WMF Birdcages

[hms_11]

Well, after lots of fun getting some seriously seized up birdcages off my rear I need some new bearings for my birdcages. They are billet WMF for a Rocket. Is there an industrial application equivelent (Timken, NSK, etc). I tried getting ahold of WMF but no response.
Thanks

[Dirt Man]

Check your pm's

[Matt49]

What were you doing maintenance-wise?
With bearing birdcages, you should take loose your bars, shocks, etc. every couple of weeks and spin the hell out of the entire birdcage to move the bearings around. Otherwise the same bearings get all of the loading over time.

[hms_11]

Lets just say we will be doing more birdcage maintenance next season.

This was our first year in a late model so everything was a learning curve. We came from street stocks and were not quite used to how quickly these cars can consume parts from just racing use.

We checked them mid-season and they were good, assumed they would be good the rest of the season, next season they will be checked weekly.

[JJRT]

why do you say seized up-- as in hard to remove from the axle tubes ? andi got new bearings for them threw Mastersbilt in crothersville , no probs..

[Matt49]

Lets just say we will be doing more birdcage maintenance next season.

This was our first year in a late model so everything was a learning curve. We came from street stocks and were not quite used to how quickly these cars can consume parts from just racing use.

We checked them mid-season and they were good, assumed they would be good the rest of the season, next season they will be checked weekly.

So you have already learned that no matter how expensive you thought it was going to be it is now double. Gotta love racing.
Weekly maintenance will save you more $$ and prevent DNFs better than anything.
Our weekly maintenance checklist is two pages long in 10 font and still growing. A well known SLM racer once told me that every part on a race car is like a clock. You have to wind it or replace it or it wil stop ticking.
There is nothing more frustrating than your night ending over a part failing that would have taken 2 minutes to inspect and $10 to replace. But this happens EVERY week to people all over the country who simply don't spend enough time in the shop during the week.

[talclipse]

Get in touch with Kent Taylor (billet_birdcage) tmp@duh.net and he can get you set up. We had the same issue a few seasons back with WMF not getting back in touch with us.

[hms_11]

@ Matt49
We have always been good with weekly maintenance, with the street stock it was about a page of weekly to-do's. We have the late model up to almost 2 pages so we must be close! It's more been a big learning curve on what needs maintenance. (in the Late Model: EVERYTHING! EVERY WEEK!) I can't stand having a part fail mid-race due to my own lack of care so I know we will not have these problems next season.

@JJRT The bearings themselves were seized up. Actually once we got the birdcage apart it was only one of 3 of the bearings that had seized. The one that seized was also a pain to get off the tube but I figure it probably got a little warm as it was locking up.



Thanks for all the help.

[beerhound]

check out oldmansgarage.com for birdcages and other performance parts