TheSamba.com :: View topic - Sliding door lower bearing aftermarket source?

Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:11 pm

I need to replace a lower sliding door bearing that went south on my van. The bearing has a radius on the edges of the bearing making my search for a aftermarket version coming up blank. I am certain that I can get all of the rest of the bearings for the slider assembly but this one is different.
I am hoping someone has found a appropriate bearing replacement from one of the standard bearing manufacturers before I drop ~$90 on a replacement at the dealer for a new unit.
I found this image in a thread and the green arrow is pointing at the roller that I want to find a source for a new one.

FWIW this roller is replaced as a unit, the bearing races are built into the roller.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:14 am

Brickwerks has it.
www.brickwerks.co.uk

Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:31 am

I know that they have the bearing for a great price but they don't sell to the US.
I know of a few other european sources but i would like to source a new bearing stateside to reduce transit time and shipping cost.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:55 am

I made a blueprint of it when I bought mine from them.
After work I can post it

Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:51 am

I think the part number is 251 843 419 and if you can find it here in the USA..looks pretty pricey..WorldImpex list at $116.

A local Pull-A-Part might be a solution.

I would try and fit a new bearing..maybe a machine shop could help.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:39 am

Ha!

I did a lot of research on that bearing,hoping to find a track roller that would be the same.
I gave up after wasting many hours of research going nowhere really.

My thought was to get one machined out of some hard teflon or something,and get a proper replaceable bearing in it.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:42 am

I already have the part number and found it for $76. There haven't been any late model vanagons in the junkyards locally for months and i prefer to get a new bearing anyways since the newest one on a van is 22 years old.

I am hoping that someone has already gone down this path and i can get some pointers. All of the upper and lower bearings should be easy to find in a bearing catalog but this one is a little different.
I am fairly certain that i have seen a similar profile bearing on portable conveyor systems in shipping & receiving areas but they had a stud on the bearing not a hole to go onto a shaft like needed for this application. I am confident that it exists in a bearing catalog somewhere.

Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:15 am

Here is the drawing:

The notes and the caption is in hungarian, but a machine shop can manage it ;)
All measurements taken inn metric milimeters, the notes are: "The 607RS ball bearing is secured with inner circlip." (I didn't measured the groove of it)

Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:19 am

Oooo very interesting. I like the replaceable bearing in the design.
Thank you

Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:32 am

Please let us know if you find a replacement!

Fri Jul 26, 2013 7:58 pm

It is true Brickwerks will not ship to the USA. Something about insurance risk. They'll ship to lots of other places aroung the globe, just not us.....

I guess mine go to Germany first.

Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:05 pm

I've spent a lot of time trying to find a reasonably priced replacement for the vertical roller as well! Brickwerks won't ship to the US, and I'm wondering if there might be a suitable bearing out there that could work. Is the inner dimension 12mm? I'd rather not replace the entire assembly.

Tue Oct 15, 2013 3:42 am

Derek Drew has a large order in at the moment that is being shipped into Europe.
Maybe ask him if he wants to add to his order and get a batch?

Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:40 am

Was it not to found that skateboard truck bearings were an exact fit?

Tue Oct 15, 2013 12:20 pm

Wrong bearing, this one is special not a standard cartridge bearing.
The taper on one side and the radius on the other makes a drop in replacement difficult to find.

Tue Oct 15, 2013 2:41 pm

I've go a buddy who's parents still live across the pond, they are going to pick me up both bearings from brickwerks and mail them to him in an envelope. :)

Dave

Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:58 pm

In the last month or so I made a delrin middle track roller and modified a found roller to work on the lower track.

http://shufti.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/vanagon-sliding-door-rollers-replacement/

Does make the door a bit quieter and a little smoother.

Middle roller

Lower roller comparison

In place

Alistair

Mon Sep 08, 2014 5:35 pm

I forgot all about this thread.
VC has the bearing in stock now http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_2085_1085/sliding_door_lower_vertical_bearing.html

Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:39 am

I would buy Delrin ones. Hint Hint.

Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:42 am

I would buy Delrin ones also