Can't find new rear hubs for '74

[Erik]

I'm looking for new rear hubs for my '74 C20 with the 13" brakes. I was having my mechanic put on new drums, and when he put everything back together the truck shudders and shakes when braking. He initially thought the new drums might be faulty (out of round or warped in some way), but another set of drums didn't fix it. He put the old drums back on to try to isolate the problem, and now the old drums are also not rotating correctly. He said the only thing it could be is he must have bent the rear hubs slightly when he took them off the old drums. He had to use a lot of force to get them off the drums.

Long and short of it, I need to find new hubs and am having no luck. I can't find anything on any of the chain store web sites, LMC, Classic and even a Chevy dealer (though the dealer didn't seem particularly interested in helping). Any ideas of where I might locate them? Or other year trucks that use the same part? Napa does have the part for an '84 and it is 8-stud, but I don't know if it's the same part or not.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Honky Kong jr]

I'm looking for new rear hubs for my '74 C20 with the 13" brakes. I was having my mechanic put on new drums, and when he put everything back together the truck shudders and shakes when braking. He initially thought the new drums might be faulty (out of round or warped in some way), but another set of drums didn't fix it. He put the old drums back on to try to isolate the problem, and now the old drums are also not rotating correctly. He said the only thing it could be is he must have bent the rear hubs slightly when he took them off the old drums. He had to use a lot of force to get them off the drums.

Long and short of it, I need to find new hubs and am having no luck. I can't find anything on any of the chain store web sites, LMC, Classic and even a Chevy dealer (though the dealer didn't seem particularly interested in helping). Any ideas of where I might locate them? Or other year trucks that use the same part? Napa does have the part for an '84 and it is 8-stud, but I don't know if it's the same part or not.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Are the bearings in good condition, And properly set up?

 

[Erik]

The mechanic said so. He's been very reliable, so I have no reason to doubt him. Could he have damaged the bearings when he took the old drums off the first time?

 

[Erik]

Is it likely that the same hub was used throughout the 73-87 run? If so, it looks like it might be AC Delco RW20-124. Expensive as hell ($175ish each).

 

[Honky Kong jr]

Is it likely that the same hub was used throughout the 73-87 run? If so, it looks like it might be AC Delco RW20-124. Expensive as hell ($175ish each).

Might be cheaper to source a whole axle off CL. Undesirable ratio units go relatively cheap. Then harvest what you need and Bob’s your auntie and it’s done.

 

[bucket]

I find it extremely hard to believe that the hubs are causing the problem.

Are the hubs seating properly to the drums? Both mating surfaces need to be spotless.

 

[Snoots]

Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that the shoes are on backwards?

 

[Erik]

He didn't remove the shoes and the shaking wasn't there before, so I doubt the shoes are on backwards. He also said he's confident the bearings are good.

I also find it hard to believe the hubs got bent or warped. They're a solid piece of cast iron, so it doesn't seem like banging on them to get them off would bend them. Especially BOTH sides. He thought it was unlikely too, but he couldn't see what else it could be. He's pretty confounded by it.

Basically, both wheels are rotating like they're off center. He put it up on jacks and put it in drive, and he said he could see the space between the shoe and drum getting bigger and smaller as the wheels rotate, like the wheels are mounted off center. That's why he initially thought the drums might be out of round. But they're not, since he put the old drums back on and they're doing the same thing now (they weren't before, no shaking).

Any other ideas I should have him check out?

 

[Honky Kong jr]

He didn't remove the shoes and the shaking wasn't there before, so I doubt the shoes are on backwards. He also said he's confident the bearings are good.

I also find it hard to believe the hubs got bent or warped. They're a solid piece of cast iron, so it doesn't seem like banging on them to get them off would bend them. Especially BOTH sides. He thought it was unlikely too, but he couldn't see what else it could be. He's pretty confounded by it.

Basically, both wheels are rotating like they're off center. He put it up on jacks and put it in drive, and he said he could see the space between the shoe and drum getting bigger and smaller as the wheels rotate, like the wheels are mounted off center. That's why he initially thought the drums might be out of round. But they're not, since he put the old drums back on and they're doing the same thing now (they weren't before, no shaking).

Any other ideas I should have him check out?

Is this thing orange with the southern cross on the roof????

 

[Erik]

Right part of the country, but no. Sadly.

 

[Big Chip]

Right part of the country, but no. Sadly.

Maybe you need to go see the airbrush guy first then. After you're rocking the stars and bars things will just magically fall together for you. I think.

 

[Erik]

He just told me he cleaned the drum-to-hub surface and wheel-to-hub surface with an air-tool-powered abrasive, and the hubs are seated correctly. He didn't touch the shoes, so they're not backwards. He said the hubs were seized to the old drums, so he had to hammer them very hard to get them off and must've deformed them slightly.

So, if I need to buy new hubs, can anyone tell me if the hubs for my '74 are the same as the ones used in later years? I can find no info about what hubs go on a 74. The Delco RW20-124 (OEM part # 03977397) are listed as being used from 1982-2000. They "look" the same as mine from the web site photo, but I'd prefer not to spend this money and have them be the wrong ones.

 

[Erik]

Maybe you need to go see the airbrush guy first then. After you're rocking the stars and bars things will just magically fall together for you. I think.

We don't do airbrush in these parts. Straight rattle-can spray paint.

 

[Big Chip]

We don't do airbrush in these parts. Straight rattle-can spray paint.

Perfect!

 

[Big Chip]

Very nice looking truck by the way.