Brakes: RA brake tee bolt - vented?

[62champ]

Studebaker friend sent along a couple of rear axle brake parts that I have been looking for - specifically the brake tee and bolt. After looking at the bolt (holds the tee to the left rear axle housing) I wondered if I have been thinking incorrectly. My thought was those bolts had a small hole in them so the rear axle housing can vent through them - this one does not. The parts book calls it a SCREW - G181315 - 1/4" - 28 x 1". Do truck housings vent through the two "grease" holes on both ends or somewhere else?

Thanks ahead

[Jerry Forrester]

Not sure about the trucks but the '53-55 cars had a small breather hole covered by the brake line retaining clip on the driver's side of the axle.

[Colgate Studebaker]

I believe the axle vent hole as Jerry mentioned was in all the rear axles as the '63 Avanti I restored has the hole in that position and my '64 Hawk also has it. Truck axles may be a different story for someone with the knowledge of them. Bill

[tim333]

Hmm, I’ll have to clean the gunk off my housing to unblock that vent on my 53 Starliner. Thanks guys.

[62champ]

Truck axles may be a different story for someone with the knowledge of them. Bill

That is what I am wondering. The parts I got came off another truck, but that does not always mean the bolt is original. Truck axles have a hole on each side of the housing at 12 o'clock to let excess grease out of the housing when you put too much in to grease the outer bearings. Thanks.

[Skip Lackie]

G181315 is a standard bolt. Some of the earlier 3/4-ton trucks had a special vented bolt to hold the brake pipe tee on to the rear axle. However, a special bolt like that would not have a G in the part number. Parts with a G prefix were USS or SAE standard hardware items.

[(S)]

They have a small pinhole like cars have.

On a different note:

The holes near the wheel bearings are supposed to have a zirk or a plug in them. If they are open, you have a problem - or you will pretty soon.! Those holes are for putting grease in, not to let it come out.

Early cars had them also, but over the years they got 'overgreased' wiping out your brakes so they stopped using them circa 1953-6 and most were plugged.

[62champ]

The holes near the wheel bearings are supposed to have a zirk or a plug in them. If they are open, you have a problem - or you will pretty soon.! Those holes are for putting grease in, not to let it come out.

Those plugs are on the lower rear facing part of the axle housing where the outside bearings are located. The shop manual lube section says to use a low pressure grease gun and to add grease until it comes out of the vent hole at the top. So maybe the "vent hole" is not just for the sign the axle bearing are fully grease but to allow air to exit and enter the housing.