spindle keyway gasket dilema

[Ridgerunner]

I started my hub flip tonight. And when I pulled out the axle shaft, the first thing that I noticed was the Jack A$$ that did the bearings last never bent the tabs over on the lock ring to keep the outer lock nut from coming loose. Also missing is the little rubber gasket that fits down in the spindle keyway. I'd like to get this put back together and on the road in a timely manner.

So my question is, what can I use in place of the missing little keyway gasket?

 

[m16ty]

Just clean all the grease off of the keyway and fill it with silicone sealant. That's what I always do and seems to hold better than the stock cork plug,

 

[BFR]

Just clean all the grease off of the keyway and fill it with silicone sealant. That's what I always do and seems to hold better than the stock cork plug,

 

[jimm1009]

Ditto to the above.
Really good quality silicon.
Clean that area with MEK or fingernail polish remover or Naptha or a paint prep wipe to remove all the grease or it won't work but the silicone works just as well if not better. Cork shrinks or expands depending on it's environment
and is not the best choice in today's world.
jimm1009

 

[jatonka]

If you use quality cork, say from a bottle of Wild Turkey 101, you won't have a problem. Or at least you won't notice it for a while, then just buy another bottle and it's fixed again. Words of wisdom from RAM to JT years ago.

 

[yellobronc]

 

[firefox]

Do you mean this?

Buy bottle of Good Bourbon.... get cork...not wine type... whiskey type...

cut into tight fitting chunk to fit in keyway and be compressed a little by

washer....put a little rtv on it to hold it and viola.... do not drive truck

until whiskey has passed...

 

[Marlboro]

I got the inner an outter seals with the cork from memphis.

 

[clinto]

I've done a dozen now and used RTV in all of them with no problems.

 

[rlwm211]

Yes, RTV WOULD WORK, but.............

The Bourbon is so much more fun to consume while you are gathering cork for your keyways.



RL

 

[aspann]

Well, I don't drink the hard stuff, just beer. So I got a case of beer and went looking for a cork tree here on the farm and haven't found one yet. So I off to the store for some more beer.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

May 5th, 2010.

Silicone may work for actresses, but the Army was pretty specific on using cork in the keyways to seal the hubs..... See the PM magazine cartoon on the missing cork on resources on here.... You can get the new cork seals reasonably from the usual suspects, White Owl Parts has been reasonable and they have these in stock. If the silicone fails, or more aptly "when" the silicone fails, you may lose a bearing or worse.

Just my thoughts on the matter, and Wild Turkey is apt to get you in trouble with the cops if you need too many wedges at one time.....

 

[clinto]

May 5th, 2010.

Silicone may work for actresses, but the Army was pretty specific on using cork in the keyways to seal the hubs..... See the PM magazine cartoon on the missing cork on resources on here.... You can get the new cork seals reasonably from the usual suspects, White Owl Parts has been reasonable and they have these in stock. If the silicone fails, or more aptly "when" the silicone fails, you may lose a bearing or worse.

Just my thoughts on the matter, and Wild Turkey is apt to get you in trouble with the cops if you need too many wedges at one time.....

A valid point, with the exception being that sealant technology has come a long way since 1949, when these trucks were designed.

The cork has a weak spot in it as well-when constantly bombarded with hot gear oil, it eventually breaks down and dissolves. This is why when the seals fails and you go to repair it, there are only trace elements of the cork left in the keyway.

 

[stumps]

When the deuce's axles were being developed, silicone RTV was just a gleam in some chemist's eye. To a very large degree, the head shed didn't go out of its way to invent solutions to problems that were non existent. Cork seals work fine, if you bother to install them.

However....

In my ever so humble opinion, silicone RTV is a perfect substitute. Be sure to clean the keyway of excess grease and oil, and squirt enough RTV directly into the keyway to have a little extra for the seal to press against and you are in business. As seals go, the keyway seal is very low performance.

If you feel compelled to use cork, the simplest way to get new cork seals is to cut them out of a piece of 1/4 inch thick rubberized cork gasket material. The correct size is 7/16" x 7/16". Because the keyway is sloped on the inside end, there needs to be a slight bevel on that end of the cork.

Here is a link to the PS article that describes the process:

http://old.steelsoldiers.com/albums/album11/ps311_p26_27_cork_seal.sized.jpg

-Chuck

 

[AceHigh]

Silicone may work for actresses

Seriously?

 

[800summit]

Use a chevy 350 cork valve cover 1/4 thick I believe cut it in the wedge shape for the keyway.

 

[lavarok]

Use a chevy 350 cork valve cover 1/4 thick I believe cut it in the wedge shape for the keyway.

Worked for me as well. I also double up with a dab of RTV.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Yes, SBC valve cover gaskets will yield you lots of the corks. I use the ultra copper sillycone on all of mine, failure rate over the last decade, 0%.

 

[Tow4]

I used the black Permatex. Same thing I used in place of the axle to hub gasket. And one of my hubs didn't have the nut locking tab bent over either.

 

[m16ty]

A valid point, with the exception being that sealant technology has come a long way since 1949, when these trucks were designed.

This comment got me to thinking. Nowdays it's hard to imagine a world without silicone. Works for everything from gasket maker to roof leak fixer to boat leak fixer. That stuff will seal just about any low pressure application if the surface is cleaned good and hold up really well. I dare to say it's more than likely the biggest breakthrough in sealant technology that's ever come about.

The biggest mistake I see people do when using silicone is not cleaning the surface good enough. I've seen people apply it on oily surfaces and I just shake my head. If you wouldn't lick it, it's not clean enough, clean it again.