Wheel bearings AAARRRGGHHH!!!!

[Glenn_T]

Help me please if you can,

I was always under the impression that MK1 Twin Cam's, Mexico's, RS1600's and RS2000's all used a front wheel hub and strut housing which was basically the same as a MK1 Capri 1600.

I have just disassembled my hubs ready to fit new wheel bearings and discs, so started to make enquiries about wheel bearings. I started by getting prices for Twin Cam kits then at one place i asked for a Capri kit. The guy then asked me "up to 72 or after 72". I picked the former and got my price but then started thinking that i should probably do some more research.

Out came the RS parts manual and the hubs are listed as
3014E 1104 B 1/70 to 3/72
73EB 1104AA 3/72 on

I checked my hubs and they are the later 73EB type, so i guess the 3014E's are Cortina MK2, Escort Twin Cam and Capri 4cyl.

So armed with this i headed to the SKF online replacement parts database.
My first attempt brought up a matching kit VKBA 504.

So i thought i would check this against the MK2 RS (euro spec) and when the list came up it also had a reference for
Escort II RS 2.0 BATN 12/74 to 10/77 - not to be confused with the also listed Escort II RS 2.0 110ps 3/75 on.

So i clicked on the first one and it lists 2 wheel bearing kits-
VKBA 504 (up to 12/74)
VKBA 505 (12/74 on)

Guess when my car was built - yep 12/74.

To add to the confusion the RS parts manual lists different struts as of 6/74.

So do i just take the old bearings and hub in as a reference or has anyone got any other ideas?
Or has SKF made a balls up with their date designations and should i just go for the 504s?

And there i was thinking how i would just go pick up some wheel bearings!

Glenn

[Danny M]

Glenn I was always under the impression that they wer the same as the earlier Twin Cams etc as it is also the same bearings used on the Mk2 GT Cortina's but I've never had to cange any on am RS2000. But you should be thankful you're not replacing the ones on my car as that'll make you head spin as I always refer back to the old ones

Danny

[gen mk 1rs2000]

glenn t , i have a spare brand new set here if you wanna try them , easier than muckin around with part no,s , i could post them to you , we have to work out a deal on stickers anyway
just gimme your adress

[Glenn_T]

Danny - I wouldn't have thought that there would have been that much that changed from one hub to another either but go figure?

Maybe Mark C knows what is going on?

Steve - Isn't you car before 12/74 build? So your bearing kit might be equivalent of a 504 but mine might be a 505???

Maybe i should throw the RS struts and hubs in the scrap metal bin and throw some Capri ones on.

[Neville Bertwistle]

Well, last ones I bought for my German/English/imported/non-Australian RS2000 were just Twin Cam bearings, and they worked fine. Like Danny I didn't think there were any differences. And that's a '76 car with the original struts and hubs.

I actually one one spare set in the shed so will check tonight the part nos.

[Gary P.]

When I did my car (Capri struts) I think the bearings were a bit of a "mix and match". I (sensibly) kept the boxes, so will have a look at the part numbers tonight and put them up.........just to confuse things even more!!!

My (vague) memory tells me that I took a hub and the strut to the bearing place and ended up using an odd inner & outer as none of the kits was correct.

[Neville Bertwistle]

[Glenn_T]

[jsa]

[Glenn_T]

[jsa]

[Mark Cogan]

[Glenn_T]

[Gary P.]

[Glenn_T]