Steering Bellcrank Rebuild

Hawkshadow · Post by **Hawkshadow** » Sun Mar 26, 2017 1:17 pm

I figured that it was time to rebuild the steering bellcrank to reduce some of the slack.

Remove old bellcrank form the jeep. I found that the old needle bearings had completely degraded and were floating around the bellcrank.

Use a socket of the exact size and press out the bearings and seals

Here is the bellcrank with all of the bearings and seals removed

Here is the new kit, available from several dealers.

Pack the bearings with fresh grease and reassemble in reverse.

Now this is exactly the same as it was when I removed for rebuild. My question is how do the seals stay in place? With the gap on the top between the top seal and the frame, it seems to me like the seals would just get blown out if you pump in grease. It was set up with a couple of washers inside initially.

Additionally, the center pivot shaft of the rebuild kit is notably shorter than the original and as such would be too short to fit all the way through the bracket.

southpw · Post by **southpw** » Mon Mar 27, 2017 3:01 am

I had same issue with the length of center shaft and ended up using old shaft with new bearings. Not sure what that shaft is suppose to be used on but it was to short to use on my bellcrank. I just assumed my bellcrank was not original that area of my jeep was repaired due to rust prior to me buying it

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 3:45 am

You have an M38 CDN (looking at your signature)? That's funny - your bellcrank looks like my '64 USMC M38a1 bellcrank. Does yours have a screw on cap on the bottom? I also had to use the original bolt instead of the one that came with the kit.

southpw · Post by **southpw** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 4:04 am

wilfreeman wrote:Does yours have a screw on cap on the bottom?.

Mine has a screw on cap at the bottom.

wilfreeman · Post by **wilfreeman** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 4:46 am

Was this bellcrank original to the '50s M38, or an upgrade in later years? From what I have read, this bellcrank was an upgrade for the US USMC contract (1960s) M38a1s.

4x4M38 · Post by **4x4M38** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:17 am

Jordan has us jumping between two forums!

http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... &start=105

There's a link to a previous subject regarding bell cranks. It looks like there was a Canadian mod for jeeps equipped with winches.

I'm betting it's what you are suggesting. Maybe Jordan can get a photo or two of the bracket.

Hawkshadow · Post by **Hawkshadow** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:25 pm

Apologies for having the same topic in 2 places… you tend to get a better response in the technical knowledge section but keeping the thread attached to the build makes it easier to reference the answer later. I'll keep the discussion here and then link to it in the build thread.

It seems like these bigger cranks with the screw caps were a standard equipment on Canadian M38s. Hopefully BCA may be along to contribute his knowledge.

I also referenced a previous thread where I was asking about a cap of sorts that I found on my frame bracket. The conclusion in that thread was that the cap remained unidentified as it was not in the exploded diagram. Perhaps this cap is a standard item when using this deeper bellcrank.
http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules. ... ic&t=10678