F-86L main gear bearings

[wendovertom]

The Wendover Museum needs to replace the main gear wheel bearings on our F-86. Sitting on a pole for 15 years has taken its toll and in order to move the airplane around as we work on it i need to find replacement bearings. The plane started life as a F-86D but was then upgraded to be an "L" model.

I trust that someone here can point me in the right direction as far as part numbers or equivalent replacements, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Tom P.

[carseneau]

Hi Tom,
I would take the bearing and race (if it's a typical tapered roller bearing) to a bearing supply house. They can identify size by measuring. Be sure to take the race (cup) along. Tapered bearings can fit in different cups as the OD of the cup may vary by application.
Good luck.

[stephenk]

Tom,
Bearings and races typically have the manufacturer name and number somewhere on them. If you have the luxury of dis-assembly first it is easy to find replacements if the current numbers are legible. With actual dimensions:
Type, ID, OD, width you can also get there.
Steve

[b29flteng]

The numbers on the edges of the cone (bearing) and the cup (race) are the same regardless of manufacturer. A little Scotchbrite or sand paper to clean the rust and you should be able to read the numbers. And like "carseneau" said, find a bearing supply company and they can get you the bearings. I did this on a T-6 tail wheel once, one bearing was fairly common but the other was an odd size and was about $100 dollars for a cup and cone. The salesman asked what it was for and I told him it was for a home made trailer. They will not sell to you if it's for an airplane.