Re: '56 Rear Axle Bearings
Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2013/10/6 8:14:20
I guess we must assume that Packard expected these bearings to last for life, why else would they fit something unserviceable. It wouldn't be to save a dollar or two, would it?
Service life of the more traditional roller and cup axle bearings may actually be shorter than the sealed bearings if their regular repacking intervals are ignored, so from a service life viewpoint the sealed bearings can be at least as good, if not better. And they do reduce assembly (and service) time because they eliminate the need to adjust and shim for rear axle end play. If you've ever had to adjust rear axle end play on the 30s Senior cars with the dual opposed axle bearings and the shims behind the inner cup, you'd really appreciate the situation. Packard used sealed rear axle bearings in the 30s on some Juniors, and Cadillac used them from the 30s. They aren't "unserviceable", you service them by replacing them just like you'd service bad tapered roller and cup bearings which also require pressing them on and off the axle shaft.
Here's an illustration of the typical rear wheel bearing arrangement on the prewar Senior models - you'll note the shims for adjusting the axle shaft end play are behind the inner cup; thus to make an adjustment you must not only remove the outer cup and axle shaft, you need to remove the inner cup to add/subtract shims - not a particularly enjoyable task. Compare that with the simplicity of the 56 Dana axle arrangement.
PS - one thing I've always found interesting about these illustrations is that they show both the wire spoke and wooden artillery wheel construction.
Attach file:
(103.02 KB)
Service life of the more traditional roller and cup axle bearings may actually be shorter than the sealed bearings if their regular repacking intervals are ignored, so from a service life viewpoint the sealed bearings can be at least as good, if not better. And they do reduce assembly (and service) time because they eliminate the need to adjust and shim for rear axle end play. If you've ever had to adjust rear axle end play on the 30s Senior cars with the dual opposed axle bearings and the shims behind the inner cup, you'd really appreciate the situation. Packard used sealed rear axle bearings in the 30s on some Juniors, and Cadillac used them from the 30s. They aren't "unserviceable", you service them by replacing them just like you'd service bad tapered roller and cup bearings which also require pressing them on and off the axle shaft.
Here's an illustration of the typical rear wheel bearing arrangement on the prewar Senior models - you'll note the shims for adjusting the axle shaft end play are behind the inner cup; thus to make an adjustment you must not only remove the outer cup and axle shaft, you need to remove the inner cup to add/subtract shims - not a particularly enjoyable task. Compare that with the simplicity of the 56 Dana axle arrangement.
PS - one thing I've always found interesting about these illustrations is that they show both the wire spoke and wooden artillery wheel construction.
Attach file:
(103.02 KB)
This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=132589