Swivel pin housing

[alaskajosh]

As part of my (post purchase) inspection of this '70 109 carawagon I found the SPH full of peanut butter colored pudding that tastes like gear oil. A complete overhaul is in the works needless to say.

There is a patch of rust flecks on the exterior of the swivel ball.. not too bad but definately palpable to the touch. How much of this will the seal really tolerate? What are my options? Someone (maybe TeriAnn) suggested a body filler to smooth things over?? What would go on over that.. anything? Presuming chroming is offered in my area (I haven't called around) is this a good option?

Lastly, I read somewhere about neoprene (not leather) gaitors. Where are these offered for sale? Yes, I am familiar with the potential drawbacks of gaitors.

Thank you, all.

[alaskajosh]

Also:

The ring that the axle case oil seal (keeps diff fluid out of SPH) rides on looks like someone gripped it with a pipe wrench. That seal doesn't have a prayer of sealing.

What is your experience with removing an refitting this ring (called in book "retaining collar")?

[TedW]

I installed the neoprene gaiters.

Made by Bailcast in the UK. Got them on eBay, but I think they are available in the US. A web search should do it.
Kind of a pain to install (they glue together at the top) but they seal up super tight. Also, you can undo the retaining ring every so often to see if any water has gotten in. For me, so far, no problems.

[gudjeon]

If they are rusty on the surface, they are likely to be deeply pitted where the seal normally sits with wheels pointed straight. This is especially so at the bottom of the swivel ball. I opted for rechroming as the original chroming is whispy thin by industrial chroming standards. The chroming shop can first strip all the old old chrome off. Any pits can be bead blasted to get out all the rust pits. Then these pits can be welded in and filed smooth (this is the delicate part of ther operation). Once smooth as you can get on the bare swivel, you get it rechromed again. It cost me a bit less than buying replacements and the chroming will outlast everything else. If you go this route, go with an industrial chrome shop, not a comsmetic rechroming shop.

Jon

[alaskajosh]

Yeah, I checked into this today.. the only option in Alaska is cosmetic chroming. Guy said even Seattle doesn't have industrial chroming.

Which leaves me wondering what I should do. The balls are off and the pitting/rust really isn't too bad.

[yorker]

I sanded mine and filled the pitting with a skim of JB weld in 1996- it has lasted OK till now. It might be a viable option for you.

[gudjeon]

Well you could do the old fill and sand trick. I have done this in the past and the results are good on minor pitting. I wipe the swivels clean every couple of weeks and coat the outside with a smear of white lithium grease. Keeps the seal lubed and does not let grit in. I learned this trick from an old hand who used to drive these things in the desert sands. It was the only way they could get any life out of the seals.

[alaskajosh]

Excellent, Yorker. I think that's just the solution for me.

[Donnie]

J B Weld will work fine here in this application as there is not a lot of friction / movement involved . one note however, use the 24 hour type and not the 5 min. brand as some sacrifice is made using the 5 min stuff.. Add a heat lamp to speed up the curing process, be sure to clean with some brake kleen product or what ever is available in your state..all the good chlorinated cleaners have been ****e canned in most areas..............good luck, Donnie

[LH Drive]

My swivels don't seem that bad, minimal pitting on the outer most area and i've been doing what gudjeon does so far. I read somewhere of removing the swivels, stripping the crome, and using POR 15. Its thick paste like that can be brushed on and is self leveling. It dries rock hard and can be sanded smooth. Has a non-porous finish that won't chip, crack or peel. Best of all it prevents RUST from recurring. I purchased the small starter kit that contains the metal prep and enough POR15 to do this job for under $30. I plan to get this done this winter.