I found this posted else ware but I have seen several similar import parts fail, so I try to avoid the low cost import parts in almost all cases!
I tried to install a $11 timing gear set a freind purchased for his SBC, a few years ago, he purchased a timing gear set from INDIA that was a FULL 11 DEGREES off if you used the dot-to-dot marks to instal a cam,
(checked repeatedly by both myself and two other experienced engine builders) with a degree wheel,
and I have had a friend purchase several supposedly stock replacement parts from the internet that were no where close to fitting correctly.
AS AN EXAMPLE,I recently helped install a front end suspension upgrade kit ,in my opinion its component parts were just barely functional and the parts were of low quality, the grease seals all the ball joints had flaws
the owner got a DEAL on IMPORTED ball joints, we took them out of the packaging and noticed the crappy grease boot seals, as cast body and metric thread,s I suggested returning them, but we had them and the owner felt returning them would be difficult and waste a week or more time, they were difficult to press into the lower a-arm so we measured the diameter of the clamping surface diam. where it inserts into the a-arms, the original ball joints measured 2.070, the replacements measured 2.085" obviously they needed to be carefully machined to the slightly smaller diam.
a bit of research showed the import ball joints sell for about $30 each, the American made replacement parts sell for about -$57-$110 each depending on the vendor and brand selected, locally so its no surprise that many guys select the less expensive route, but it may be a mistake, the quality looked to be significantly lower, the parts needed to be slightly modified to fit and the grease boots were leaking right out of the packaging.
https://carcaretotal.com/best-wheel-bearing-greases/
https://www.carbibles.com/best-wheel-bearing-grease/
https://thewashingtonnote.com/best-wheel-bearing-grease/
https://toolspicks.com/best-wheel-bearing-grease/
https://www.greaseexpert.com/wheel-bearing-grease/
https://rvlivingnow.com/best-grease-for-rv-trailer-bearings/
https://www.bestreviews.guide/autom...MI8a-U4Ynj5wIVCtvACh0dZg4LEAMYAiAAEgLubPD_BwE
Keep in mind both the bearings, and suspension bushings and ball joints, and u-joints and the grease being used must be both compatible and the grease should be refreshed and refilled at least once or twice a year on anything thats driven much, I've always used this, for most application's,
with ZERO ISSUES FOR DECADES,on several different axles.
drive shaft splines and even many wheel bearing assemblies,
and at about $6 a can its not too expensive and lasts for years
no its obviously not the recommended lubricant you asked about but I've found it functions very well.
I've even used it on trailed wheel bearings and never lost one even on almost yearly trips from florida to colorado pulling a loaded trailer
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/greasing-ball-joints-etc.3150/#post-66996
I got asked again about ROCK AUTO as a parts source,
I've purchased several THOUSANDS of dollars worth of basic maintenance, parts like brakes, water pumps distributor caps, spark plugs , etc. for repairs on daily driven cars, over the last 6-7 years and the only screw-up was once, in all that time some guy pulling parts in the shipping department who could not read numbers correctly, they exchanged them for the correct part number without any problems at their cost, so yeah! good company to deal with.
OBVIOUSLY IF YOU WANT TOP AVOID PROBLEMS TAKE YOUR TIME TO ORDER DECENT PARTS< these guys supply the type of parts your average auto parts store sells but at times at lower prices and yes the prices can be much better at times.
and yes its up to you to use some reason and do your research, carefully.
use the correct part numbers
read the info on the parts you order very carefully,
and ID try to stick too well known name brand parts suppliers,
USE NAME BRANDS ,your familiar with like MOOG, CLEVITE, DELCO, WARNER, BENDIX
if those or similar parts cost $X and company Y has parts that cost 40% less, you should assume there's a damn good reason, and that reason is frequently lower quality parts,
and yes you tend to get the quality you pay for,
theres no free lunch!
you never know what you'll get if you just shop price alone!
I tried to install a $11 timing gear set a freind purchased for his SBC, a few years ago, he purchased a timing gear set from INDIA that was a FULL 11 DEGREES off if you used the dot-to-dot marks to instal a cam,
(checked repeatedly by both myself and two other experienced engine builders) with a degree wheel,
and I have had a friend purchase several supposedly stock replacement parts from the internet that were no where close to fitting correctly.
AS AN EXAMPLE,I recently helped install a front end suspension upgrade kit ,in my opinion its component parts were just barely functional and the parts were of low quality, the grease seals all the ball joints had flaws
the owner got a DEAL on IMPORTED ball joints, we took them out of the packaging and noticed the crappy grease boot seals, as cast body and metric thread,s I suggested returning them, but we had them and the owner felt returning them would be difficult and waste a week or more time, they were difficult to press into the lower a-arm so we measured the diameter of the clamping surface diam. where it inserts into the a-arms, the original ball joints measured 2.070, the replacements measured 2.085" obviously they needed to be carefully machined to the slightly smaller diam.
a bit of research showed the import ball joints sell for about $30 each, the American made replacement parts sell for about -$57-$110 each depending on the vendor and brand selected, locally so its no surprise that many guys select the less expensive route, but it may be a mistake, the quality looked to be significantly lower, the parts needed to be slightly modified to fit and the grease boots were leaking right out of the packaging.
https://www.thedrive.com/reviews/28909/best-wheel-bearing-greases66SS632 said:Beware of Chinese crap!!
Caught your attention ?? LOL!
It probably goes without saying that we have all had some experience using stuff from China and found it to be well...CRAP. Some things it's just par for the coarse as in tools, toasters, and just about everything else . It's kind of expected ,to a certain degree, and most of us have adjusted our purchasing to reflect that reality in the quality and durability of the stuff we buy. For this peticular topic I am refering to CAR PARTS. Not all the other everyday stuff we buy because it simply is not available Made In Canada/USA.
https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server1700/c3231/products/62/images/176/MadeInUSA01__89467.1325788842.1280.1280.jpg?c=2&imgrefurl=http://www.southeasternlabel.com/made-in-usa-2-x-2-1/&docid=go2u05FX_DBAOM&tbnid=xADphgN9YNlPIM:&vet=1&w=1000&h=1000&bih=687&biw=1024&ved=0ahUKEwi0wIzJ1cDQAhXqsVQKHcBmBnMQMwhQKBQwFA&iact=mrc&uact=8
https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/images/items/zoom/11LR36_AS01.JPG&imgrefurl=https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/en/product/LABELS-3X2-1000-RL-MADE-IN-CANADA/_/R-JLBMSL033&docid=f1XGSqkyS99a8M&tbnid=lqT3wKpIGRvTNM:&vet=1&w=600&h=471&bih=687&biw=1024&ved=0ahUKEwiqgqr71cDQAhXBy1QKHbp5AhQQMwg2KAUwBQ&iact=mrc&uact=8
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powerbuilt-23-Piece-Ball-Joint-U-Joint-Service-Kit-648617/203120548?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-BASE-PLA-D25T-Garage-Automotive|&gclid=CM7-rI-e-tQCFUa4wAodcnEHfg&gclsrc=aw.ds
My last thread here was in July just before leaving for the Goodguys show in Puyallup Washington. A close friend of mine (Mopar guy-LOL!) had been talking about how much he enjoyed the show and I should go down too. The hotel had a room cancelation so there was a space available. I actually started getting quite excited about it because all the people I spoke to about it in past years said they really enjoyed it. So the wife and I decided to go. We decided to travel with the other couple together in our separate cars; us in my 66 and they were travelling in his 68 Cuda. Should be a pretty easy drive down I5. It's about 150 miles from here so not a big deal.
My Impala has a T56 6 speed transmission. Even though I'm running 4:56 gears I’m only revving the engine to 1600-1700 rpm at 65 mph. That trans has a .5 sixth gear and it makes highway cruising a breeze!
The rear end in my 66 is a Dana 60HD originally from a ¾ ton van. The “HD” is cast into the center section as it has extra webbing and the axle tubes are 5/16 wall. I narrowed it accordingly and welded on the appropriate Impala brackets.
When I originally installed the rear end the posi unit was rebuilt, the 456 gears are stock but were as new condition, the axles are Dutchman 35 spline, all new bearings seals, and a disk brake conversion kit. I added a stud girdle just because I like them…!
Before we left for Puyallup I changed the engine oil and gave the car a once over. Everything seemed fine. The last thing I was expecting was differential problems.
So we are cruising down I5 Just outside Skagit. My buddy is ahead of us cruising in the slow lane at 60-65 mph. He has to buzz the 440 in his Cuda’ to 2900-3000rpm to maintain that speed so I just said we’d follow as I would have no problem running behind him.
All of a sudden BANG!! The car shudders and pulls hard to the right! The drivers wheel BREAKS OFF and FLIES RIGHT PAST US ON THE PASSENGERS SIDE!! I look in the rear view mirror and see sparks and smoke coming out behind us!!
The car skids for about 250 feet dragging the drivers side of the diff on the pavement!!
We were in a construction zone and there was a 4 foot median on both sides. The car finally stops about 20 feet before passing the median.
The wheel continues for 1000 feet and narrowly missed a couple of construction workers!! Everything happened so fast I’m not even sure what to think!!
A cop pulls up behind us (he saw the whole thing) and calls a flat bed. Traffic backs up for ¼ mile and it costs me $350.00 ( USD) to tow the car back to Blaine. Needless to say we didn’t get to Puyallip!
I was SO fortunate! The reality of what COULD HAVE HAPPENED started to sink in a few hours later. We went out for drinks when we finally got home!
I started thinking hard about how things could have unfolded as compared to how they did:
Kept control of the car until it stopped: wheel could have easily gone under car instead of out the side.
Wheel could have hit some of the guys or equipment on the side of the road.
Wheel could have shot off into ONCOMING traffic, and it was bumper to bumper the other direction! Liability issues!!
But really I have to be thankfull....
No body hurt, no property damage, and off the highway in 15 minutes
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN????
Wheel bearing MADE IN F@#$%@G CHINA!!! FAILED!!!!!!
I actually took note that the wheel bearings were made in China and I thought then just off the top of my head “I hope it’s not a piece of shite.” Well I guess my instinct was right.
All these were purchased at a reputable rear end parts supplier in the WA area. I’ve read articles of the problem with counterfeit parts hitting the market. Were mine counterfeits or just poor quality? I really don’t know. My suggestion would be don’t manufacture the f%#%#$g things there in the first place!!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...lexes-the-real-money-is-in-fake-ball-bearings
IN SUMMARRY:
Wheel bearing failed, seized on the axle, heated up blue and broke axle right off. Also broke disk brake in half.
While skidding on the pavement shock mount completely ground off as well as half the diameter of the sway bar. Quarter panel took a hit but not as bad as I would have thought, although unseen by the picture I can feel a ripple running my hand over it.
I took the car to a local rear end shop to fix the dif. I insisted on removing all the bearings made in China replaced them with bearings MADE IN USA. Cost me a few $$ extra but I don’t care at this point!!
Car was drivable again by mid August and we were able to get to the Langley Cruise In. I waited for a month or so to get the car into a local body shop to get the body repairs done and it’s almost finished as of Friday.
Don’t use Chinese bearings!
LESSON LEARNED.
https://carcaretotal.com/best-wheel-bearing-greases/
https://www.carbibles.com/best-wheel-bearing-grease/
https://thewashingtonnote.com/best-wheel-bearing-grease/
https://toolspicks.com/best-wheel-bearing-grease/
https://www.greaseexpert.com/wheel-bearing-grease/
https://rvlivingnow.com/best-grease-for-rv-trailer-bearings/
https://www.bestreviews.guide/autom...MI8a-U4Ynj5wIVCtvACh0dZg4LEAMYAiAAEgLubPD_BwE
Keep in mind both the bearings, and suspension bushings and ball joints, and u-joints and the grease being used must be both compatible and the grease should be refreshed and refilled at least once or twice a year on anything thats driven much, I've always used this, for most application's,
with ZERO ISSUES FOR DECADES,on several different axles.
drive shaft splines and even many wheel bearing assemblies,
and at about $6 a can its not too expensive and lasts for years
no its obviously not the recommended lubricant you asked about but I've found it functions very well.
I've even used it on trailed wheel bearings and never lost one even on almost yearly trips from florida to colorado pulling a loaded trailer
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/greasing-ball-joints-etc.3150/#post-66996
I got asked again about ROCK AUTO as a parts source,
I've purchased several THOUSANDS of dollars worth of basic maintenance, parts like brakes, water pumps distributor caps, spark plugs , etc. for repairs on daily driven cars, over the last 6-7 years and the only screw-up was once, in all that time some guy pulling parts in the shipping department who could not read numbers correctly, they exchanged them for the correct part number without any problems at their cost, so yeah! good company to deal with.
OBVIOUSLY IF YOU WANT TOP AVOID PROBLEMS TAKE YOUR TIME TO ORDER DECENT PARTS< these guys supply the type of parts your average auto parts store sells but at times at lower prices and yes the prices can be much better at times.
and yes its up to you to use some reason and do your research, carefully.
use the correct part numbers
read the info on the parts you order very carefully,
and ID try to stick too well known name brand parts suppliers,
USE NAME BRANDS ,your familiar with like MOOG, CLEVITE, DELCO, WARNER, BENDIX
if those or similar parts cost $X and company Y has parts that cost 40% less, you should assume there's a damn good reason, and that reason is frequently lower quality parts,
and yes you tend to get the quality you pay for,
theres no free lunch!
you never know what you'll get if you just shop price alone!
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