So last night, with help from my dad, we completed the rebuild of my TT with Constantine's Super Bearings.

What a pain in the *** job. Not really complicated. Just, well, a pain. I see what everybody here means by "it takes patience", LOL.

Luckily my dad used to be a GM Tech so he's got a bunch of old tools that we often repurpose.... this time, some goofy thing that's used on Turbo350/400 transmissions for some repair or other. But it worked well to help push the driveshaft out (and with the help of some long threaded rod, push it back in too). It took a while, but we didn't want to risk damaging the shaft by hammering on it. We basically used it just how you see it in the photo - 15mm socket over the pilot bearing nub on the end, and just kept adding ratchet extensions until it popped out the other side.

Pulling the bearings SUCKED. Good God that took forever, and my arms/shoulders are still a little sore. Those things were stuck in there good. We basically followed the Clarks-Garage procedure (big hardened threaded rod and a giant socket) though rather than use regular nuts on the rod, we used a "threaded rod coupler" (which is basically just a long nut) to help distribute the load more evenly on the threads. Our fear was that we'd strip the threads on the nut and get stuck halfway through. Glad we did - by the time we were done, the coupler was warm to the touch (even with liberal WD40 usage) and the threads were looking worn. We wound up using dual 1" box-end wrenches on the coupler just to make it easier to turn. Ideally I'd have a 1" ratcheting wrench but the guy at the local Sears looked at me like I had a 3rd eyeball when I asked for one... so we made do with 2 wrenches. If anybody is going to attempt this, I'd recommend finding a ratcheting wrench to do it. Should make it a lot easier. It took us a few hours to get the old bearings out (though there were lots of "union breaks" and BS'ing in between).

Thankfully, install was much easier. Did Constantine's super bearings. Anything that's shiny new metal is cool - and his bearings are definitely cool to look at. Some chunks of PVC pipe, rubber mallet, a little KY Jelly (yes... KY... and I am glad I opened the package from Constantine before my wife did or she might start to look at me crosseyed, wondering just what I was planning to do with a tube of KY, some funny looking bearings, and my "torque tube" LOL) Not counting the 24-hour drying period for the silicone (used to make sure the bearings stay in place) it took probably a half hour, maybe 45 minutes, to reassemble the tube.

Glad it's over. Planning to not do anything in the garage until after I get back from Daytona next week.

Anybody planning on doing it yourself - it's definitely a doable project. It just sucks.

 

More pics? How do you get the super bearings in the right spot? How hard was the torque tube to remove?

 

Sorry - I didn't take more pics. By the time I got the bearings out, I was pooped - and just happy to get the damned thing back together.

Getting the TT out of the car sucked too - you basically have to drop the rear suspension (or, more specifically, the torsion bar tube) to get it out. Otherwise, you don't have enough clearance between the torsion bar tube and the body above, and can't angle the TT enough when you slide it back to get it past the spare tire well. I just followed the instructions on Clark's for this. It's full of pictures.

To get the new bearings in, Constantine includes a set of instructions with measurements on where to place them. You get a chunk of 2" PVC pipe and mark the intended depth of the bearing on the side of it. Then hammer on the PVC and push the bearing in until you sink the PVC into the tube to the mark you put on the side.

 

So there are pieces of PVC left in your torque tube?

About how much did this project run you to perform?

 

What about the end result? Have you got in back in the car, and if so, how does it sound/feel? How did the old one sound/feel? I have a little noise, especially in 1st and 2nd gear that I think is probably the toruque tube, but it's not that bad. Would really like to hear/feel one that has been re-done so I can make a judgement on whether this is something worth doing on my car.

 

Constantine sells rebuilt tubes as well, correct? If you had to do it over would you just buy one of those and swap it in?

 

I see people doing this every once in a while. My question is......what is a faulty torque tube? Just bearing noise through the shifter? Clunking?

 

No - no PVC left in there. I just used the PVC as a sort of bearing driver. Since you've gotta get the bearings down inside the tube, you need something long that will reach in there to push the bearings in. The bearings fit TIGHT so you need to be able to hammer on whatever you use. The PVC is strong enough that you can bang on it and it pushes the bearings in. He gives you a little wooden disc to put on the face of the bearing (so that the PVC won't damage the bearing when you're pounding on it).

The bearings were by far the big expense (he lists the prices on his website - http://www.blackseard.com/site/index...ducts&Itemid=9).

Otherwise I think I spent another $30-40 or so on a few pieces of PVC (some 1" PVC to use as a glue applicator inside the tube, some 2" to use as a bearing driver, and a chunk of 4" to use as a tube "extender" so I could pull the bearings all the way out), a 6' long threaded rod, and a new rubber mallet. Oh and $10 for a new pilot bearing from a local import auto parts store.

 

I haven't gotten it back in the car yet - doing a few other things over the winter, this was just one item on the list.

But just spinning it, new vs. old - big difference. I had a bearing that was starting to go, and it was making a (for lack of a better way to describe it) growling bearing noise at low speeds. Pull away from a stop, roll around at 20mph and add some throttle, and you'd hear it. When I pulled the tube out and spun the driveshaft, you could hear it more - and you could move the driveshaft up/down (not enough to SEE it, but you could feel very slight movement). When I finally pulled the old bearings out, one of them had definitely worn - you could spin it slowly in your fingers and feel some sticky spots.

New bearings are silent when spinning the shaft in the tube now. There is also NO movement - tight and solid.

If you let it go long enough, the driveshaft will ruin itself. It moves around, tears up the pilot bearing, which in return then tears up the nub on the driveshaft - and it's garbage at that point. Constantine has some pictures of the worn nub on his website. I'm fortunate that mine is still in good shape.

I would consider just buying a completed tube from Constantine next time, depending on what he charges. If I could get the whole thing for under $1k shipped to the front door I'd consider it. Once you go above that... well... my labor is cheap for some jobs.

 

nice write up

 

Olli gave some nice tips in 'Young Man's first Porsche' thread, and a friend pretty much insists that 1" ACME All-Thread is the way to go for your method, - he left a DIY over at 944Online.

 

+951 on it being a pain! It is not a one person job. Tried that, gave up and called in some reinforcements for help. Thanks Clifton!

 

i would just have Constantine do it. I have heard from every human thats its the worst thing ever

 

It would have been so much easier on the floor! I did mine last week and left the TT on the car, but my engine is out and so is the trans. I just took the supports out and dropped it. I pulled mine out one by one so i could measure the distance. I made a special key locking tool that goes in the middle of the bearing and locks into place so you can pull it out.

 

I am pretty sure he does not rebuild them anymore, only sells the bearings for DIY'ers. I think I was the last person he rebuilt one for. He did an awesome job and it was cheap versus the nightmare of doing it yourself.