Drive Shaft Rebuilding Question

[pruzicka]

I would like to rebuild my drive shaft the car is a 1917 (enclosed spool) so the drive shaft thrust bearing is not available. Can I use the 21 to 27 thrust bearing? These are part numbers 2591 (Qty 2) and 2591B (Qty 1) would the length stack up the same?
I know about the fun projects set up but I rather use some of the parts I have…
Thanks, Pete

[Rich Bingham]

Pete, I apologize for not keeping good notes. I rebuilt my '13 drive shaft last year. If the bearing body is OK, balls, thrust race and snap ring were still available. I had to access a couple of different suppliers. They may still be. Hope this helps.

[Oldav8tor]

I might have some of those parts. I personally would suggest you consider installing a modern Fun Projects Pinion Bearing - less maintenance and it makes it really easy to set up the rear end. In any case, I have all the parts except that washer that is pressed into the spool at the back that the bearings run in. I didn't feel like driving it out before I returned the spool as a core to FP.

Are yours in bad condition? How about the hyatt bearing?

[rickd]

I second the recommendation to use the FP pinion bearing set up. I'm assuming you have the rear end opened up to check the pinion depth and the lash of the pinion and ring gear when you install that rebuilt drive shaft. The FP set up sure makes life easier at that point. My two cents.

[RGould1910]

You can use the later double race and ball bearing thrust bearing in an earlier enclosed spool. Here's how. Cut a used outer sleeve just enough to completely fill the area formerly occupied by the cup of the earlier style thrust bearing and press it in place. The thickness of the later thrust bearing is the same as the earlier. So all thats necessay is to make the id of spool the same throughout its entire length to capture the later bearing. In effect you are modifying an earier spool to the inner dimensions of a later spool.

[pruzicka]

Thanks for all the replies and inputs, I defiantly have a path forward. I have a NOS Hyatt bearing, just need to get the shaft sleeve. If the bearing is still useable, I will get new balls and snap ring. It must have been apart before as the u-joint pin as missing and I have a ring and pinion set for the rear axle. Got to look at my Green Book” to see what else may have been misassembled. Axles looked good and the gears and center are all good. Drive shaft font bushing surface is good. Because the pin was missing makes me suspicious that there was something else wrong with the drive shaft assembly. I wanted to replace the thrust bearing for reliability sake. I didn’t see the pressed in spacer in the spool that was mentioned, I believe that is the thrust ball bearing outer race. The back of the thrust bearing outer race was up against the driveshaft tube. Rgould1910 describes this.
I may make a ring spacer that will fill the space as he describes his method of using a section of the outer bearing. That is if I need to change the thrust bearing outer race and cannot good find one.
Pete