Is there a pinion seal available for the 53-55 Corvette rearends? If so, who and where can one be obtained?
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Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
Tom------
The GM part number for the 1953-55 Corvette pinion seal was GM #3707355. This seal was applicable only to 53-55 Corvette and no other GM application I can find. However, it was discontinued without supercession in December, 1971.
National Seals says it has no replacement for the 3707355. However, SKF says that their seal #17727 will replace it. I'm not so sure, though, because they say the 17727 also replaces the 56-61 Corvette pinion seal and the 62-64 pinion seal. GM never replaced the 53-55 seal with any later seal. Of course, it's possible that the 17727 is specially designed to replace all of the aforementioned.
Hopefully, someone with special knowledge of 53-55 will respond. I would say that an early C1 specialist parts vendor would be the best source.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
Joe,
I feel the SKF 17727 is erroneous for a 53-55 pinion seal.
Over the years I've noticed that several vendors have incorrectly listed the same part as applicable for different cars or assemblies. I can virtually build 56-62 Vette and 55-64 pass car rears (they're nearly identical) blindfolded. And the pinion seal for those rears is only applicable to them.
And that brings us to one of my greatest peeves about Corvettes. I am ADAMANTLY opposed to the C-catagory thing. There are TOOOOOOOOO many differences between year models to just throw a group of cars into a common group. Even the 53-55 models have so many differences between them that it just DOES NOT fit to put them intot he same group. For example, when some wants to know something about FI on their C1 FI, what the heck are they talking about???????? They are all different! The year model needs to be called out, not just a group.
Rant over.Comment
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Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
Tom,Joe,
I did a little research and the 3707355 seal as Joe states is listed as 1953-1955 Corvette only and has no other application. The specs are shown in the P&A 30 Catalog as: 1 7/8" ID, 3 7/16" OD. Here...
1 7/8" = 1.875"
3 7/16" = 3.4375"
A Google search shows the SKF17727 as a replacement at Rockauto, but as you say, it is wrong as it's ID spec is 1.739" and the OD spec is 3.006"
Hopefully Grossmuellers can help. I'm heading to Kissimmee in a few hours for the Regional. I'll be walking the swap meet later today & Fri & Sat and I'll ask around and keep my eyes open for a 3707355 box that may be hidden in a pile somewhere.
Rich
ps I have a resource nearby that had some rare bearings and seals I needed in the past. Try giving this place a call......
Vero Bearing & Bolt
760 8th Ct #10, Vero Beach, FL 32962
(772) 567-1569
If they find something I could pick it up and mail to you. I'm heading that way Monday morning to my machine shop around the corner.
RichComment
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Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
Carol at Grossmuellers has them.1954 Corvette #3803 - Top Flight 2012, Bloomington Gold 2012,
Triple Diamond Award 2012, Gold Concourse Award 2012, Regional and National Top Flight 2014
1954 Corvette #3666 - "The Blue Devil" - Pennant Blue - restoration started
1957 Corvette - FI 3 sp - Black and SilverComment
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Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
Thanks so much everyone!!!Comment
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Is this a Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend?
My unrestored '54 has been in our family for 43 years. Early on, when it was still my Dad's car, we knew about the pinion seal issue. Sometime in the distant past my Dad purchased a replacement seal just in case it would ever be needed.
I found it today and now my question is whether or not it's usable.
The dimension which gives me pause is the ID. With the rubber lip fully stretched, this seal will just barely fit around a 1.875 shaft.
What's the consensus? Would this work?
Expiring minds want to know.....
JimComment
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Re: Is this a Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend?
Jim, Using the P&A description ID spec of 1.875"(1 7/8"), yours may be too tight to fit on the shaft.Comment
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Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
Believe that .020 difference in o.d of the yoke and the I.d. of the seal will result in either burning the seal lip up or grooving the yokeDick WhittingtonComment
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Re: Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend
That 3 7/16 spec is ambiguous and I'm hoping someone can unambiguify it.Tom,Joe,
I did a little research and the 3707355 seal as Joe states is listed as 1953-1955 Corvette only and has no other application. The specs are shown in the P&A 30 Catalog as: 1 7/8" ID, 3 7/16" OD. Here...
1 7/8" = 1.875"
3 7/16" = 3.4375"
Is it the diameter of the bore into which the seal is to be installed?
OR
Is it an outside diameter of a flange on the seal, similar to what was shown in the pictures I posted earlier?
Follow my (twisted) thinking:
The seal I discovered yesterday has a 3 7/16 flange BUT it is made to slip into a 3.25 bore. If seal for a 3.25 bore is the real goal, then a commonly available SKF 18922 seal looks like it would work. It is designed to fit a 1.875 shaft and a 3.25 bore. Even better, it's cheap..... $15 or less.
Why wouldn't this work?
JimComment
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Re: Is this a Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend?
I had no luck trying to find one at the swap meet here. Wherever I saw early parts I asked. Some guys mentioned they're a bit difficult to find.Comment
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Re: Is this a Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend?
Tom, I used to have a customer who was an engineer for CR. He said they would make us any seal we wanted for the Fi's but the quantity was more than I could afford.
As Richard stated the SKF 17727 seal isn't even close. Reminds me of going to Chevy to buy a NOS for my 63 only to get a generic poc that fit 63 to 67.
SKF has an online site where you plug in the GM part number and then transpose it to the 17727. Numbers were already told to you above.
17727 is 1.739 and 3.006.
3707355 = 1.875 and 3.4375
So meanwhile get ahold of SKF and see if they have a seal available besides the 17727. No use gong to National and other companies as I think most of them are just reboxed CR/SKF seals.
Then you ask your self this quesion. Do you really want to use a hard as a rock NOS seal that's 50 years old?
I am loaded with NOS Model A and Early Ford V8 seals. I would not want to use one of them. JDComment
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Re: Is this a Pinion seal for 53-55 rearend?
John et al,
I've been studying this issue for the last few days. I'm now of the opinion that the published dimensions for the 3707355 are wrong and misleading.
The misleading part is that 3.4375 dimension. I believe that is the OD of a flange which limits the plunge depth of the seal. The actual OD of the seal, or more accurately the ID of the bore into which it is to be inserted, is about 3.250".
The inaccurate part is that 1.875 shaft diameter. In "Good Times" Vol 4, No 2 there are two different mentions of dimensions slightly less than 1.75" and this makes sense to me.
Think about it this way: On the later differentials ('56 - '62) the pinion shaft diameter was about 1.75", and all of these cars had engines which produced waaaaay more torque than the 6 bangers could ever have hoped to make. A 1.875 shaft would have been approximately 32% stronger and there was just no need for that extra strength. Near as I can determine, 1.875" pinion shafts were used on heavy, more powerful cars of the era such as Cadillacs.
Rolling all this up, it appears that a proper pinion shaft seal for the '53 - '55 differentials would have an OD of 3.25" (maybe a couple of thou less) and fit a 1.75" shaft.
So maybe the seal I have is the right one afterall. Or at least right enough.
Anyone disagree? Go ahead, tell me I'm full of it. But tell me why also.
JimComment
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