Hi Mark
Your questions are ones faced by every CMP owner, and while the search feature on MLU is a little clunky, you don't want to miss out on what has been said on the topic of Greasing the Front Drive Joints and the Grease Seals.
Here is a list of some of the threads you might want to read through, I had an advantage in figureing out word (ball) to search for and narrowed it down with poster who had responded to previous threads in this case myself.
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...highlight=ball
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...highlight=ball
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...highlight=ball
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...highlight=ball
On my each of my CMPs I have taken the ball drive units completely apart to clean them during thier initial restoration. What a messy job.
After that I at first added gease through the plug on the ball, then when I had to take one of the units apart again I noticed, because of the color of the grease, that adding grease through the plug the new grease was staying on the out side.
Then made up the little grease injector so that new grease could be injected straight into the center of the ball. I made two different versions of this over the years but they share on point is they are made of soft material so as not damage the machine surfaces inside.
On the seal replacements, I have been using leather as a replacement, seems to have worked.
Keep us posted on what you find as you get into yours, pictures and individual experience, keep expanding the MLU knowledge base.
Please never hesitate to post a question.
There is one more previous thread that I will try and find which shows another type of drive unit that doesn't have the grease plugs but instead is lubricated from the end of the shaft.
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...all#post224561 Found it.
Cheers Phil