LS1Porch

(Cross-posted...i thought i posted the original in here though? Mods feel free to fix if i did something silly...)

I just finished up installing the first batch of Constantine's TT bearings. Everything went very smoothly and i'm extremely happy with the results!

I took some pictures and i'll combine it with a write-up that Constantine sent me. Here goes!

(Note: TT was already disassembled.)

Four "pucks" ready to go! These are the first batch (so they aren't as pretty as the final result), and they're still coated in cosmoline:


1. Take an old cotton sock and stuff some newspaper inside of it filling it up in the foot portion. Then take the drive shaft and place the sock over it and tape it around the drive shaft. You should have a padded somewhat round pad now that will be used to clean out the TT.

2. Take a bearing unit and generously lube up the middle portion of it with the supplied lube. Next coat the outer bearing carrier portion and the inside of the TT up to 30" with the supplied lube. You should stand the TT on it's transmission end to begin the install of the bearing units.

3. You will install 2 pucks from each end (so that you don't have to push the pucks very far). Constantine supplied some protective discs that i was able to place up against the bearings. Some pipe and a rubber mallet will provide the motivation!

I took one of my old pucks and punched out the nylon insert using a 21mm socket.


With this just slightly inserted into the front end of the TT (it could be difficult to remove if not!), i was ready to start inserting the driveshaft...

Using the old bearing like this helps to keep the driveshaft straight while inserting it.
Constantine also has a VERY nice tool that does the same thing, but in my infinite wisdom i didn't think to use it!

This is one area i kind of ran into trouble. Because the driveshaft wasn't perfectly straight while i was pushing it in, it started to push one of the bearings further down the tube. I stopped before it went very far, took a deep breath, and called Constantine to make sure i wasn't doing anything wrong. He pointed out that i need to keep the driveshaft VERY straight...and that can be tough to do!

Anyways, i gave it another go...and it went perfectly this time.


Even with a lot of VERY slippery lube, it starts to get tough to push the driveshaft through at a certain point (shortly after it engages the second bearing, i think).

That's where THIS bad-boy comes in! (Another Constantine creation, no less!)


That's a threaded rod right down the center, with a teflon cup on the end to gently push the driveshaft home. It bolts on to the motor side of the TT. I think i can safely say that this was not only an absolutely necessary tool for the job, but a top quality one at that (and Constantine informs me that they've already made improvements to the tool)! This tool requires almost no effort! I would have used my air impact, but mine has a small tank and at no point did i feel like it would save me any effort.



So...that's it!




One completely rebuilt, better-than-ever torque tube! The next few weekends are looking to be pretty clear, so i'll be back on the road in no time. I'll get some miles on it and keep everyone updated on the bearings...but honestly, i can't foresee any trouble with these things! There's no doubt in my mind that they'll outlast the car

On that note, i wanted to thank Constantine for ALL of his hard work to get these bearings into production, and also for being so great to work with! These are a truly amazing product and it would have been a shame to go through all the trouble of rebuilding the TT with anything less! I also can't speak highly enough of Constantine, he was always a pleasure to deal with.

I don't have any updates on the availability of these TT bearings, so i'll leave it up to Constantine to address that!

dillon410021

Wow,very cool

JohnKoaWood

+1, what he said...

Looks like a nice upgrade..

Techno Duck

Thanks for the writeup. New bearings are on my list of stuff to do, debated just swapping in a quiet torque tube but for all the work it is to replace, thinking it's better to do a full rebuild.

Is that installation tool a loaner/rental kind of deal or something we need to buy?

LS1Porch

I'm not really sure what Constantine is going to do with it. He was originally saying that it would be a loaner tool, but it's very heavy and expensive to ship (as expensive and heavy as a torque tube, actually), so now he's thinking that it will just be a shop tool. I don't have any final word but Constantine may end up just selling rebuilt torque tubes...

INURGRL951

I think new bearing in this area is coming up soon for me.

choinga

holy hell...is your car resting on Folger's cans???

CurtP

Thanks for the writeup. I'm looking forward to doing mine!

LS1Porch

LOL, no. It has 4 jackstands under it, you can see one big black and yellow one in the pic. I got some turbo twists and wanted to see how they fit/looked, so i stood the wheel on a folger's can.
Notice the control arm sitting next to the coffee can...the wheel isn't attached to anything ATM.

odurandina

Absolutely fantastic LS1,

I hope to see your car some day.

I envy that you have more good weather for working on your car...


Fixin' to start snowin here soon.

Tom M'Guinn

Looks great. I got impatient and went with a standard rebuild. Still hping to try these out at some point. In the meantime, a scrub brush and can of satin rustoleum goes a long way on these guys. I know no one will ever see it, but I'll know it looks good.

LS1Porch

Thanks odurandina, i was pretty lucky this weekend with the weather! We were supposed to get snow, but it stayed just warm enough to keep it as rain. Can't say how much longer that's going to last though!

That looks great Tom, i really should have spent the extra time to do that. Maybe when i do a clutch or something...

And on that note, it's installed! I spent the entire day yesterday installed the tube, checking pilot bearing engagement, removing the TT, installing the clutch, re-installing the TT, installing the transmission...yadda, yadda, yadda...

And all it needs now is a rear suspension and i'll be ready to drive her again! Can't wait
I'll post an update when i get some miles on it. I did check for binding of the driveshaft at all points and of the installation, and it's silky-smooth.

DanaT

OK. SO when can I get some bearing and how much.

Need to do the clutch very soon and need these...

-Dana

LS1Porch

Just a quick update to this thread--the car is running and driving again. No bearing noise and absolutely smooth as silk at a high-rpm cruise. I couldn't be happier
This is my daily driver so i'll keep racking up the miles. I'm not expecting any problems though.

Thanks again to Constantine, for everything!

George D

Are these available for the 968?