Rembrant Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Good day folks, I happened to see this on Facebook last night. Looks like they will be ready soon. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=642180619935295&id=149870185833010 I don't really have any other contact info for the guy, but I expect you'll see these parts on Ebay soon. https://www.ebay.com/i/223380119405?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=223380119405&targetid=859095746805&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1027320&poi&campaignid=6469750777&mkgroupid=90043439478&rlsatarget=pla-859095746805&abcId=1141176&merchantid=6296724&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6fyg3qPc5wIVApSzCh0GcA-zEAQYASABEgJTFfD_BwE&fbclid=IwAR0O1pPFjmf23bBGMqweoUW0vR0BjivuB0hCHdfRqTAL-8FgUGY9-e4MkZ8 Looks like he's in Virginia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Cool! If my rejuvenation of the bearing with the dried grease doesn't last I'll probably order one of these. Looks like it is much more substantial than the factory bearing. And, these can be changed out from the bottom on a manual transmission column. Wonder what he will charge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 12, 2020 Author Share Posted March 12, 2020 Wonder what he will charge? Well, I see he has the 1973-1979 version on Ebay for $65 bucks, so it will be that much or more I'd say. I think the Bullnose version is a bit more elaborate. I wonder if it will work with both manual and auto transmission columns? Manual for sure...but Auto?... The nice thing is the replaceable common bearing, and of course it would be much more rigid. My only concern was how to make sure the shaft actually turns the inner race (instead of turning inside the inner race). I think what I'd do jam some RTV in between the flats of the shaft and the inner race, and it would probably lock it in place as good as anything. It's not like there's any rotational force on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 Wonder what he will charge? Well, I see he has the 1973-1979 version on Ebay for $65 bucks, so it will be that much or more I'd say. I think the Bullnose version is a bit more elaborate. I wonder if it will work with both manual and auto transmission columns? Manual for sure...but Auto?... The nice thing is the replaceable common bearing, and of course it would be much more rigid. My only concern was how to make sure the shaft actually turns the inner race (instead of turning inside the inner race). I think what I'd do jam some RTV in between the flats of the shaft and the inner race, and it would probably lock it in place as good as anything. It's not like there's any rotational force on it. Yes, it is more elaborate, so may be more. As for the auto transmissions, does the shift linkage go through this? I thought Scott indicated that it does. On making sure the bearing rotates, I had hoped (assumed?) that he would pick a bearing that is the same thickness as the current bearing. That way the red spacer would fit and clip into the other side of the bearing. But something has to fill in around the shaft as it isn't round. Like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted March 12, 2020 Author Share Posted March 12, 2020 On making sure the bearing rotates, I had hoped (assumed?) that he would pick a bearing that is the same thickness as the current bearing. That way the red spacer would fit and clip into the other side of the bearing. But something has to fill in around the shaft as it isn't round. I think the red spacer might be loose without the O-ring in place to hold it. The original bearing has an o-ring on the inside of the inner race to keep everything snug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 On making sure the bearing rotates, I had hoped (assumed?) that he would pick a bearing that is the same thickness as the current bearing. That way the red spacer would fit and clip into the other side of the bearing. But something has to fill in around the shaft as it isn't round. I think the red spacer might be loose without the O-ring in place to hold it. The original bearing has an o-ring on the inside of the inner race to keep everything snug. You are probably right. I wonder if a piece of heat-shrink over the shaft would keep the red piece in and make the bearing turn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted March 12, 2020 Share Posted March 12, 2020 You are probably right. I wonder if a piece of heat-shrink over the shaft would keep the red piece in and make the bearing turn? Good find! Will keep an eye on this for sure. Never put two of them side by side but pretty sure it's the same piece for both a/t and m/t. It's the metal sleeve that this fits into that has the cutout for the linkage arm. Really happy to see parts like these getting made for 7th gens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Good find! Will keep an eye on this for sure. Never put two of them side by side but pretty sure it's the same piece for both a/t and m/t. It's the metal sleeve that this fits into that has the cutout for the linkage arm. Really happy to see parts like these getting made for 7th gens. Well, I decided to purchase one of these. The original lower bearing in my column was covered in rust, and the rubber grommet that went around the bearing was basically brittle plastic and broke apart when I pulled it off of the bearing. Since I was looking at a brand new bearing assembly, I decided to spring for this. I can't give a full review as my truck is non-running, however the fit is great and the steering shaft feels tight to the bearing, which seems to be the perfect size to fit. My first impression is great, it seems to be a well-made product, and the customer service I received was excellent. I have been asked to provide my thoughts on the bearing since only a few have been made so far, but I can't find anything wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Well, I decided to purchase one of these. The original lower bearing in my column was covered in rust, and the rubber grommet that went around the bearing was basically brittle plastic and broke apart when I pulled it off of the bearing. Since I was looking at a brand new bearing assembly, I decided to spring for this. I can't give a full review as my truck is non-running, however the fit is great and the steering shaft feels tight to the bearing, which seems to be the perfect size to fit. My first impression is great, it seems to be a well-made product, and the customer service I received was excellent. I have been asked to provide my thoughts on the bearing since only a few have been made so far, but I can't find anything wrong. Cool! Is there any chance the red filler piece will fit in to seal the openings between the bearing and the shaft? And, does the shaft fit tightly so it won't rotate in the bearing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salans7 Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Cool! Is there any chance the red filler piece will fit in to seal the openings between the bearing and the shaft? And, does the shaft fit tightly so it won't rotate in the bearing? No, you do not re-use any part of the old bearing assembly, including the red piece. There is only a small gap around the flat sides of the steering shaft, and that gap will be covered by the intermediate shaft once it is slipped over the steering shaft. As for whether the shaft will spin in the bearing, I don't want to answer that as I have the column out of the truck and would like to wait to see how it fits when fully installed in the truck. However, I believe it may be possible for it to spin depending on the steering shaft. Remember, there may be manufacturing differences in the steering shaft thickness that affect how the bearing fits. It may fit tighter on some trucks than others, as evidenced by the fact that my 1986 intermediate shaft slipped on and off of my old 1986 column, but it takes some force to get it to slide onto the 1990 column I am using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts