G body drop spindles

[just plain john]

Hi everyone, I have a question about G body drop spindles. I ordered a set for my GN powered 81 El Camino hybrid. I got them from a speed parts franchise called Competition Sales. The counterman says they are really for an S10, but they fit and all components bolted up without any issues. I swapped the 7.5 rear for the 8.5, and to keep the lug bolts and nuts the same I put new Regal rotors on the front. My concern is the wheel bearings. The original bearings had an external race, but the replacement Regal bearings do not, the have some sort of blue plastic inner race that keeps the rollers linked together but they seem to fit with no issues. Can anyone say if there is a G body specific drop spindle, and what inner/outer wheel bearings to use?

 

[1Badelky]

IIRC the outer race is supposed to be pressed into the rotor

 

[Silver 6]

I believe what you are asking about is the cage holding the bearings. The purpose of the cage is to simply keep the rollers located and spaced. It bears no weight. Most are steel, but I have seen many in plastic. I haven't noticed where it makes much difference.

David

 

[just plain john]

Thanks for the tip about pressing the outer into the rotor, but what about the spindle itself? There was no race for the spindle. Badelky, do you have drop spindles?

 

[1Badelky]

I am using the blazer spindles and brakes, I'm just going from memory.

this is what the factory bearing shoul look like. this is the acdelco part

 

[just plain john]

Yeah, that looks like it. When you say S10 brakes, do you mean the later model ones with the bigger rotor and twin puck calipers? My G body calipers bolted right up to the S10 spindles.

 

[1Badelky]

I mean the steering knuckles off of the 98-05 Blazers with dual piston iron calipers and 10.84" rotors that slip over a sealed hub. Only the s-series SUVs got the big brakes because for '98 the feds wanted SUVs to stop better, thats also why those years got rear disc.