Aluminum / XFE NNBS Front Suspension Rebuild

[petethepug]

R/A noted “this version radiator has no petcock valve.” I assumed it did. That leads back to a cracked cylinder (I love preemptive texting) plastic header then.

 

[992dr]

Waiting on an inner tie rod and some odds and ends.
Debating about brakes. Would 15/20 calipers work without any mods? I've been thinking about upgrading and I'm not sure which route to go

 

[Noggles]

Ordered a new OEM radiator, coolant reservoir and two new front hubs. Pretty sure the petcock on the OEM radiator is the source of the leak but at almost 190k on a likely OEM radiator, it’s due.

Found an interesting article on my preferred mfg for bearings, SKF. Turns out GM got together with them to create a better hub assembly for the 06-09 STS-V. They installed 6 lug hubs on a 4 door passenger car for a few years.

The technology bled over to the Escalade and is now known as a hybrid hub. Apparently it’s now used on the Escalade-V. No better time to replace them then when the front end is apart.

View attachment 450605

RockAuto has em for an unbelievable $139.79 ea.

X-TRACKER - Evolution

How asymmetrical hub bearing units improve high-performance car handling For high-performance cars,maintaining good handling characteristics under all conditions is important to the overall driving experience. SKF engineers provided an award-winning solution through the development of an...

evolution.skf.com

Please keep us updated on if these are a direct bolt on or not. I’m assuming they fit the stock knuckles too but just wondering if the abs sensor is compatible or not.

 

[j91z28d1]

Ordered a new OEM radiator, coolant reservoir and two new front hubs. Pretty sure the petcock on the OEM radiator is the source of the leak but at almost 190k on a likely OEM radiator, it’s due.

Found an interesting article on my preferred mfg for bearings, SKF. Turns out GM got together with them to create a better hub assembly for the 06-09 STS-V. They installed 6 lug hubs on a 4 door passenger car for a few years.

The technology bled over to the Escalade and is now known as a hybrid hub. Apparently it’s now used on the Escalade-V. No better time to replace them then when the front end is apart.

View attachment 450605

RockAuto has em for an unbelievable $139.79 ea.

X-TRACKER - Evolution

How asymmetrical hub bearing units improve high-performance car handling For high-performance cars,maintaining good handling characteristics under all conditions is important to the overall driving experience. SKF engineers provided an award-winning solution through the development of an...

evolution.skf.com

so are these a direct fit for the standard knuckle?

I'm thinking about trying them.

 

[petethepug]

My other car is tied up with the Indi on a trans replacement. I may pull the rack out and test fit the hubs, knucks, UCA & lowers.

Yes, direct fit. They’re beefy’r

 

[mikez71]

I swear my x_tracker hubs groan when you lean into them a little..
Had them about a year, no real issues, just not convinced they're better than stock..

 

[j91z28d1]

I swear my x_tracker hubs groan when you lean into them a little..
Had them about a year, no real issues, just not convinced they're better than stock..

huh like load when turning?

that's disappointing.

 

[91RS]

I wouldn't buy any hub but an OEM one, they last the longest in my experience.

 

[j91z28d1]

I wouldn't buy any hub but an OEM one, they last the longest in my experience.

I thought the idea was these are oem for the newer cars like the big cts-v wagons that are heavy, more hp and can handle track side loading abuse the normal oem one, also made by skf can't. they fail driving straight down the highway lol.

I could be wrong, I spend like 5 minutes looking into it lol.

 

[91RS]

SKF does currently make the OEM bearings, but there would be no way to know if they're actually exactly the same as the ones you can buy from Rock Auto branded as SKF. Timken used to make the factory wheel bearings for GM, so I bought all Timken bearings for my 07 SRX years ago, and two of them went bad again in a year. I replaced those with OEM and they were still good when I sold the truck a few years after that. I have only had to replace one wheel bearing on the 900's. My 08 has 170k miles on both of them and one original in the 13 has 194k miles, so I will absolutely buy the OEM ones again if I have to replace any more.

People like to think just because a part is made by the same company that it is exactly the same, but the internals may not be identical quality. Like windshields, people like to say glass is glass, but the Pilkington (the best aftermarket glass per the glass company that installed it, and a company who makes tons of OEM glass) that I put in my truck has not held up anywhere near as well as the OEM did after being on the road for over 10 years. I put OEM glass in my 13 and if I end up replacing the windshield again on the 08 at some point, I'll be doing OEM glass there also.

 

[j91z28d1]

I would agree with that.. manufacturering is all about QC. the same factory can make junk or good parts just depending on the level of QC the end seller is willing to pay for. factory location doesn't mean much these days.


so maybe I need to source oem from the newer 6 lug cars haha.

I'm not even sure mine are bad at this point and normally don't replace things for sport and cause more issues. so I should probably leave them alone until they fail forsure. but that said, a good deal on an upgrade is hard to pass up haha.

 

[mountie]

SKF does currently make the OEM bearings, but there would be no way to know if they're actually exactly the same as the ones you can buy from Rock Auto branded as SKF. Timken used to make the factory wheel bearings but GM, so I bought all Timken bearings for my 08 SRX years ago and two of them went bad again in a year so I replaced those with OEM and they were still good when I sold the truck a few years after that. I have only had to replace one wheel bearing on the 900's. My 08 has 170k miles on both of them and one original in the 13 has 194k miles, so I will absolutely buy the OEM ones again if I have to replace any more. People like to think just because a part is made by the same company that it is exactly the same, but the internals may not be identical quality. Like windshields, people like to say glass is glass, but the Pilkington (the best aftermarket glass per the glass company that installed it, and a company who makes tons of OEM glass) that I put in my truck has not held up anywhere near as well as the OEM did after being on the road for 10 years. I put OEM glass in my 13 and if I end up replacing the windshield again on the 08 at some point, I'll be doing OEM glass there also.

I agree..... My windshield shows the 175,000 miles of tiny pitting, but still manageable. I will spend the dollars to replace it with an OEM, when it's time.

 

[j91z28d1]

I've also head of dealerships ordering "oem" off Amazon and installing them because their system shows them out of stock.

so to be fair, I'm not 100% how to get any good parts these days

 

[mountie]

I've also head of dealerships ordering "oem" off Amazon and installing them because their system shows them out of stock.

so to be fair, I'm not 100% how to get any good parts these days

It's a challenge..... I worry about GM 's " out of stock".....

 

[91RS]

I've also head of dealerships ordering "oem" off Amazon and installing them because their system shows them out of stock.

so to be fair, I'm not 100% how to get any good parts these days

That was actually GM’s doing, not the dealerships.

 

[j91z28d1]

That was actually GM’s doing, not the dealerships.

that's so crazy to me.

 

[mountie]

that's so crazy to me.

I learned while developing the 50th anniversary Corvette concept, GM, and as for Chevrolet, are just a bunch of people in an office. ( Very few "car guys & car women" anymore). The concept was a retro- '50's paint scheme but with a real performance package.
Instead, Chevrolet decided to re-badge a Z06 instead. ( Nothing special about their version of a 50th except for a tiny logo on the side fender, and little else )

So my friend was ( at least) allowed to make the "real" anniversary version as a dealer option.
" Guldstrand Edition"..... 50 editions produced & it sold out in less than 1 month, then continued making them, as per order. GM was too timid to be creative.
( 2nd pic, is the 1st finished 'Vette in Guldstrand's driveway. )

 

[Marky Dissod]

Said it before, here I go again:
GM OE when your vehicle was brand new, or five years old or younger,
can never possibly be the same as GM OE now that your vehicle is over 10 years old.

 

[91RS]

Said it before, here I go again:
GM OE when your vehicle was brand new, or five years old or younger,
can never possibly be the same as GM OE now that your vehicle is over 10 years old.

Why not? All of the parts are still available. Aftermarket replacement control arms are garbage quality. They don’t seem to last a year and the ball joints are worn out again and the bushing rubber isn’t good quality either. Why wouldn’t you replace with the same parts that lasted 10+ years?

 

[Marky Dissod]

Aftermarket replacement control arms are garbage quality.
They don’t seem to last a year and the ball joints are worn out again and the bushing rubber isn’t good quality either.

There are important exceptions to this rule, like Cognito MotorSports and Kryptonite Suspension.
There are others, but they'd tend to be summarily dismissed by those who insist on the above as an iron rule.

Why wouldn’t you replace with the same parts that lasted 10+ years?

Close is easily believable, but after a decade or more, far more likely that AC Delco changed suppliers,
than GM OE is 'new old stock' waiting around.