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Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrade

S

Suancho

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Neil Mastroianni
'50 3100 Shortbed

I am at a loss and am hoping someone out there can get me back on track. I ordered the 5-Lug Disc Brake upgrade for my truck and ran into a problem. One of the steps is to upgrade from ball to roller bearings. The kit provides you with an adapter that it meant to be placed on the spindle. It is supposed to become snug and you will need to hit it on all the way to make sure it's good and tight.

This is not the case for me. The adapter slides all the way on without becoming snug. I called classic performance, and they said that my spindles were likely worn and that I should contact heavy chevy. I had them ship me two spindles. When I received these spindles, the adapter slid on just as easily as on my truck's spindles.

I used a vernier caliper on the spindles on my truck and the ones sent to me and got a measurement of 1.282" Is this correct? Could I have two sets of worn spindles that are worn to the same levels?

Any fixes/ideas?
 
RE: Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrad

Hi Neil...We recently did this conversion and had the adapter pressed on. And this was with some wear on the spindle. Mine is a 53 3100.
Don't know if there is a difference between the 50 vs 53 spindles. But would guess the supplier would know it and advise you. Sorry I don't know the measurements. It is really a mystery why a new spindle would be the same....something is surely not right..
Guess this is more in support than help but after the problem is resolved (and it WILL be) you will be pleased with the results.
Good lusck and some one will come thru with the answer,
rick ;-)
 
RE: Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrad

Neil, on my 50' , I used the chevy duty setup, and then switched to the classic performance mounts. On both, I had to press on the adapters. I wonder if they sent the wrong adapter, or it is possibly machined wrong. I would not run it if it just slides on. It will move around when driving. Since mine is assembled, I can't measure the size. I would recommend calling cpp, and have them measure a couple of adapters to double check the sizes. Sorry I can't help more. Good luck figuring it out........Mike
 
RE: Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrad

Mike, I think you hit it...If I remember correctly all the packages were marked with the part name and years for which make truck...perhaps an error in there. Right on bout measuring then calling ccp. They are pretty good for helping out. As and added check I would check and make sure the bearing fits the adapter properly. Just a thought.
Again good luck Neil,
rick
 
RE: Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrad

Neil Mastroianni
'50 3100 Shortbed

I wanted to thank everyone for the input and support. Also, I wanted to let you know what CPP had to say as a solution.

The tech on the phone put me on hold and then came back on a few minutes later saying that he had spoken with one of their engineers. This engineer had said that my problem was fairly common and the best/easiest way to solve this problem was to use...
Lock Tight. I must admit to being skeptical. Here was their reasoning. The roller bearing should have the least amount of friction and therefore be the item that spins, not the adapter.

Of course I asked that if their solution didn't work if I'd be able to have them machine an adapter that fits my spindles. They indicated that would be a possibility.

What are your thoughts on this?
 
RE: Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrad

Neil, while loctite may hold the adapter in place fairly well, I am not sure I would settle for that answer. It is true that the bearing should spin and not the adapter, but..... These kits, and replacement parts are not cheap, and should fit. There are a lot of different loads put on a wheel bearing when driving, and it is possible the adapter could eventually come loose. You might consider talking to Chevy Duty parts guys, to see if they could check their adapter sizes, and maybe get some feedback about the fit on their parts. If you do decide to go the loctite route, it will likely hold up. I think myself I would use a punch and dimple the spindle a bit where the adapter goes, just to add a lit tightness to it. Just a thought.......Mike
 
RE: Front Spindle Disc Brake Upgrad

Neil Mastroianni
'50 3100 Shortbed

Problem Solved!

After spending lots of time on the phone, CPP sent me the adapters again. The adapters they sent this time were VERY different from the first one's they sent.

These get SNUG like they are supposed to.

Thank you all for your support!

-Neil:7
 
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