Front Wheel Bearing Sizes

[robotzombies]

Hey everyone. I'm looking to do some wheel bearing and spindle replacement soon. In the past, I have had issues with wheel bearings not going onto the spindle very well. To the point where I have to give up and reuse old ones because the new ones just won't go on all the way. They fit into the rotor just fine, it's just the spindle/bearing combo that's the problem. Anyone have this issue, or am I just getting wrong part numbers?

The axle is a Dana 35 from a 1992 Ford Ranger. I'm using Spicer spindles (707166X) and Timken bearings (Set37). As far as I can tell, these are the correct part numbers for this axle, and the Timken Set37 should work for both inner and outer.

Any thoughts on making installation easier or alternative part numbers?

Edit: just looking at this page: https://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/pdf_documents/Dana_Ford_35.pdf

Looks like the spindle is probably the correct spindle:

And it looks like the inner and outer should be the same bearings (items 55 and 57):

This is the 706110X page directly from Spicer that gives dimensions for the bearings: https://www.danaaftermarket.com/spicer-automotive/automotive-axle/bearings/part/wheel-bearing-assembly/706110X?cat1=LVB&cat2=LA&cat3=BRG&cp=0&catalog=PIMS_NA&partType=PART

Here is a catalog from Timken that seems to mirror the bearing dimensions, so Set37 from Timken looks to be the same as 706110X from Spicer:

Can't seem to find any spindle dimension information from Spicer, or any measurements from anyone else selling them, for that matter.

 

[franklin2]

You can buy a set of these cheap from harbor freight and do some measuring. Sometimes just a little file work on the spindle to take off burrs is all it needs. That and a little buff with some sandpaper.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I've been hesitant to do mine for this same reason. Also because I read its best to just repack/maintain the factory originals.

 

[franklin2]

I've been hesitant to do mine for this same reason. Also because I read its best to just repack/maintain the factory originals.

I re-use them if they look ok. But I had a noise that took me several months to find, and it turned out to be one of the pass side front wheel bearings was rough.

 

[robotzombies]

I went ahead and bought a cheap measuring caliper. Barring any margin of error from the cheapest caliper I could find, looks like the outside diameter of the spindle is 44 mm, while the inside diameter of the bearing is slightly less than 44 mm (could be user error for measurement, but even if they are both 44 mm, the bearings still wouldn't fit).

I got all of these items from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard, so I might try to give them a call to see what's going on. Per their website, these should be the correct parts.

 

[Shran]

That is weird. Do the spindles have a little circular cutout on the outside of the big part in one spot? That would indicate an ABS spindle (for 94+) but the wheel bearing is the same as far as I know. The inner and outer bearings are the same.

How bad are your old spindles? I have reused some really bad looking ones without issues. They become trash only if the inner bearing race has worn grooves into the spindle that are too deep to clean up with emery cloth. Cheap wheel bearings are the bigger issue... even SKFs are made in China now. Good call on getting Timkens.

 

[robotzombies]

I called Bronco Graveyard, they said that the parts should fit together, but they didn't have any manufacturing specs for the Dana spindle, unfortunately. They suggested running some sandpaper around the spindle a little bit to get them to fit, similar to franklin2's suggestion. I did find the spindle on Dana's website, but there are no specs for it, and the company really doesn't seem to want you to contact them.

I found this spec list/diagram on a drivetrain website, but since their diagram is a generic spindle, I'm not sure how much this can be trusted:

So B is where the bearing would actually sit (not shown to scale in this diagram, which is why I'm pretty sure it's just a generic diagram). B is 1.78", which is what the Spicer website says the inner diameter of the bearing should be (and is the same as the Timken bearing I pasted in my previous post):

Since I can't find any more specific information on the spindle, I can only assume that this is correct information, and that the spindle and the bearing just have a really, really tight tolerance for whatever reason.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[robotzombies]

That is weird. Do the spindles have a little circular cutout on the outside of the big part in one spot? That would indicate an ABS spindle (for 94+) but the wheel bearing is the same as far as I know. The inner and outer bearings are the same.

How bad are your old spindles? I have reused some really bad looking ones without issues. They become trash only if the inner bearing race has worn grooves into the spindle that are too deep to clean up with emery cloth. Cheap wheel bearings are the bigger issue... even SKFs are made in China now. Good call on getting Timkens.

Pretty sure it's not an ABS spindle, does not have any cutouts of any kind except for the keyway and the bolt holes.

Current spindles aren't bad, but I wanted to get to a point where I could replace all the original stuff on the axle since I'm pretty sure most of it is actually original. Timkens are usually my go to bearings, and for now, they still have USA stamped on them.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I agree it's probably just a tight fit. The kind where you use heat and/or freeze to get it on.

 

[robotzombies]

Interestingly enough, I found this thread on a classic Bronco forum where someone was using the Timken Set37 as the inner bearing for an old Bronco, and the person was having the same issue as me: https://classicbroncos.com/forums/threads/front-wheel-bearing-wont-fit-on-spindle.288436/

They had took some fine grit sand paper to the spindle, and it eventually ended up sliding on without getting stuck. Looks like that's the route I'm going to go. I'll try to update if I get around to doing it any time soon.

 

[franklin2]

Just be careful. The closer the fit, the better it is. If you get it too loose, the inner race will slowly turn on the spindle. That will over time wear a groove in the spindle, since the bearing race is much harder than the spindle. Then you get play in the bearings that you can never seem to get rid of.

I had a old 65 mustang that had very high mileage. I was still driving it, and noticed on the interstate when I got behind a 18 wheeler the car would slightly dart side to side as it was buffeted by the trucks trailing wind. I jack up the front and on both sides the wheel bearings had play. I re-adjusted them and it was fine for a few months and then started doing it again. Same thing, same procedure. After the 3rd time I investigated a little deeper and discovered the inner bearing inner race had been cutting into the spindle over the years and many miles.

To stop it I took a center punch and punched dimples all around the spindle. That fixed it, but it made the bearing stick to the spindle each time you pulled the brake drum off. I finally scored a set of spindles from a 1978 granada with disc brakes and swapped them in and got rid of the problem all together.

 

[robotzombies]

I plan on taking my time. I want to make sure if things are getting sanded down, like nicks and burrs, that it's done evenly across the circumference of the spindle. Planning on sanding in intervals and doing tests fits in between sanding. Hopefully that'll get it to a point where it fits just right, not too tight, not too loose. Hopefully.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I would use Emery cloth and do a shoe shine type of movement.

 

[SenorNoob]

ABS or not only matters on whether the cutout for the sensor has been drilled in the outer edge of the spindle. I've got a set of both.

Honestly, you could make a regular spindle ABS with just a grinder if you wanted. The part the spindle bolts to (knuckle?) is what really holds the sensor.

 

[Shran]

To stop it I took a center punch and punched dimples all around the spindle.

I have had wheel bearing outer races spin inside brake rotors and have done the same thing. Works great!

ABS or not only matters on whether the cutout for the sensor has been drilled in the outer edge of the spindle. I've got a set of both.

Honestly, you could make a regular spindle ABS with just a grinder if you wanted. The part the spindle bolts to (knuckle?) is what really holds the sensor.

The OD of the large part of the spindle is also different, it is larger than the non-ABS spindles. I only asked to try and identify exactly what part he got.