Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

[Timothy B.]

I am new to this forum and also new to NCRS (just joined today). I have been tinkering with and more recently restoring a 67 conv that my dad bought back in '75. The rear bearings have never been touched, and since my desire is for a "driver" I suspect I should. It looks like it would be about $400 to swap bearing assms with rebuilt ones, and much cheaper if I do the work. There is a place I found who sells a kit with all parts and for nominal fee will "rent" you the tools (including setup tools). One tool they include is the bearing knocker tool to get the spindle out. So, the question to the group is should I try that approach?? Anyone with experience using the spindle knocker tool?

[Mike M.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

Tim: not nowing your mechanical abilities and past experiences, its difficult to judge if you are up to replacing the rear spindle bearings or not but the fact that you are considering doing the job is encouraging. get the spindle knocker,disassemble the spindles as outlined in the shop manual, get dial indicator and usually cheaper to pick up new spindle bearings, races and seals locally. you will also almost certainly need different thickness shims to get the desired endplay(again, its in the shop manual.) Where do you live? there are probably chapter members nearby who can help. good luck, mike

[Timothy B.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

Thanks Mike,

I live in Houston (Clear Lake area), so I am sure there are local members but since I am a new member I don't know any yet. I would consider myself mechanically inclined, and been working on cars (and this Vette) my whole life just about! The online place I am considering for $40 provides a new spindle knocker, and spindle installation and set-up tools (the latter two are returned when done). But, if there are locals members around here that could help that would be even better! I have heard that sometimes the spindles are ruined during removal with the knocker...

[Roger Legge]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

For comparison, how difficult is this compared to installing a ring and pinion; pinion depth, wear pattern, etc? I almost tackled a ring/pinion install recently for my son, but went ahead and let pros do it.

Tim, would it be OK to share the source for the tool rental? Is rental of the required tools at all common in major metro areas?

Roger
#36316

[Jim T.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

Tim another approach to having many miles of trouble free driving from the 67 including rear bearings, control arm bushing replacement, and discs that will run true is to remove the control arms and send them to Bair's and they will take care of it all. All you have to do is just remove the control arm and reinstall it. Check out Bair's services using Google
Some bearings can be very difficult to remove and the spincle knocker you mentioned screws onto the spindle and them you use a hammer to drive the inner bearing off the spindle. You are still stuck with getting the outer bearing off the spindle. Even if it is good enough to keep, it still has to be removed to install a new seal. Lot of work in doing both sides.

[Chas Kingston]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

I always greased them in place, annually, with a hypodemic needle set-up. See link.

Geezer




Rear wheel bearing grease

[Patrick H.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

Tim,

I'll repair almost anything on a Corvette, and have. But I leave rear bearings to the pros.

Why? Well, I only want to do them once, and I want them done right. In addition, there is much more to it than just the tools to remove and/or assemble. In addition, I would NEVER consider any local source, (almost) no matter where you are.

Why again? There is a reason that a small industry has developed around these rear bearings, and it's not because the local guy or owner can repair them easily. I have used Van Steel, but also consider Bair's and Ikerd's to be good. I can't think of any others, and virtually ANY Corvette catalog you send your bearings to will re-send them to one of these shops. These places do more in a week than any local shop does in a year.

So, in a nutshell, I'd remove them, send them out, and re-install them a week later when they return to your doorstep. You can do just the bearings, or decide if you want the entire trailing arm redone.

Good luck!

Patrick

[Duke W.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

A bearing knocker will not get the spindle out. You need to fixture the trailing arms on at least a 10-ton press.

Prior to disassembling the pack measure and record the actual end play. The depth of the bearings is held to very close tolerance, so new bearings may yield the same end-play or very close. You can also measure all the bearing depths, and if you understand the geometry of the assembly can compute what shim should be required to achieve the correct clearance. You can also shave shims to achieve an exact clearance that you choose. As a rule, it's best to be near the bottom end of the range.

Duke

[Tom H.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

I finished doing exactly the project you are contemplating this afternoon. With the right tools it isn't that big a job. I use a spindle knocker, and it removes my spindles. Perhaps some are more difficult than others. A good dial indicator setup is needed, and I bought the tool to pull the assembly together. If you are careful and take your time, it can be done. I have done several with good success. I was able to buy the spacers from my local chevy dealer,so you might check there first. This is also a good time to check the runout on your rotors. Good luck. Tom

[Frank H.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

I also have done this item many times,with no special tools the first time,And all the others ways on and off the car.

The most important part is to inspect the bearings closely for pits scratches any flaking, and the races for dents from the roller from impact, which can be done knocking them out or back even back in,nows when you decide to use or exchange them,

Now in general hub assemblies are considered a safty issue,front and rear.
Its common that two weeks after hitting a curb with yor (any)car,in which the roller dents the race and the bearing burns it self up,so now for saftys sake if a wheel and a suspension part is damage the bearing/hub is replaced.

Past common practice was to sand the inner landing for the bearing for a slip fit and on some of the parking lot racers, they turned down both inner and outer for slip fit bearings using strips of emery cloth and then can be greased/inspected easily anytime later.

My first corvette lost one,I put the fire out with my shirt,It got my attention as a mandatory service item,the car was 7 years old,

[Clem Z.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

just a thought,why could you not EDM a .030 hole in the wheel side face of the spindle to a depth of between the two bearings,then EDM a intercecting hole 90 degrees to the first hole. then install a grease fitting in the face of the spindle so you could grease the bearing with a grease gun. i do not think the .030 hole would weaken the spindle. any thoughts,duke?

[Joe L.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

clem------

There is a company the sells Corvette rear bearing assemblies modified so that grease fittings are provided for both inner and outer bearings. In their latest design, a small hole is drilled through the bearing support AND bearing OUTER race (CUP) for both the inner and outer bearings. Grease fittings are installed at each of the holes in the spindle support. Presumably, this allows greasing of the bearing cages without overfilling the bearing support cavity or displacing any seals in the process. The suppliers are called "The Spindle People", or some such name.

The system that you describe would serve a similar purpose. However, it would be more like "The Spindle People's" "first design" modified assemblies. In this design, just one grease fitting was added to the spindle support between the bearings. Grease introduced here had to fill the spindle support cavity and "push out" through the bearings. Inner and outer seals could be displaced in the process. The method that you describe, if I am understanding it correctly, would accomplish the same thing, except provide the grease path through the spindle, itself, rather than the spindle support.

A system such as you described could be modified to do the same thing as the "Spindle People's" "second design", that I described above. In this modification, the hole through the spindle would be set as deep as the inner bearing centerline. Then, 90 degree intersecting holes would be drilled at the mid thickness of each bearing. The problem would be that, then, the bearing INNER races would have to be drilled with a corresponding hole AND this hole would have to closely match the exact position of the holes in the spindle when the bearings were installed----an almost impossible feat.

Personally, while any of these methods would seem to work ok, I'd never use them, myself. While you can crudely grease the bearings this way, you can't clean them or inspect them for wear or damage. Another problem involves the possible mixing of grease types which can seriously degrade grease capability. How does one know what grease was used the last time the bearings were serviced?If the Corvette rear bearing assemblies are properly set-up and properly lubricated, they will not require greasing or attention for, at least, 50,000 miles and, with modern greases, likley MUCH more. So, by the time the bearings are due for greasing, they're due to be cleaned and inspected, as well.

C4 and C5 Corvettes use sealed bearing assemblies. You don't grease them, at all. When they "need grease", you replace them. The grease "comes with" the new bearing assembly.

[John G.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

I'm a new NCRS member. I too will be addressing the rear wheel bearings at some point in the future. I believe one of the wheel spindles has some pretty 'weak' looking threads; meaning some appear to be missing. Is it possible to recondition these damaged threads, say by a machinist using a kind of 'helicoil' type insert and then re-threading to original spec .. ? ..

[Joe L.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

John-----

I don't know of any heli-coil-type repair. In the past, I've heard that some folks had developed a way to satisfactorily "recondition" the threaded end of the spindle by some sort of special welding process and rethreading. I don't know if anyone is still doing this, or not. Personally, I wouldn't be interested in such a "reconditioned" spindle, anyway. If I were going to use anything other than a new spindle to replace a thread-damaged one, I'd prefer a good used spindle to such a repaired one. Bairs has a large inventory of good used spindles.

Today, excellent replacement spindles are available from International Axle. These are in every way equal to or superior than the originals and they can be purchased for about $150.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Rear wheel bearings - should I try it??

The source I refer to is fastcorvette.com, and I believe they are in Dallas. Any of you had experience with that company?