Carrier Bearing quesion

[cjoenny89]

I was thinking my clutch needed attention and bought one. Then I climbed under the truck and started looking at the job and noticed the carrier bearing and wondered if that was the cause of my problems.
I have a vibration and shutter that acts like a clutch problem I have experienced in other vehicles. No matter how I let the clutch out it shutters in first gear the truck shakes but 2nd and 3rd are fine and there is no slipping.
I grabbed the driveshaft at the carrier bearing and could push it up and down 1/2" up and down and the noise I hear when the bearing hits up and down on the holder sounds very similar to the shutter noise I was getting letting out the clutch in first gear.
Could it be the carrier bearing is bad and causing the shutter before it gets spinning to full RPM? Keep in mind I have no other problems only taking off in first and rev.
I was going to replace the clutch It has been in the ruck since new but only has 47,000 miles on it and yes it is original miles been in the family since new in 1968.
My VW sand rail had the same issue on the clutch shutter and changed it and I had no problems I could let the clutch out any which way I wanted that is why I was thinking it was the clutch.
I have a video on my phone I can send to someone if you want to see the movement in the carrier bearing.
Thanks
Chad

[clay68c10]

Sounds like the carrier bearing is bad, do it first. That's a lot of slop, it shouldn't move much at all. The rubber isolator around the actual bearing is probably what has gone bad. If that fixes the problem then save the the clutch for later or take it back for a refund.

[cjoenny89]

I ordered the Carrier bearing I will have it today after work.

[davepl]

Carrier bearing is a regular failure part... when in doubt, replace it first unless it's fairly new and then worry about the rest. Odds are, it's the carrier bearing. Let us know what the result was though!

[cjoenny89]

Yes I will let you know the results! I have been waiting on this truck my whole life! It was grandpas he passed in 1984 my dad got it and drove it for a few years then late 80's early 90's engine went with 47,000 miles. him and my brother started a tear down of the truck I was 14 or 15 at the time. He found 2 lobes on the cam shot but the 327 got a rebuild and the truck got started on a rebuild. fast forward to 2015 the truck sat half done fresh engine that got started now and then and I had just had about enough and I bought a parts truck lined up a paint guy and my 81 year old dad and my 12 year old son started working well we have drove it and got it mostly done and we are working out all the bugs from sitting idle for almost 30 years! I think that is terrible for them! all the brake components, gas tank, mice yikes!
but I have the truck at my house and it has been so rewarding having time when ever I feel like it to go work on it! I will keep you posted and thanks.
My dad smiles seeing my son and I work on it knowing it was his dads!

[leftybass209]

It's very possible that your carrier bearing crapped out due to it being a wear item. It's also possible that your driveline is out of balance and is exacerbating the issue and could cause premature wear of your new carrier bearing. Because carrier bearings aren't expensive, it's nothing to worry about right now, but keep in mind premature wear of this new carrier could be caused by something else.

[tarafied1]

it's also a good time to change those U-Joints. You have to pull the middle one out to get the drive shaft apart anyway. My 72 shares the same U-Joint for all three.
My son works at Auto Zone and they have a life-time warranty, which I did have to use. The first one broke about a year after I put it in.

[cjoenny89]

My question was going to be how do I get it apart but it looks like you answered that I have to take the u-joint apart then take the nut off?

[tarafied1]

yes, there is a bolt actually holding the yoke on to a spline. The middle U-Joint has to come apart to split the two shafts so you can access the bolt. The yoke will slide off, then the bearing will slide off.

[tarafied1]

nice looking truck to by the way (at least what I can see of it)!

[tarafied1]

oh and I would chalk mark the yoke and shaft so you put it back together the same way it came apart. Mine could go back in any orientation. Not sure if they are all like that but you want to keep the U-Joints clocked together on the shaft or you will get a vibration.

**EDIT**
looking at your pictures someone may have already put your shaft back together wrong. The U-Joints should be oriented the same on both ends (phasing). I can't be 100% sure but it looks like the shaft is not phased correctly.
This video should help explain what I mean. Phasing starts about 2 minutes into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmV4qwLfOMY

[cjoenny89]

Thank you very much

[tarafied1]

sure! and yeah, I love that color. Nice truck!

[cjoenny89]

When you are talking phasing you mean like if someone replaced the carrier bearing when they pulled the yoke they didn't phase it with the front that goes into the tranny?

[tarafied1]

Originally Posted by cjoenny89

When you are talking phasing you mean like if someone replaced the carrier bearing when they pulled the yoke they didn't phase it with the front that goes into the tranny?

the shaft that the carrier bearing goes on is the one you have to take apart. The yoke for the u-joint slides on via a spline. That yoke should be phased or oriented exactly the same on both ends meaning the bearing cups of the u-joint should be the same on both ends. From your picture of the shaft on the tail gate the yoke has the bearing cup pointing up near the carrier bearing but the other end looks to be at an angle. They should both be pointing up. The splines are the same all the way around so the yoke can be installed in any orientation. However, if they are not in line, you can get a vibration.
It's hard to explain when typing, I hope this makes sense.

[tarafied1]

the shaft on the right in this photo is the one that comes apart. The yoke I am referring too is the one on the end by the carrier bearing. When you take that U-joint out and take out the bolt that holds it on the shaft it will slide off the shaft. When you put it back together, make sure the yoke and the other end are phased or oriented the same way, just like the other shaft that doesn't come apart.

[tarafied1]

in this picture, the short shaft has the u-joints phased the same way on both ends. It looks like maybe yours is 90 degrees but hard to tell for sure from the picture. (don't worry about the text on the photo, I just grabbed an image to show the shaft)

[tarafied1]

here is a picture with the yoke off of the shaft so you can see the splines and the bolt hole in the end