bcman
Active member
I've replaced the center door slide mechanism (AKA body slide) twice on my van when one of the smaller plastic rollers gets crushed/deformed and won't roll properly. Those rollers are just pieces of plastic spinning on steel shafts, so it's just a matter of time until they wear out in one way or another. I decided to try upgrading them to cartridge ball bearings. (I'll let someone else insert the quote from Fletch.)
Enduro DR 1017 2RS MAX bearings are 10 mm ID, 17 mm OD, and 6 mm wide at the outer race. Pretty close in dimensions to the plastic rollers. I ground off the peened ends of the steel pins and drove them out with a drift. I then turned some bearing supports/spacers from 7/16 stainless rod on the lathe, then bolted them into place with M6 flat head cap screws and nylock nuts.
One of the plastic rollers is shown removed, along with one bearing assembly.
I installed the fixed mechanism last night. It took a little adjustment of the T45 Torx head bolt to get the door lined up to latch properly, but seems to be working like a charm. I'll post a long-term update in a few months.
Enduro DR 1017 2RS MAX bearings are 10 mm ID, 17 mm OD, and 6 mm wide at the outer race. Pretty close in dimensions to the plastic rollers. I ground off the peened ends of the steel pins and drove them out with a drift. I then turned some bearing supports/spacers from 7/16 stainless rod on the lathe, then bolted them into place with M6 flat head cap screws and nylock nuts.
One of the plastic rollers is shown removed, along with one bearing assembly.
I installed the fixed mechanism last night. It took a little adjustment of the T45 Torx head bolt to get the door lined up to latch properly, but seems to be working like a charm. I'll post a long-term update in a few months.