Just got a couple of the larger RE bearings from Pig.
I *thought* the point of the RE bearings was ease of installation cause it's threaded on one side. Well, the poly races won't fit inside the shell.
I've set it on the floor with the race started in using the center ball as the driver and whaled on it with a rubber mallet and the race won't go in past the threaded portion. Now it's stuck of course.
What's the deal with these? Do you really need a press to put these things together? I was expecting the races to be a snug fit, but this is nuts.
I was playing around with one of those at work today and was having the same problem. one side had the threaded part, the c-clip and one bushing/race in. I tried puting the ball part in and pushing the other bushing on and I just couldnt.
Have you tried grease/lube?
Nope, but I don't think it's not gonna make any difference. It's not just that it's a tight fit. The race just appears too big.
EDIT: Ok, it's a cheap HF digital caliper, but I just measured. The race is 2.262" o.d. The shell is 2.244 i.d. So the race is 18 thou oversized. That's a lot for an interference fit. Is it normal? Or did I get some bad parts?
I put the poly part in the freezer ( I have one in the garage) and warmed up the tubing part. Some pieces took a little tapping to get in, but no major problems. Be sure and put everything in from the non-threaded side and put the threaded piece in last. Good Luck.
I was going to assemble mine soon and was going to thread in that peice a few threads first, then add all the guts, then the washer and c-clip. After that I'd tighten up the threded gizzmo and be good to go. See any issues there?
Is there any magical torque on the threaded part or is it just a nice snug fit, then set the allen screw to keep it from backing out??
The old RE joints used to just fall together, but it seems liek they have mad a few minor changes. I have a few of the old ones, and have recently assembled a bunch of the new ones, and they are not all that fun. but they are not hard to do, either with a press or a vise.
Have you welded the arm to the shell yet? If so, welding often times distorts the shell enough to make it VERY difficult to pound the races in (and thread the ring in).
To prevent this distortion, I took a piece of round steel bar, turned the o.d. to slip fit into the i.d. of the shell, and insert this into the sheel during welding to keep it from distorting.
Even so, the races are still a snug fit. You'll want that preload once they start to wear.
Hit the o.d. of the races and the i.d. of the shell with some scotch-brite if they're really snug, just to smooth out any high spots. Grease the crap out of EVERYTHING when you assemble it too.
cm "gotta' place an order with PIG for a bunch soon" k
Kind of along the lines of what CMK said, they do tend to distort a little bit, so I put the threaded piece in when I welded it. It helped, but CMKs idea is better if you have access to a lathe.
As far as tightening them, tighten until your elbow pops and then like Daniel said, put a little cheater bar on it and go to the next set hole.
They are a little of a pain, but you just have to do it once. I've seen them go through some serious abuse without a sweat.
Kind of along the lines of what CMK said, they do tend to distort a little bit, so I put the threaded piece in when I welded it. It helped, but CMKs idea is better if you have access to a lathe.
I asked PIG about this and he recommended installing the clip and the treaded piece then weld sainly is all. I'm curious to see if they will do much on a leaf spring setup used as the shackle hanger.
Thanks for the suggestions. I tried again today with the vise and a large socket. I did get one bushing in and the second one started. Had to use a cheater bar on the vice to do it.
It was a PITA to get back apart too. The cage shaved about 10 thou off the diameter of the bushings going in.
I ended up chucking the bushings up in my lathe and turning them down to 2.250". That still gives about a .006" interference fit, but I can pound them in and out relatively easy now.
I already have the RE ones. Plus what I have read the AP ones are a PITA to assemble (clipson both sides). The RE seems to me like a better built joint....and it was cheaper to boot.
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