by George Lyle
Has anyone had cv joint boots get tears in them after a few thousand miles? ...Are some boots better than others?Yes! Boots don't seem to be as durable as they used to be. I've had poor luck with Lobro, Qualitat, and even the cheapo taiwan boots that I tried out of desperation.
My local brake supply house provided me with a set of Rockford Dura-boots. These are made in USA and seem to have much higher quality rubber than the others. The part number for a bus is 814-21. The boot design is closer to the type used by FWD cars than the accordian-pleats of the others, so restoration folks might not be happy with them. I've only been using them for a year, but they are showing _no_ signs of wear or cracking. They cost around $15 each with grease, but no bolts.
One quirk with the Rockford boots: They are a
bit shorter than stock, so the boot won't go between the "bumps" on
the axle. I placed the boot just outboard of the outboard "bump" on
the shaft and the boot fit fine.
