Perris Pacer bearings

[ratty3]

Help, please. Does anyone know what size & reputable brand replacement bearings I'd need for a 1981 Perris Pacer? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you. I hope I'm asking the right question

[Bob Miller]

If you pull the old bearings and take them to any "Real" auto supply store (Not a chain store like AutoZone) they should be able to match up new bearings and seals.

But, it sounds like you haven't done this before, and replacing the races in the hubs can get a bit dicey if done wrong, usually 100 miles from home.

For the sure fire way, pull off both hubs and take them into Arrow Trailer's Axle department, (Arrow Trailer Supplies, Inc. - Ontario, CA) Arrow Trailer Supplies - Home Page in Pomona.

Drop them off and go have a hamburger. When you get back they should be done and it will be new bearings, new races and new seals, all done right. Call first of course. They are very good people there.

[ratty3]

That's exactly what I will do. Thank you Bob!

[Bob Miller]

Be sure to get a new axle nuts, washers and cotter pins while you are there (they are cheap) and ask them for instructions on tightening and pinning it back on.
BTW: After a first outing with new bearings I always recheck the axle nut setting, sometimes there is some settling in the bearings and races.

[ratty3]

Bob, by any chance, you don't happen to know of an upholsterer do you? I do know how to sew, so I'm aware of how tough an upholstery job can be to tackle, even one that "appears" simple. Knowing what I know, it's likely worth it to me to source that job out to someone more talented than I am in that department.

[Bob Miller]

There is "The Recovery Room" in Riverside, but they are for the high end motorhome group.

Look here: Automotive-Marine Vinyl and Upholstery Supplies they are in Rialto. Talk to Joe and they know a number of independents that can stitch up the stuff you buy from them.
It's a family run shop, great fun to visit as well. 1000's of choices in interior and trim parts.

[ratty3]

Thank you again Bob! Wonderful info and help for bearings, new axle nuts etc and upholstery

[Andrew Gibbens]

How sad to have to go to an "auto supply store" - we still have a bearing factor in my city, a business that just sells bearings. Visiting is a real pleasure, plus you get to step back 30 years just by walking through the door.

The guy serving will be wearing a brown warehouseman's coat, he will be able to (correctly) identify by sight the size of the bearing you are holding in your hand even before you get the door shut, he will tell you its 16-digit bearing part number from memory and he will tell you (over a period of at least five minutes) that the xxxxxxxxxxxx1234 bearing you want is nowhere near as good as the now-discontinued xxxxxxxxxxxx1233 bearing, of which he may have a couple lying around that he can let you have if you don't tell your friends where you got them as they will then want them too.

Proper old-fashioned service delivered with old-fashioned discourtesy! It's worth going there just to feel 14 years old again in the headmaster's office.

[Bob Miller]

Headmaster - Hoo Dat????
I wasn't 14 any more, but I used to go visit the "Head Mistress", is that about the same???
Or does that not have any bearing on the post

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gibbens

How sad to have to go to an "auto supply store" - we still have a bearing factor in my city, a business that just sells bearings. Visiting is a real pleasure, plus you get to step back 30 years just by walking through the door.

The guy serving will be wearing a brown warehouseman's coat, he will be able to (correctly) identify by sight the size of the bearing you are holding in your hand even before you get the door shut, he will tell you its 16-digit bearing part number from memory and he will tell you (over a period of at least five minutes) that the xxxxxxxxxxxx1234 bearing you want is nowhere near as good as the now-discontinued xxxxxxxxxxxx1233 bearing, of which he may have a couple lying around that he can let you have if you don't tell your friends where you got them as they will then want them too.

Proper old-fashioned service delivered with old-fashioned discourtesy! It's worth going there just to feel 14 years old again in the headmaster's office.

There are still a number of those around but they primarily serve industrial applications. I used them often when I was working in a printing plant. It really sucked when you found out that a $1800 vacuum pump from Germany failed because it was using a $3 bearing, when a $10 one would last forever.

But it's where I had to go in Pomona, CA when Arrow Trailer didn't have the odd size seal that I needed for my Hunter.

And no, I didn't see the Head Mistress there either.... LOLOLOL

[Andrew Gibbens]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

It really sucked when you found out that a $1800 vacuum pump from Germany failed because it was using a $3 bearing, when a $10 one would last forever.

Proper service - not just new bearings but yet another "they don't build them like they used to" story.

It's nice to hear that good standards still exist, even if many folks claim they don't make those like they used to, either.....

[Bob Miller]

Actually the original $3 bearings were sealed bearings and well out of reach or requirement for any service, and bearing failures in 3 of the pumps were seen within 12 month of putting them into service.

After this unacceptable failure rate seemed to be the norm, we proactively replaced the bearings on all 8 of the pumps with higher quality bearings and, after 5 years there had been no additional failures.

In short, the bitterness of poor quality lingered long after the sweetness of a lower price was forgotten.