I dunno, they still have the rubber isolators on the outside of the whole cartridge (puck), so i can't imagine them being noisier.

My rear bearing, the one that self-destructed, had almost nothing of the factory rubber/plastic left on the inside. I'm sure that contributed, and it makes me think i'll go with the aluminum ones this time...

Yep, that's the e-bay guy I was referring to. I bought the kit but haven't done it yet. I'm in the middle of a full engine rebuild and will do the bearings at the same time. I plan to have it running in less then two weeks, so I can report back then.

Anyone have any thoughts on using an earlier torque tube? The metal stopper things on the later tube make it a pain when sliding back the tube to remove the engine (I always drop the trans instead of removing the radiator). I believe all the parts of any significance are the same in both tubes and I have one of each, but is there anything I should know before I make a big mistake?

West

Those look like some well made carriers. Do they still make them? Will they fit the 944 t-tubes? and who supplies them? The links in the original posts are not working for me.

Is he going to be making them for the 944 series? Or do the 928 versions fit our TT's?

Well, great news! On page 3, Constantine stated that:

So i've graciously offered myself up as a test dummy for these inserts! :D I think this would be a great alternative, since the current rebuilds all rely on "close, but not quite correct" bearings, and replacement "pucks" are pretty much nonexistant (as i've found out recently)...

I am one of the testers on the 928 setup, I posted the rebuild procedure here. You can also find more pics of the parts at that link.

Note: I have no business interest in this, I'm just a happy customer. :)

:cheers:

i bought the sleeves in that auction; i will let you know how they work out when i get a chance to rebuild my spare TT/

From what I have read and seen, they were all the same TT but with different tab mounts to aid in collision protection.

One thought on the these, the polymer ones has a small lip to lock it into place on the bearing. This is impotent when installing the bearing back into the TT since some force is required to get them to move into place. It also insures that it stays on the bearing while in service. You might need to glue the Aluminum carriers into the bearing, maybe JB weld or a loctite sealer.

Did thet send any instructions with the parts?

Can you help get this 944 test started? This looks like a really nice product.

Yep, i just got in contact with Constantine, we'll talk on the phone tomorrow. I'm excited! :cool:

He uses a punch to lock it all together. No instructions, but he did point me to his web site with lots of pictures of this and other work he has done on his 88 S. Check it out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/SILBEROSSAUSA

West

I wrapped up the torque tube rebuild yesterday. What a crappy job that is! The bearings and bushings I got from the eBay guy were perfect. The drive shaft was a snug fit, but slid in with encouragement from a rubber mallet.

West

Awesome news!

I spoke with Constantine about a week ago, i'm hoping to have the prototypes in my car in about a month here. I'll keep everyone updated...

Just a thought on the aluminum sleeves . . . . I believe that the OE sleeves provided a bit of shock absorption for the bearing's benefit. Aluminum was available when Porsche made the pucks, but decided to use a steel sleeve with bonded plastic (some form of plastic anyway).

I'm clearly not an expert on metallurgy or know the exact reason the sleeves were designed the way they were, but Porsche could have just used a bearing that fit around the drive shaft if there was not a need for the sleeve. Maybe it was to keep the steel shaft from rusting to the steel bearing, if this was the reason, then the aluminum sleeve would serve the same purpose. Maybe it was to insulate the non-hardened shaft from the hardened bearing. I can tell you that even the plastic sleeves leave wear marks on the drive shaft, not sure what aluminum would do.

I have opted to go with delrin, but that might not be any better than aluminum.

Any other thoughts would be welcome as my torque tube is out having just been rebuilt with delrin sleeves and Ceramic Hybrid bearings.