My car needed a driveshaft carrier bearing, the rubber was shot in mine. I asked around and it seemed the only solution was to buy one from Toyota, or go to a one-piece driveshaft, either way... $200+. Someone had posted that they used a carrier bearing from a Ford Ranger (no mention of the year) but they cut the steel shell apart from the original supra one and put the ranger bearing and rubber part into it. I found an easier way...
I want to point out that I did this on my own car, and I don't recommend anyone does it without understanding the risks of modifying a driveshaft system. I take NO responsibility if you do this and damage anything, or injure anyone.
The bearing I bought was Napa part number "BRG HB209-KF". It cost $64 as of Jan 2012, but if you look up "HB209KF" on google you can find them for less online. Rockauto has them for a good price too ($51 right now, but they get some random deals in). There is a dust shield in the box with the bearing, throw it away, it's not needed and won't fit. The supra driveshaft already has one on it.
You can see the size similarity and the bearing ID is identical. Note that the Ford outer shell has no lower steel strap to hold the rubber in, because it's designed to bolt to a crossmember.
The mounting holes are the same spacing, and are centered in relation to the bearing just the same.
To solve the problem of the Ford bearing not having a lower strap, you need to make one. I made mine out of 1/4" steel. This is probably overkill, but I know that the OEM bolts would break before this does.
Here's a final picture installed. It fits perfectly in the original spot. Since the Ford bearing sits closer to the mounting surface than the original, I got rid of the two spacer washers and bolted this right to the body. It puts the driveshaft in an almost perfect straight line, and it doesn't rub anything (or even come close). You may need spacers (washers), every car seems to be a little different.
I want to point out that I did this on my own car, and I don't recommend anyone does it without understanding the risks of modifying a driveshaft system. I take NO responsibility if you do this and damage anything, or injure anyone.
The bearing I bought was Napa part number "BRG HB209-KF". It cost $64 as of Jan 2012, but if you look up "HB209KF" on google you can find them for less online. Rockauto has them for a good price too ($51 right now, but they get some random deals in). There is a dust shield in the box with the bearing, throw it away, it's not needed and won't fit. The supra driveshaft already has one on it.
You can see the size similarity and the bearing ID is identical. Note that the Ford outer shell has no lower steel strap to hold the rubber in, because it's designed to bolt to a crossmember.
The mounting holes are the same spacing, and are centered in relation to the bearing just the same.
To solve the problem of the Ford bearing not having a lower strap, you need to make one. I made mine out of 1/4" steel. This is probably overkill, but I know that the OEM bolts would break before this does.
Here's a final picture installed. It fits perfectly in the original spot. Since the Ford bearing sits closer to the mounting surface than the original, I got rid of the two spacer washers and bolted this right to the body. It puts the driveshaft in an almost perfect straight line, and it doesn't rub anything (or even come close). You may need spacers (washers), every car seems to be a little different.
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