Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I need GP 15.965 P/N 445820 (large x2) and 445345 (small x6) "Load Arm bearing seals." These rubber seals seat next to the pivot roller bearing in the load arm.

Kanter does not have any and hasn't had any since 1991. Anyone know of a Xref for them?

Craig

If those are the square "O" ring like seals, McMaster has a good selection and you may be able to match the diameter. If not they also have the square section bulk material where you make your own diameter and join the ends.

If they are the short hose or tube like sections I believe Cli55er made his but don't remember what he used. It is probably in his blog.

They are made from foam pipe insulation from the hardware store. The one that is not peel and stick, but solid. So far they are still on there..... Real world longevity.... No idea yet.

I even used this for the load arm seals to grease cup.

Thanks HH56 and Cli55er for the suggestions. However, I have an alternate solution which I should have finished tomorrow. I'll post pix of the old seals and new ones for comparison.

Since not many remove the bars from their T-L Packard/Clipper, this is not a high demand item. It's still good to add to the knowledge base at PackardInfo.com

Craig

As promised, here are pix and the info about the T-L load arm grease seals that I made up.

Here are the original front load arm bearing seals (top installed, bottom removed):



The front has two sizes (small & large) while the rear uses only two pairs of small seals on each load arm. I used R17 size O-rings and shims in place of the small seals on the rear.

The shims I made out of 1/2IN flat washers. I step-drilled out the center from 1/2IN to 7/8IN (the O.D. of the pivot sleeve). I ground down the thickness of the washers from 0.105IN to about 0.088IN (custom fit).







Here's the right side rear load arm trial installed with the new O-rings and shims.



The front is similar except the large diameter seal is replaced by an R26 O-ring without a shim.

Any questions or comments welcome.

Craig

Looks good Graig.

Craig,
Was there any bearings in there?

Quote:

Oh yeah. That's the reason I took the T-L bars out was to check the bearings. But, the bearings looked PERFECT!

Craig

Does the sleeve fit inside the bearing?
Or, how is it assembled?

Quote:

Yes. The hole in the sleeve is for the pivot pin bolt. The bearings are "roller bearings" and the outside of the sleeve rides on them. The bearings are lubricated by chassis grease injected through the zerk fitting on the heel of the load arm.

If one doesn't lube that, the roller bearings might freeze up and the load arm will not move freely. If so, this will really screw up the Torsion-Level ride. Since I didn't know the history of this car before I bought it as a project, I needed to check the bearings.

Craig