NEED HELP with bearing

[73_CadillacHearse]

Hey everyone!

I have a 1973 Cadillac Hearse that is currently torn apart in my driveway. About a month ago, the wheel fell off. Two of the wheel studs were sliced off and the other 3 broke. After a ton of trouble with trying to find the right wheel studs (finally finding some), we noticed that the bearing on the axle was no longer a circle - It had to be replaced. THAT is where our current problem lies. We have looked at auto parts stores and been able to find bearings that are two-thousandths of an inch off - Which we bought in hopes that it would work only to find out that, NO, it won't. We DO have a part number. But, everywhere we look tells us that no such part exists. It's not in any books or online. Our next (expensive) step is taking it to a bearing shop and having a custom one made.

So, does anyone know anything about these bearings? Or where we can get one? Without having to pay a lot to get one specially made? Any info would be amazing!

Oh, the part number stamped on the bearing is U499. Other than that, the only thing stamped on the bearing is where it was made.

I just don't know what else to do. Any help would be SO much appreciated!

Thanks!

[northgahearse]

if you are talking the outer axle bearing you can still get them but the seal thats the fun part.
go to this thread

http://www.nationalhearse.net/forums/showthread.php?9281-1970-1976-commercial-chassis-rear-axle-seals

and i have a few still

also you need to make sure that the axle and the rear housing are ok
or just putting a new one one it might chew it up as well

[73_CadillacHearse]

I found the bearing. I called Bearings and Drives here in GA ( Norcross,Ga ) to be more specific. It is a Timkin U499 bearing. That number is no good any longer... the new Timkin number for the bearing is U497-904A3. It comes with a new race for the housing aswell. It set me back 82 bucks after shipping. I actually found the seal quite easy to get, went to the parts store and told them what I wanted and they pulled it off the shelf. No lie, the boxes they were in were covered in dust, but it was an exact match. lol. Now my next issue I have ran into with the rearend in this car is putting the rear drum brakes back together. lol. any one have a diagram for it? Thank you for helping.

[Abnorml]

Where did you get the studs? A friend just got a a set off a hearse, yesterday. He found somewhere that had them in Cailfornia, but they didn't ship after he paid. They were I think $10 each.
I broke a couple studs a few years ago and couldn't find any long enough to put the spacer back in. I found some that I could put the wheel on, but without the spacer. I don't know what the spacer is for, but I was told it was there for a reason and need to put it back on. Someone on here had a set off a hearse and sold them to me.

[73_CadillacHearse]

I tried and tried and couldnt find the stock replacements for sale anywhere. I talked to a machinist and he said he could make them ( 5 studs for $50 ) I ended up just taking my axle with me to the parts store and waled to the back where the studs are with the axle and measured the studs off the shelf till i found some that would work. got new lug nuts that fit that stud and would set in my 22 inch wheels correctly. I used a 60,000 pound press and pressed the studs in the axle. I do have to drill the lug holes in the drum just a hair bigger to slide over the knurl on the new studs tho. I think the studs I got were for a mid 70s chevy 3/4 ton truck. The spacer slides right onto them, like I said... just have to make the holes in the drum its self just a hair bigger. I called a place in SoCal called Cadillacs Only, they said they will try to track some stock studs down for me and after 2 weeks they still havnt called back. Guess they never found them. lol.