Front hub mystery

[jchance]

I have a 1985 gmc 4 wheel drive. After a left fornt caliper locked up i went to do a complete front brake job. Ordered my rotor/hub assemblies pads calipers lines and bearings. After getting the hub/rotor i noticed the inner bearing is to large for my spindle. I have to good parts houses not the box stores that even after looking in the books and computers researching all year models and makes call for the same hub/rotor. We did find that i believe two years 1976/1977 called for a smaller inner bearing but yet the computer and the book called for same rotor/hub. Im assuming that the fornt axle has been replaced on my truck based on the bearing setup. My quick fix was to buy just the rotor and press old hub and reuse. Has anyone seen this before and what is anyones advice on how to correct this reasonably. Thanks jeremy

 

[hirschdalechevy]

Is your front end a 10 bolt or a dana 44 ? If its a 44 it was for sure swapped out. I really dont mess with 80's trucks much but there was a spindle difference in the 73 thru 78 fronts , I think the cut off year was 75 and under small inner and 76 up large inner , but I am not 100% on the year but its right in there.

Or maybe someone changed the spindles at one time or another , because either one will bolt to any housing. You could just run your new parts and get the right spindles.

Like I said though I dont mess with 80's trucks so I have no clue if there was a bearing or spindle change. Someone will chime in with more info on this.

 

[jchance]

Is your front end a 10 bolt or a dana 44 ? If its a 44 it was for sure swapped out. I really dont mess with 80's trucks much but there was a spindle difference in the 73 thru 78 fronts , I think the cut off year was 75 and under small inner and 76 up large inner , but I am not 100% on the year but its right in there.

Or maybe someone changed the spindles at one time or another , because either one will bolt to any housing. You could just run your new parts and get the right spindles.

Like I said though I dont mess with 80's trucks so I have no clue if there was a bearing or spindle change. Someone will chime in with more info on this.[/QUOTE

NOONE CAN GIVE AN ANSWER WHY THE HUB ISNT AVAILABLE FOR THE SMALLER BEARING FRONT END WHICH IS FUSTRATINING. SO IF I GET THE SPINDLES FROM AN 80S MODEL THAT HAS THE LARGER INNER BEAERING THEY SHOULD SWAP OUT WITH NO PROBLEMS?

 

[Don5]

Hmm. I have a Dana 44 that I swapped into my truck. I am getting ready to tear into the hubs and repack, replace the bearings. I didn't know there was a difference in the spindles. I learned something new. Thank you guys.

As to the problem. Jeremy, I would change it out so that you can get the right parts later. Sure it might cost you now, but it might pay off later. If you are like me and decide to let your son have the truck 15 or 20 years later, it will be worth it.

 

[firebane]

Its not just the spindles. I think I read somewhere too that the axles are different thicknesses.

 

[jchance]

its not just the spindles. I think i read somewhere too that the axles are different thicknesses.

thats the type issues im hoping to find out before diving in the money isnt the issue its the headaches i want to avoid. And i agree i want to fix this issue so its an easy repair for the next time.

 

[firebane]

thats the type issues im hoping to find out before diving in the money isnt the issue its the headaches i want to avoid. And i agree i want to fix this issue so its an easy repair for the next time.

Ok so first off we need to determine WHAT front axle you have. Is it a dana44 or corporate 10 bolt?

Get that information first then we can figure out the rest.

 

[flyboy1100]

Hmm. I have a Dana 44 that I swapped into my truck. I am getting ready to tear into the hubs and repack, replace the bearings. I didn't know there was a difference in the spindles. I learned something new. Thank you guys.

As to the problem. Jeremy, I would change it out so that you can get the right parts later. Sure it might cost you now, but it might pay off later. If you are like me and decide to let your son have the truck 15 or 20 years later, it will be worth it.

i thought the knuckles out were the same between Corp/Dana44?

 

[firebane]

i thought the knuckles out were the same between Corp/Dana44?

Nope! Even the knuckles are different. Dana44 has a open and a closed style knuckle as well as knuckles with flat tops and knuckles that aren't flat top.

Flat top knuckles are sought after due to cross over steering.

 

[flyboy1100]

Nope! Even the knuckles are different. Dana44 has a open and a closed style knuckle as well as knuckles with flat tops and knuckles that aren't flat top.

Flat top knuckles are sought after due to cross over steering.

maybe it was spindles out? year dependant. i know there is a lot of things that are interchangeable from D44-Corp, just can't remember what exactly. ball joints, bearings, spindles, hubs, lockouts

 

[Don5]

Nope! Even the knuckles are different. Dana44 has a open and a closed style knuckle as well as knuckles with flat tops and knuckles that aren't flat top.

Flat top knuckles are sought after due to cross over steering.

Don't even talk about the closed style knuckle 44's. I only knew one guy that had them and even he said he would never do it again. He had to replace the wiper seals and some other parts. It was very expensive back in 80's when he did it.

 

[bucket]

Is your front end a 10 bolt or a dana 44 ? If its a 44 it was for sure swapped out. I really dont mess with 80's trucks much but there was a spindle difference in the 73 thru 78 fronts , I think the cut off year was 75 and under small inner and 76 up large inner , but I am not 100% on the year but its right in there.

Or maybe someone changed the spindles at one time or another , because either one will bolt to any housing. You could just run your new parts and get the right spindles.

Like I said though I dont mess with 80's trucks so I have no clue if there was a bearing or spindle change. Someone will chime in with more info on this.

You are correct, but '77 "might" have been the first year for the large bearing. It stayed the same through the 80's.

i thought the knuckles out were the same between Corp/Dana44?

There are differences, but they all swap with the correct combo of parts. You can run 10bolt parts on a 44 and the opposite.

Nope! Even the knuckles are different. Dana44 has a open and a closed style knuckle as well as knuckles with flat tops and knuckles that aren't flat top.

Flat top knuckles are sought after due to cross over steering.

The knuckles are different, but that doesn't mean you can't use them. And there were no squarebody trucks with closed knuckles.




But to the OP, do you actually need hubs? Why not just replace the rotors and bearings? Besides that, yes you can get the correct later spindles and put everything back to how it was originally.