufacturer's aftermarket line of seals have no specification requirements--they just have to fit and function, but no rules guiding materials used or service life expectations.

So with that, I only use the Torrington brand bearings and GM seals for this job because I REALLY do not like doing it. Now, this is just my opinion on the subject and a little background on how my opinion was formed. I am NOT saying that other manufacturer's products will not offer an acceptable service life, just why I use what I use.

*Disclaimer* The information provided applies only to the bearings and seals for the semi-float axle wheel bearings and seals. I use National seals on my 14 bolt full float and have for many years with no issues. Their tapered roller bearings are top quality and many are still made in the US as are Timken.

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Geoff - I did a write up with pics last year some time - Brake jobs and axle bearings all together. Someone had said it should be stickied or something like that but I don't think it was. Anywho, it's here somewhere....

I think this will get you to it
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ight=star+vary

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Sweet...nice write up Darren!!!....Thanks!

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

When shopping bearings,quality is hard to beat.If you're in a major city there is a company called "Bearings Inc".They usually have just about any bearing and seal in about any brand you specify.You may have to wait a day or two for something ,but the parts and service I've had from them has been top notch.I usually have a rep thru work that does industrial stuff so i have an "IN"

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

just to satisfy my mind i ordered a bearing set today from my local chevy dealer. there the same up to 1977 he told me. my cosy was right at 24.00 each. i,ll keep em in my stash for next rear end build. i compared my timken seals to oem and they looked as good or a little thicker so i,ll stick with them. i,ve used both napa bearings and timken seals up to now in all my 67-72 pickups with no problems. one thing i forgot to mention. i packed the wheel bearings with amsoil h/d synthetic grease and the back side of my seals was loaded full of same also seal surface was greased before axle install. after bearing & seal was installed i added more grease with my finger too just to fill the cavity between the seal and bearing. just for added protection. just the way i do it.
bob

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

i put wheel beaing in my boss's 88 s-10 blazer on the rear and he said put the cheapest in there well i pulled the gm bearigns out and installed a set of motor city bearing from advance auto parts I DID NOT even put the axles back in because the bearing slide intot the rear end and had so much play in them. i took them back and got a set of national bearing and they taped in fit tight had no problems since

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

i would never put greece in the rear end bearings seeing they are lubes by the gear oil i really wouldn't want the gease in my rear end lube but thats just me

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

They need a good snug fit for sure. You know all the new semi truck hubs have gone to grease now....

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Subscribing to this thread thanks to mosesburb's write up! That'll be great info when I get around to it.

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Agreed. Good write-up!

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings ( updated )
 

After seeing this I looked for those NAPA bearings

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...9TV_0329214404

This is their value line though at $10 each, and it seems that every other brand has the fewer/larger rollers. I think I'm going to go with the pack and just get National!

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

The more rollers in the bearing the more it spreads the load stress out. The fewer rollers the more weight on the rollers hence more wear on axle and bearing.

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Why not go with a needle bearing then? What you said totally makes sense but I'm not sure that's the whole story. Smaller rollers means that each roller is rotating faster also.

Idk, I'm just really hesitant to put $10 value line bearings on my new axles!

I did find a set of NOS made in USA bearings from the 70's or 80's on ebay, one bearing has the fewer/smaller rollers and one has more/bigger -- maybe I'll pick it up and see which one lasts longer!

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

Well then just put the large roller bearings in then. ALL I,AM OFFERING IS MY SPERIENCE AND GM THEN IS PROBABLY WRONG ALL THESE DECADES FOR PUTTING THE SMALL I.D. BEARINGS IN...

Re: Fyi 12 bolt rear wheel bearings
 

GM has been known to cut corners now and then... just sayin'! Like I said I'll use one large roller and one small roller and see what happens. If all goes well I'll have nothing to report back until 10-20 years from now!

If I could locate a manufacturer that makes both versions I'd call them up and ask the difference, but I couldn't find one that does both unfortunately.