i need to replace my front wheen bearings on my baja however the front end and brakes on my car are made from 3 different front ends and i have no idea what parts to order?

what years did the front bearings change? and can i tell easily which ones i have?

its king and link with stock VW drums (wide 5)

thanks
Nicko

me confused too, I THINK that the Taper roller sets can be interchanged as a complete set with drums that were oringinally fitted with ball roller bearings, because my 1954 front drums are fitted with taper roller bearings & I am changing my front brakes to the wider 60's drums which arte currently fitted with Ball rollers but I would prefer to fit taper rollers if possible & would rather know before I pull everything apart

mine have the taper rollers at the moment.

do you know if all the drums took the same bearings in the taper type?

my front end and brakes are 60's items as far as i know.

I dunno if the dimensions on all the wide 5's are the same
& don't want to find out the hard way, might have to in the next week or so, only problem being grease everywhere & car off the road for a dy which sends me into trauma

all the wide 5 (king and linkpin) stubs and drums are the same size bearings.
They changed in 68, when they went to ball joint, and a different stub diameter.

You want pre 67 beetle front wheel bearings, simple as that.
Most suppliers will give you needle rollers, though some VW places might still have old stock of the ball style.
Buy a kit for each side, with the lock tabs, both bearings, and grease seals.

go to any bearing services or ph them

each bearing has a stamp with brand and nr on it clean it and take it to them there are lots of brands and generic ones and really do not cost much
CAUTION; TO NOT MATCH INNER part of b'rng from one brand AND OUTER from another OR SHOULD I SAY MISMATCH..... they wear and get noisy due to diff. hardness or variation in metals or angles.... after 2,000 kms or so

i bought nice ones at supercheap for my Golf...haddemm on the shelf.. $8 sumthen

thanks guys that helps heaps.

mine are the needle type so ill try to get some more of them.

ur best bet is to remove one and take it to a bearing shop
i've been to hell and back with front wheel bearings over the last 12 months
most valuble lesson i learned was make sure u replace the outer race when u change the bearings as different brands timken, KCB, nck etc all have different angled tapers to each other so while they'll all fit toghether they dont last long

there are 2 different sizes too -67 and 68- i found out too

this was what happend coming home from brisbane when the last bearing gave out
seized solid and welded to the stub axle
nothing like having one front wheel lock up on the motorway at high speed LOL

you ALWAYS change the roller and the race.
There are only two to pick between, so it shouldnt pose a big nightmare.

Hi

You probably already know that you should seal the grease caps and speedo cable with silicone, being a Baja owner.

Steve