Here's a weird one - hub/hub seals

[Nightstick]

I changed my front wheel bearings a little while ago (1970 with D30). I had already assembled the driver's side before I got seals, so I left it for the time being until I was working on that hub again. I changed the passenger side, and installed a new seal. I remember it going smooth with no issues.

Well, today I got around to changing the wheel cylinders, which meant I could go ahead and get the driver's side seal done. I took off the hub and removed the old seal. Open the package for the new one, and I notice it's different. Thinking there was simply a design change in the seal I went to install the new one and ended up mangling it. It seems to be too big for the hub. I ran to the parts store and sure enough the replacement is exactly the same as the one I had just tried to put in.

After looking at WH website, it seems they changed. Same seal for 66-68, and a different one for 69-77. Do you think the PO put a 66-68 hub on my axle? Could there be a different explanation?

As you can see in the pic, the seal on the left (the one I took out) doesn't have the lip that would be on the outside of the hub, and it's thinner than the one on the right.

 

[DirtDonk]

My Timken book puts the seal change somewhere in '69 (they list both for the '69). So yeah, yours could have been changed, but most likely it's just one before the change.
Are you saying though, that you have both types, with one side different than the other? Or just that you're running the old style?

Paul

 

[Nightstick]

I got the same two seals (the one on the right in the pic) and the passenger side went in fine, so it's two different seals. I looked at JBG's pics of the seals and the 66-68 is identical to the one I took out, so I ordered one with an order I placed from WH.

The only thing it could be is that the PO must have swapped hubs at some point.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yeah, one would think so, but you'd be amazed at what we think came off the assembly lines too! Your EB might just have been the lucky one to be there at the transition.
Just out of curiosity, what month was it built?

Of course, you're probably right about the PO. After all, they're the most notorious of all.
Then again, i did get a '66 Corvette with two different cylinder heads. Both were the same vintage, but during a transition. And both were available at the same time on different engines. And we were 99% certain they'd never been off.
So I guess on bin ran out of parts, so they pulled from the other one to keep the process rolling. Ya just never know.

Paul

 

[Nightstick]

It was a September build, so early. So maybe a chance it came from the factory that way, hmm