There are a few gas stations around Boise that sell non-ethanol for that reason of older engines and carburators issues (hard on older seals and o-rings). Had a 92 jimmy ran out of gas.. going to the gas station at 1/4 tank, it messed with the fuel level sensor, It`s also hard on old electric fuel pumps. traveled across the country in 2015, Idaho to S. Carolina, then north through wyoming in a 2013 Black diamond, 5.3L Loaded with three people. Stopped at a BP Station, In wyoming, It had regular non ethanol and regular with ethanol, Filled up with non ethanol regular and got 20mpg. With using ethanol fuel the best mileage I was getting was 17.5mpg with ethanol at 80mph all day long. Had a 1962 corvette 396 (350 hp) 4 speed, 3.36 gears 15ln tires in 1972, on highway it could get 22mpg, reg gas. Haven`t checked the 77 vet yet, hoping for at least 20mpg on supreme, then I will start with the fine tuning.

 

The reason you got better mileage with the alcohol-free gas is because alcohol does not have as much energy as gasoline. I did an experiment back in the Obama era when gas prices were in the range they are now and the difference in mileage improvement more than offset the extra cost of the alcohol free yes. And I was using actual calculations, not the optimistic GM mpg.

There's a book out titled The Deep Hot Biosphere: The Myth of Fossil Fuels. The term fossil fuels was originated by Rockefeller when they first discovered oil to give the resource the impression that it was finite and that way they could charge more for it. This book theorizes that oil is actually created by bio-organisms deep in the Earth under high pressure and heat. I always kind of questioned the theory that it was created by dead dinosaurs because I couldn't figure out how they managed to burrow two or three miles below the Earth's crust before they died. 😉

 

Hi. Me again

Finally got it stripped down. Bakes, half-shafts. The right bearing has been done - failed, apparently. The left sounds like somebody is roller skating on a wooden floor. It is soon to go.

I've been thinking about all this. I think it's PURE BULL****!

The bearings are pressed onto the spindles, so tight you have to go through he77, to get them off. WHY? Literally millions of cars with similar, opposed tapered bearings, have them so loose on the spindle the grease seal takes them off. So WHY?

What do the spacers inside the hubs do? NOTHING, I suspect. The races are set into the hubs, up against iron 'walls.' How far apart they need to be is determined by the small differences, in hubs, AND THAT ALONE. So why have spacers?

The bearings are set by applying pressure to the races of the outer bearings (inner, in this case). The nut on the spindle takes up the slack, causing the bearings to be just tight enough. That HAS to be what happens with these bearings, too!

Tomorrow I'm gonna mark the parts with a center pinch, then take the half-shafts apart. I will give them a final cleaning, then pint them. I will let the paint dry, overnight.

I'm going to remove the cotter pin and nut, then one of the yokes. If I find what I think I will - that the yokes put pressure on the race of the inner bearing - BINGO! Unless the inner yokes need a lot of pressure. I don't think so. The nuts are far away from the bearings, more than enough, I think, to cause the yokes to run true. I'll put lots of grease on the inner teeth of the yokes. Lots of teethed 'slippers' n 4x4 axles run with no pressure...

I will remove the bolts that attach the backing plates then use a drag hammer puller to remove the spindles. I'll drive the lug bolts out of the spindles, then take them to a machine shop with a pair of new bearings. They will remove the old outer bearing, then grind the places on the spindles where the bearings go to a size that lets them slip on - just like normal wheel bearings - but still with a good fit. I'll have them put the spindles in a lathe chuck then face the spindles, to eliminate any runout.

I'll end up being able to service/replace the bearings/grease seals by simply removing the outer yokes on the half-shafts (which aint all that easy, believe me) removing the inner yokes, then pulling the spindles out with my bare hands! Just about like any other car.

If I'm missing something, here, please explain it? Help me to understand? Please?

 

You really do need to read the service manual on the R&R of the rear wheel bearings. I believe it will become clear as to why they're done the way they are.

I believe the reason they are pressed on to the spindle is because that's what holds the assembly together and keeps it from coming off the car. That's why when they fail catastrophically, the wheel winds up in the upper part of the fender well.

 

Gm used that same setup for what 19 years, and never changed it, so I guess they were good with It. It`s like everything else on cars, If you have the right tools Its a breeze to do. With the advancements in today's lubricants, Why 50-60k miles between bearing packs would be doable. It's very important you have it in spec. endplay and torque on the spendle shaft nut. I still like the idea of using an oil bath, but to do that correctly and functionally you would need 3 excess holes. one at the top for filling and breather one in the middle for oil level and one at the bottom for a drain plug. Some day maybe. Keep up the good work and enjoy the Heat.

 

As the admitted now kid on the block it may not be proper from me to disagree with you. I'm going to, anyway.

What holds the assembly together, not to mention preventing the wheel from coming off, is the very same thing that keeps the front wheels on all the cast made sine... say, 1968. They don't have spacers or ridiculous torque on their axle nuts.

I didn't stop thinking about this. A preliminary conclusion is just that - preliminary.

I was like, OK - enough of thinking about why this is not necessary. Now, think about why it man be.

I'm no engineer. Still, I'd wager the first thing an engineer considers is what he's dealing with.

My cousin is an engineer- a nuclear one, at that. I'm a damn fool, instead. I had no use, for education. All I ever wanted to do, in my formative years, was to get my hands on a racer car - to drive it AND work on it. What a dumb ***!

The thing we're talking about is where the bullet, hits the bone. Half of the torque that motor can produce flows, through it. People get drunk and rev their motors 'till the valves float, then pop their clutches...

I've since changed my mind (men can do that, too!) There is a reason for those spacers, and shims. That reason is, quite simply, torque.

Torque in unruly. Torque is MEAN! Torque is eager to 'leak' out of the line it is supposed to take. When it does (read: can) it gleefully destroys, everything it touches. Take, if you will, a driveshaft. Torque is supposed to flow through it, to the diff. Ah, but torque is more than happy to twist that driveshaft, like a rubber band!

The inner yokes are strong, but they don't run in anything. The only thing on their outside is a grease seal. Their strength AND THE TORQUE, applied to the nuts that hold them on, are the reasons they can survive the beating they are made to take. The necessity of that torque on the nuts is the reason for the spacers, and the shims.

I see rebuilt hub units for sale. I'll cop out, and buy a pair.

 

Working on the teardown today I finally found the source of the drive line vibration. The nut on the left rear inner yoke was only finger tight! That yoke has never been off the car!