Wheel Bearings/Races & Seals 1958 18'

[REDSLED88]

Hello, to all, first and for most, this is officially my first post.
Now, with that said. Currently I am looking to replace the wheel bearings, races and seals on a 1958 18' California, serial# 4102 and want to know what I'm up against.
PROBLEM IS, the trailer is 450 miles away and I am trying to order them before I get there so I don't have to wait to install them.
I will replace on side of road, and/or in Walmart parking lot if need be, but would rather have them prior to taking off wheel/hub.

Does anyone have reference numbers for these parts.
I know they have been many different configurations between the years, but is there any consistency to the year/size and factory?
I do have some additional info, maybe this will lead to some solutions.

1958 18' Airstream, some call it traveler, others a California
Serial#4102
12804 E Firestone Blvd.
Norwalk, Ca
Sold by Boyer trailer sales, 6668 Long Beach Blvd
N.Long Beach, Ca NE Wamark
2-2472

other info I've collect (NOT SURE IF IT RELATES)
1958 Pacer info for real seal, Nat.#290944
Trostel#30-156-6, Chicago Rawhide, #18808
*** all this info was collected from google, only info I could find on 1958 airstream. Not even sure of the factory of this model.

Anywho,
does anyone know if this is partially standard bearing info that could lead me to the right part #'s
Without having the trailer at my fingertips unfortunately I cannot provide anything else. I can say that the trailer does look exactly like the trailer on the vintage archives photo site for year/make and factory

Thanks in advance,

TIMK

[Bruce B]

Wow,
I have no knowledge on vintage Airstream part databases but to place a bet on whatever was used in that trailer 51 years ago still being exactly the same with no modifications? I think I'd find the closest bearing house/distributor to the trailer, get there and remove the hubs and verify the part numbers and seal dimensions first. Then you could easily (probably) find the parts you need. You may find that the bearings are in fine shape and only need to be re-packed. A quick trip to the auto store for seals and hit the road.....
Again my experience is automotive related, not vintage trailer.
Bruce

[TG Twinkie]

Bearings and seals should be available at most auto parts stores. I got mine a Carquest and NAPA. They were cheaper at Carquest.

[TG Twinkie]

Forgot to say, just remove the old bearings, races and seal and take them with when you go to the store.

[REDSLED88]

Thanks for the help, I think I'll be ok with the replacement, the problem are the parts. I am afraid they won't have them and I'll be stuck 450 miles away waiting for parts to arrive.

I did receive some info from inland rv in regards to the bearing kits:

Outer: LM67048, race-LM6710

Inner: 25580, race 25520

Rear grease seal, double lip #292100

They gave me this also:
spindle shoulder 2.25, 3.264 O.D. x .312 thick

However, Andy is gone until next week, (i'm going this weekend), and it sounded like he was the guru of parts.

Napa at the trailer site has the bearings/races, but will have to order the seals. So I'm going to get all this stuff at Napa by my house and bring with me. I'm not trusting the old bearings, packing it aint going to cut it on this one.

I also found some other seal info (58 pacer used a #290944)

The original P/N was a National 291148 felt seal and 292100 in the ‘60s Henschen axle. The 292100’s are available from OasisRV. The TCM 21325TB is a good substitute for the 291148. It is a double lip seal, also.

Many, if not all of these numbers probably don't apply to a 58 18', but I want to make sure I can get the right parts 450 miles away from home.
I am afraid the trailer has original rawhide rear seals.

Also, I have some rims/tires off my '65 globetrotter, does anyone know if they would work on a 58' 18'?

Thanks in Advance,

TIMK

[REDSLED88]

Getting the bearings/races should be fine, I've already called Napa near the trailer (430 miles away) and they have some bearings in stock.
The #'s I have from an Rv dealer are:

Outer: LM67048
Race LM6710

Inner: 25580
race 25520

and a dbl lip seal, #292100, although I have read a post where a '58 pacer had a seal #290944, or #291148 (felt seal) was info from another site.

I think I am going to order the seals, considering they take a day, and get the bearings/races from the Napa by my house, drive 430 miles to the trailer and see what's what. If they match then good, if not then I'll be stuck waiting for parts to come in.

I'm just trying to get any indication of being on the right page before I make the trip. If I can get something ordered ahead of time then it makes the voyage much easier.

Also, I would be using 6 lug, 225/75D15 rims on the trailer, taking place of what I think are split rims 7-14.5. The wheels are off my '65 globetrotter.
Does anyone have any objections to using the wheels off my '65GT in place of the 7-14.5 split rims on the 18' 1958?

Thanks in advance,
TIMK

[worldinchaos]

Originally Posted by REDSLED88

Getting the bearings/races should be fine, I've already called Napa near the trailer (430 miles away) and they have some bearings in stock.
The #'s I have from an Rv dealer are:

Outer: LM67048
Race LM6710

Inner: 25580
race 25520

and a dbl lip seal, #292100, although I have read a post where a '58 pacer had a seal #290944, or #291148 (felt seal) was info from another site.

I think I am going to order the seals, considering they take a day, and get the bearings/races from the Napa by my house, drive 430 miles to the trailer and see what's what. If they match then good, if not then I'll be stuck waiting for parts to come in.

I'm just trying to get any indication of being on the right page before I make the trip. If I can get something ordered ahead of time then it makes the voyage much easier.

Also, I would be using 6 lug, 225/75D15 rims on the trailer, taking place of what I think are split rims 7-14.5. The wheels are off my '65 globetrotter.
Does anyone have any objections to using the wheels off my '65GT in place of the 7-14.5 split rims on the 18' 1958?

Thanks in advance,
TIMK

Sorry I got to this thread late. Congrats on the vintage 18 footer!

I wouldn't use the split rims. Using the 6 lugs would obviously work fine. My 59 Pacer had 7.00x15LT's on there with some newer, non-split rim 6 lugs.

I have this info on what I found, if it helps. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f437...ml#post1105533
She is one year younger and was made with scrap parts from production, being a Pacer and all. Still, maybe some of the data is useful.

[overlander63]

The 15x6 wheels should work fine in place of the 14.5 wheels.
Now, if you want zero surprises when you go to pick up your new trailer, you can swing in to a trailer or RV store, and pick up new loaded backing plates and new 12x2 drums, new seals and bearings, and replace all of it when you get there. In fact, you could even pre-pack the bearings, and install the inner bearings and seals before you even leave home.
With that said, there is something rattling around in the back of my head about the bearings from that era, like they were smaller, the spindles were smaller, something was different, but I can't remember. Getting old and forgetful sucks...

[RickDavis]

Assuming your intent is to bring the trailer home, and also assuming there is no known bearing problem I would be inclined to simply repack the existing bearings and head for home.. I have moved many old trailers across the country this way with no problems. Just check hub temperatures at each stop.
Much simpler than driving out races etc by the side of the road.
The old waxy type grease does dry out so I always make it a point to pull a wheel and check if the trailer has been sitting for years.

Repacking in this case can simply mean scrapping out as much old grease as possible and stuffing in the new, saving the fancy clean up for a location where there is no time pressure and more tools are available

[RickDavis]

Originally Posted by overlander63

The 15x6 wheels should work fine in place of the 14.5 wheels.
Now, if you want zero surprises when you go to pick up your new trailer, you can swing in to a trailer or RV store, and pick up new loaded backing plates and new 12x2 drums, new seals and bearings, and replace all of it when you get there. In fact, you could even pre-pack the bearings, and install the inner bearings and seals before you even leave home.
With that said, there is something rattling around in the back of my head about the bearings from that era, like they were smaller, the spindles were smaller, something was different, but I can't remember. Getting old and forgetful sucks...

The spindles and bearings were smaller in that era. They were the same on both my 54 and 61. i have numbers at home but can't get to them right now but it looks like that has been fairly well covered.

Regarding the loaded backing plates, On a trailer that old a torch might be required to get them off. That was the case on my 61. Wouldn't have wanted to do that one in a parking lot.
Also at some point some models may have used warner brakes rather than Hayes, my 54 did. My 61 was hayes. Just to confuse things more.

My policy is do only what you must to safely get it home and then tackle the rest of it

[REDSLED88]

Originally Posted by overlander63

The 15x6 wheels should work fine in place of the 14.5 wheels.
Now, if you want zero surprises when you go to pick up your new trailer, you can swing in to a trailer or RV store, and pick up new loaded backing plates and new 12x2 drums, new seals and bearings, and replace all of it when you get there. In fact, you could even pre-pack the bearings, and install the inner bearings and seals before you even leave home.
With that said, there is something rattling around in the back of my head about the bearings from that era, like they were smaller, the spindles were smaller, something was different, but I can't remember. Getting old and forgetful sucks...

Thanks overlander63, but I don't even know of an RV place locally in the next day that can get any parts.
Your on the right page with the splindle size, and this is what I want to triple check with Ya'll. If I can find exact specs. for seals, then at least I have a fighting chance with the parts. I don't think I want to worry about the backing plate. I am not real sure what that is... maybe you could enlighten me a mite. Is it hard to replace? How do I go about ordering them? Are 12"x2" drums universal? Are the backing plates matched to the drum?

I have changed dozens of wheel bearings, but have no real experience on an airstream.
This is all good info, thanks again

TIMK

[REDSLED88]

Thanks RickDavis,
the only concern I have is the rear grease seal. I am afraid it is rawhide and anihilated.
I'm going to order #292100 from Napa and some of the bearings I have listed in one of my last posts and bring them with me.
The info I received does not seem to be exact, as the person I received it from was not 100% sure of the data.

What involves replacing the backing plates? What if I don't replace them on the road, will this cause any issues?
I have an '03 F350 7.3L diesel, so I don't think brakes will be an issue with this small of trailer.
I will definetly check the temp. periodically (say every 20-30 minutes) to see if it's getting warm. Someone mentioned a temp. gun.... what temp. would I be looking for as far as too hot with a thermal temp. gun?

Yeah, changing the bearings on the side of the road is not my favorite thing to do, but if the races spin then that's what I'll be doing.

If anyone can confirm the rear grease seal part# froma 1959 18' Traveler/ California, then I would feel a little more confident.

Thanks everyone for your help, this forum rocks and will definetly help in getting the trailer to it's home.

Thanks in advance,

TIMK

[worldinchaos]

Originally Posted by RickDavis

The spindles and bearings were smaller in that era. They were the same on both my 54 and 61. i have numbers at home but can't get to them right now but it looks like that has been fairly well covered.

Regarding the loaded backing plates, On a trailer that old a torch might be required to get them off. That was the case on my 61. Wouldn't have wanted to do that one in a parking lot.
Also at some point some models may have used warner brakes rather than Hayes, my 54 did. My 61 was hayes. Just to confuse things more.

My policy is do only what you must to safely get it home and then tackle the rest of it

My 59 was Hayes. Came off with a cheater bar on the wrench and then a mallet to urge the backing plates to free themselves up.

TIMK, yes 12"x2" brakes are universal. More than you could ever imagine. Self adjusting 12" Dexter brakes fit my 1959 Hayes drums. I do know that they will not fit the old Hadco drums from the same era. You can find some really good info on converting Hadco drums on the vintageairstream.com website. Regardless, I agree that you will not need brakes for that size trailer with any urgency. The brakes on my comparatively smaller FJ cruiser handled the 2000# trailer just fine before I changed them out.

[RickDavis]

Generally if you put your hand on them there should be some temp. rise but not too hot to touch.

I use an infrared thermometer from Harbor freight, about 40 bucks. Most of the time the hub will be about 20 degrees above outside temp if you have stopped with out applying the brakes.

It is just a case of walking around the trailer and pointing the thermometer at the hub and pulling the trigger.

Very handy for air conditioner work also.

With one of these i have been able to determine if a cat is sitting on concrete its butt will be 10 degrees colder than the rest of the cat

[AirsDream]

Originally Posted by RickDavis

I use an infrared thermometer from Harbor freight ... With one of these i have been able to determine if a cat is sitting on concrete its butt will be 10 degrees colder than the rest of the cat

Ya' know, as Ron White would say, "That there is useful information!"

[REDSLED88]

Well, the parts list I had for bearing races & seals was wrong. I tried to do my due dilligence ahead of time to find the right bearings BEFORE the trip, but to no avail.

What I found was that the outer bearings were Bower #1779 with a #1729 Timken race.
The inner bearings were Bower #2788 with a Bower #2729 race, and a rear grease seal was # 7044NA (National).
From what I can find this is a HADCO axle, and unfortunately 12"x2" hubs would not work on this axel spindle/backing plate combo. From what I was told (correct me if I'm wrong) the HADCO hubs are specific to HADCO.

So, I drove 430 miles to pick up the trailer. The lug nuts were rusted to the hub, so I had a local shop in Crescent City, Ca remove the lug nuts with a torch and impact wrench. (PM if you need assistance in this neck of the woods) They charged $25... well worth it.

What I did was remove the whole hub with the wheel and pounded out the races on the side of the shop.
Once I had all the bearings/races out I was able to locate all the parts locally in Crescent City.
At just about 7pm, minutes before dark and rain drops starting to fall, I put the rims back on.
The old bearings weren't that bad, but after all that trouble I might as well change them.

From Start to finish, including meeting the seller and registering at DMV, removing wheels, hubs, beaings and races it took about 8 hours.
I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart, considering most of the parts are specific, and can be troublesome to find.
However, we got everything back together and on the road. After 3 days and 860 miles the trailer is right in it's spot in my driveway.

Next project..... 65 Globetrotter made into coffee concessions trailer.


Thanks in advance,
TIMK

[RickDavis]

Glad you made it ok.
We just got home from FL and I now have access to the bearing and seal numbers if you still have any need for any of that info. Some of the numbers you now list do sound familiar.

It may be the hadco axle was the one that used the warner brakes. The have large round magnets that surround the spindle and I think the shoes were only 1.5 inches wide instead of 2 inches but may not remember that right

[REDSLED88]

yeah, if your privy to the info then sure, but don't bother yourself too much, the good thing is I made it.

Here is a pic of an axle, identical to mine. I never did find any markings on my hubs... they were too rusted to tell.

My axle is completely anihilated. I will be going with a new Dexter straight axle with electric brakes and leaf spring combo.
The trailer is totally wasted on the inside. I am afraid the frame is beat also. Oh well, I'll take it down to the bare and start over.

Here are some pics.
I will be starting a new thread soon.... Frame on restoration of '65 Globetrotter. Hope to hear from you there.
Thanks in advance,
TIMK