73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => 4 Wheel Drives => Topic started by: ehjorten on January 05, 2015, 11:33:19 am
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Does anybody know the story behind the 2 different versions (Bendable Tab Lockwasher vs. the Pin Lockwasher)?
Some information I found on the internet said that the bendable tab lockwasher setup was from 1977-1981 and then after that they used the pin lockwasher setup.
Taking apart my '91 front-end I found the bendable tab lockwasher setup. This setup has a thrust washer between the outer bearing and the adjusting nut. All of the pictures of the pin lockwasher setup do not show a thrust washer, just the adjusting nut up against the outer bearing.
Everybody seems to carry the pin lockwasher setup like 4x4 stores, etc., but to me, it seems that the bendable tab lockwasher setup is a more robust system! With the bendable tab setup you have to get past the bendable tab for the lock nut to back-off. With the pin lockwasher, the lock nut just has to start to come loose before everything can start to loosen up!
Seems like it would be good to have a thrustwasher between the bearing and adjusting nut, but then again it only bears against the race of the bearing and these things are stationary to each other.
I know some of you will say...who cares?! Quite worrying about dumb stuff like that! My engineer brain gets me thinking about things like this and I kinda would like to know a credible story about it. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands this morning?! ;D
(http://www.quad4x4.com/images/qk4728p.jpg)
(http://www.quad4x4.com/PDGImages/-5316033182225758719_1.jpg)
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I too like the older (first style) but knowing GM it was a cost cutting measure pressuring Dana for a cost reduction back in the 80's and a re-design resulted in the later style. It was probably faster in assembly.
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I suppose...knowing how our assembly line workers do things...probably less installer dependent with the pin lockwasher than having to properly bend-over a tab.
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The second design was needed for the auto locking hubs to work. (See the four tabs on the washer with the lock pin holes).
There is a third design just out recently.
Any of them work fine. I have the first design on all of mine. It is the exact same set up, threads and all, as the GM FF 14-bolt rear.
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All of the 14-bolt FF rears I have, have the single nut with the rectangular keyway that slides in and is retained by a thin snap-ring with a little finger on it that keep the keyway in-place. They are really an elegant design.
That makes some sense about the auto-hubs.
My '77 K20 with the D44 has the pin lockwasher setup, but none of the 4-tabs on the lockwasher, so that is another variation.