I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. In the past I always took them to my local automotive
machine shop but the last time I noticed that the axle where the
beraing was removed was blue. On closer inspection it was apparent
that they had used a torch to cut off the axle (there was a trace of
melting into **into** the bearing surface on the axle - not good in
my opinion. SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck. Next I added a bearing seperator for more impact mass.
Bearing still would not budge. I opened up my largest vise and set
the bearing seperator on the jaws and beat on the splined end of the
axle shafts w/ a 4 lb copper hammer. Would not budge. THen I got out
the torch with a brazing tip and heated the bearing (burned thru the
lip seal and applied heat to the bearing inner, then I beat on the
splined end w/ my copper hammer. Still no luck - now what? CUt off
wheel to remove the bearing outer and then try to cut into the bearing
inner w/o damaging the axle? Other ideas. I have a 30T A-frame
press - it is about 4 inches too short in height to be able to press
the bearing off.

On Tue, 9 Aug 2011 18:50:49 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. In the past I always took them to my local automotive
machine shop but the last time I noticed that the axle where the
beraing was removed was blue. On closer inspection it was apparent
that they had used a torch to cut off the axle (there was a trace of
melting into **into** the bearing surface on the axle - not good in
my opinion. SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck. Next I added a bearing seperator for more impact mass.
Bearing still would not budge. I opened up my largest vise and set
the bearing seperator on the jaws and beat on the splined end of the
axle shafts w/ a 4 lb copper hammer. Would not budge. THen I got out
the torch with a brazing tip and heated the bearing (burned thru the
lip seal and applied heat to the bearing inner, then I beat on the
splined end w/ my copper hammer. Still no luck - now what? CUt off
wheel to remove the bearing outer and then try to cut into the bearing
inner w/o damaging the axle? Other ideas. I have a 30T A-frame
press - it is about 4 inches too short in height to be able to press
the bearing off.

Now you know why everybody just torches them out. You must have had a
guy that never ran a torch do it for you last time. its pretty easy to
get the bearing metal red, then just hit the O2 for a sec and blast it
out. This don't give time to let the adjoining metal get hot enough.

Karl

On 2011-08-10, wrote:
I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. In the past I always took them to my local automotive

[ ... ]

my opinion. SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck.

What I have done, in the distant past, was to use a bench
grinder (no angle grinders in those days) to grind a flat on the inner
race until I got *close* to the axle. (Say perhaps 1/8" or 0.100").

I then took a hefty chisel and hammer and drive the chisel edge
into the center of the flat, with the edge parallel to the axle.

This split it, after which it slid off fairly easily.

Good Luck,
DoN.

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"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
On 2011-08-10, wrote:
I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. In the past I always took them to my local automotive

[ ... ]

my opinion. SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck.

What I have done, in the distant past, was to use a bench
grinder (no angle grinders in those days) to grind a flat on the inner
race until I got *close* to the axle. (Say perhaps 1/8" or 0.100").

I then took a hefty chisel and hammer and drive the chisel edge
into the center of the flat, with the edge parallel to the axle.

This split it, after which it slid off fairly easily.


The above method has always worked well for me, too..

On 10 Aug 2011 04:21:39 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2011-08-10, wrote:
I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. In the past I always took them to my local automotive

[ ... ]

my opinion. SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck.

What I have done, in the distant past, was to use a bench
grinder (no angle grinders in those days) to grind a flat on the inner
race until I got *close* to the axle. (Say perhaps 1/8" or 0.100").

I then took a hefty chisel and hammer and drive the chisel edge
into the center of the flat, with the edge parallel to the axle.

This split it, after which it slid off fairly easily.


Agressive grinding will anneal the race so the chisel will cut in.
This has worked for me also.

Randy
Remove 333 to reply.
Randy

On Aug 10, 7:23*am, Randy333 wrote:
On 10 Aug 2011 04:21:39 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:





On 2011-08-10, wrote:
I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. *In the past I always took them to my local automotive

* *[ ... ]

my opinion. * SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. *The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck.

* *What I have done, in the distant past, was to use a bench
grinder (no angle grinders in those days) to grind a flat on the inner
race until I got *close* to the axle. *(Say perhaps 1/8" or 0.100").

* *I then took a hefty chisel and hammer and drive the chisel edge
into the center of the flat, with the edge parallel to the axle.

* *This split it, after which it slid off fairly easily.

Agressive grinding will anneal the race so the chisel will cut in.
This has worked for me also.

Randy
Remove 333 to reply.
Randy- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What make of diffs are you guys working with anyway? I've replaced
bearings many times on my diffs, take the pin out of the diff, slide
the axle in, remove clip, slide axle out and use a slipper and slide
hammer to get the seal and bearing out of the housing. 10 minute
job. Takes longer to drain the diff than to do the job. Mostly Ford
diffs.

Stan

On Aug 10, 12:03*pm, wrote:
On Aug 10, 7:23*am, Randy333 wrote:









On 10 Aug 2011 04:21:39 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:

On 2011-08-10, wrote:
I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. *In the past I always took them to my local automotive

* *[ ... ]

my opinion. * SO I surfed the web and was able to remove the retainer
by drilling partway into and using a chisel. *The general consensus
was to beat the splined axle end on a board on concrete, holding onto
the backing plate and the bearing would come loose from the impact.
No such luck.

* *What I have done, in the distant past, was to use a bench
grinder (no angle grinders in those days) to grind a flat on the inner
race until I got *close* to the axle. *(Say perhaps 1/8" or 0.100").

* *I then took a hefty chisel and hammer and drive the chisel edge
into the center of the flat, with the edge parallel to the axle.

* *This split it, after which it slid off fairly easily.

Agressive grinding will anneal the race so the chisel will cut in.
This has worked for me also.

Randy
Remove 333 to reply.
Randy- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

What make of diffs are you guys working with anyway? *I've replaced
bearings many times on my diffs, take the pin out of the diff, slide
the axle in, remove clip, slide axle out and use a slipper and slide
hammer to get the seal and bearing out of the housing. *10 minute
job. *Takes longer to drain the diff than to do the job. *Mostly Ford
diffs.

Stan

That's what ford and chevy are like, where the inner race is usually
the axle itself.

Others, buick-olds-pontiac-toyota and anything with a removeable bolt-
in center-section (including some fords) the bearings are a full inner-
and-outer race assembled set where the keeper plate under the brake
backing plate retains the outer race in the axle housing, and the
press-fit of the inner-race on the axle (and usually a press-on
keeper) retains the axle.

The center-pin method is frowned upon for drag racing as if the diff
blows the axles are lost. You also can't have the quick-change center
section.

On the other style if the wheel bearing fails (or if the inner race
slides off the axle) the entire axle can walk out. I have seen this
twice- once while test-driving a 67 GTO parts car just after buying
it, and another was a friends '65 lemans.


Dave

What make of diffs are you guys working with anyway? *I've replaced
bearings many times on my diffs, take the pin out of the diff, slide
the axle in, remove clip, slide axle out and use a slipper and slide
hammer to get the seal and bearing out of the housing. *10 minute
job. *Takes longer to drain the diff than to do the job. *Mostly Ford
diffs.

Stan- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In my case this is a Ford 8 inch rear axle out of a Maverick to
upgrade my '61 Falcon (currently with a stock 7.25 inch Salsbury (sp?)
style rear axle)

To all of you - thanks for the responses - I'll get to it with a
grinder / cut off wheel to get close to the bearing mounting surface
and then whack it w/ a chisel.

On 2011-08-10, wrote:
On Aug 10, 7:23*am, Randy333 wrote:
On 10 Aug 2011 04:21:39 GMT, "DoN. Nichols"
wrote:





On 2011-08-10, wrote:
I want to replace some wheel bearings on a traditional RWD
"live"axle. *In the past I always took them to my local automotive

[ ... ]

* *What I have done, in the distant past, was to use a bench
grinder (no angle grinders in those days) to grind a flat on the inner
race until I got *close* to the axle. *(Say perhaps 1/8" or 0.100").

* *I then took a hefty chisel and hammer and drive the chisel edge
into the center of the flat, with the edge parallel to the axle.

* *This split it, after which it slid off fairly easily.

Agressive grinding will anneal the race so the chisel will cut in.
This has worked for me also.

Actually -- the grinder I had was not capable of being that
aggressive, so it was the still hard bearing metal under tension which
broke when the chisel was hit.

[ ... ]

What make of diffs are you guys working with anyway? I've replaced
bearings many times on my diffs, take the pin out of the diff, slide
the axle in, remove clip, slide axle out and use a slipper and slide
hammer to get the seal and bearing out of the housing. 10 minute
job. Takes longer to drain the diff than to do the job. Mostly Ford
diffs.

Pin out of differential? This was a single-piece tube
differential and axle housing. (A friend's early Ford Mustang, FWIW.)
As I remember it, it was remove the wheel and brake drum, unbolt the
axle flange and slide the axle out with the inner race still on it, then
try to find a way to remove the inner race with limited tools. (My
power tools at the time were a hand-held electric drill and an ancient
6" bench grinder (which I still have, and which still works).

Enjoy,
DoN.

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