P38A Rear hub assembly FTC3223 from Eurospares anyone tried them?

Has anyone tried rear hub assemblies from Island 4x4? They list FTC 3223 made by Eurospares for about £100 each. Rimmers list aftermarket (no manufacturer listed) for £280 and Genuine LR for £760 (CHRIST!)

When I did my fronts in 2017 I went to a place caled Shop 4 Autoparts in Birmingham somewhere and they did aftermarket ones with a Timken bearing for about £175 each, and I was very happy with them, but they seem to have sold up, and now they're called Heritage Parts Centre. Still doing LR parts, but they're no longer listed as available on the website.

I'm all for going OEM, and am very warey of Britpart for any part that moves or seals.... but these are Eurospares. And they're much cheaper! Too cheap? Has anyone used them before? I don't mind saving myslef £400 if I can.

I would go with it. It's a casting so should be fine. If you're worried that the bearings may be chinesuum then buy the timken kit and swap them out before fitting.
Or, just buy the bearings and swap them out anyway?

I would buy the bearings and swap them out myself….. but I don’t have a massive press. And I don’t want the car off the road whilst I try and find one.

I think the best bet will be to buy cheap, and keep the old assemblies and re-bearing them at my leisure should the new ones fail early.

Everything is ****. You just cannot buy quality anymore. So many people just buy the cheapest thing they can get the real people have failed leaving the Chinese to produce everything and just endlessly charge for something that is lucky to last a year. And the government don't care because it makes work (taxes) and generates tax (VAT). The only loser is us.

You can buy quality though…. It’s just £280 or £760 with a LR badge on the box.

MrGorsky said:

You can buy quality though…. It’s just £280 or £760 with a LR badge on the box.

Click to expand...

No guarantee that the badge on the box denotes quality.

Datatek said:

No guarantee that the badge on the box denotes quality.

Click to expand...

Too right!
My recent experience has been ignition components .. green/white boxes labelled Lucas (made in Turkey) & even the old fashioned red/black boxes labelled the same, even emblazoned with the old Lucas symbol (made in China)

So just who are the manufacturers of 'genuine' (aka overpriced) LR components

FTC3243 Blueprint ADJ138218 Front Left Hub Bearing,
I bought two of these for my bus at the front

norseman said:

Too right!
My recent experience has been ignition components .. green/white boxes labelled Lucas (made in Turkey) & even the old fashioned red/black boxes labelled the same, even emblazoned with the old Lucas symbol (made in China)

So just who are the manufacturers of 'genuine' (aka overpriced) LR components

Click to expand...

Lucas is just a brand name now, I don't think they make anything.

Is there a “how to” to change the bearings anywhere?

Even Craddock’s list Britpart for £280, these Eurospares ones seem over-cheap, but I’ll give them a whirl and see what we see.

I wouldn’t mind having my original LR ones ready to go though….

I was looking at a pair of second hand hubs to put new bearings in them fit as i have access to a press and if thats not up to it brother works for Grundons and they have a real big one for the lorrys

MrGorsky said:

I would buy the bearings and swap them out myself….. but I don’t have a massive press. And I don’t want the car off the road whilst I try and find one.

I think the best bet will be to buy cheap, and keep the old assemblies and re-bearing them at my leisure should the new ones fail early.

Click to expand...

Shame you're not closer, you would be welcome to use our press if you were.

Mark Piercy said:

FTC3243 Blueprint ADJ138218 Front Left Hub Bearing,
I bought two of these for my bus at the front

Click to expand...

Oops sorry, I didn't realise they were the rears you were after.

Blueprint are available from Autodoc I think. I’m going with Island 4x4….. if it only buys me some time then so be it.

I can rebearing my originals with Timken in the meanwhile if I need to…..

I also have a 12T press in the garage if you fancy a trip to Langley at some point. Never done P38 bearings so far, but it has done plenty of other vehicles.

pwood999 said:

I also have a 12T press in the garage if you fancy a trip to Langley at some point. Never done P38 bearings so far, but it has done plenty of other vehicles.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer. Happy to drive over. I think that’s what we should do! Have you got the mandrels for the trailing arms and panhard rod bushings still? Maybe we could make a day of it and do the lot!!!

MrGorsky said:

Thanks for the offer. Happy to drive over. I think that’s what we should do! Have you got the mandrels for the trailing arms and panhard rod bushings still? Maybe we could make a day of it and do the lot!!!

Click to expand...

I have the tools for the radius arms your welcome to borrow them.

Sorry @brianp38dse I’m confused over who has what. Let me try and get some ducks in a row and I’ll try and sort out a day to do the lot. I appreciate the offer!

Brian has a press but not sure where it currently resides. Brian has the tools. P also has a press.

I've also never done a wheel bearing so happy to tag along.

I have various size mandrels in my ball joint splitter kits, plus several old (non P38) bearing shells I use with the press.

Don't have the radius arm tool, so I used the three jubilee clamp & chamfer method when I did mine. Was a challenge doing them on my own, but with extra hands & the correct tool they should be easy (assuming all the bolts come out easily !!).