Scottd

Genst, Im a regular wrench turner, Id give myself a 4 out of 5 on the 'capability scale'. My upcoming winter project will be to service and rebuild the parking brake and wheel bearings. Ive heard that these bearings require a degree in quantum physics and 14 million dollars in special tools. Let me ask a few specifics, and then you guys can give me the particulars.

1) What specific tools are REQUIRED. (Not, 'nice to have', but required)
2) Can the job be done with trailing arms still on the car?
3) Although they arent giving me any signs of trouble, this is the last part of the car I havnt rebuilt. Are there any tips that make this job easier?

SIXFOOTER

Requires a setup tool and its spendy. Honestly I would have it done, there are a couple guys in here that do this very well. I did mine but had Gary make the spacers for me. It took some shipping back and forth. Other than that its no harder than anything else. I would definately not try it with the T/A's in place

ETA:

Gary did a tutorial several years ago on this, a search might find it but I have not looked

Sigforty

If you are attempting this yourself you will need the following at a minimum.

Rear bearing setup tool
Spindle knock out tool
Access to a press
Dial indicator with base
Micrometer or dial caliper
Race install tool
Bearing removal tool

With all those tools you will be able to get the rear bearings off and races out. The time consuming part is using the setup tool and getting the new bearings with in spec. The spec may change though when you install them on the spindle so you may have to adjust shims.

C3Paul

here is a nice video to give you an idea

7T1vette

It's a LOT easier...and probably better...to have a qualified source rebuild the entire trailing arm assembly. It would me MUCH less expensive for rebuilding one set of T/A's than to purchase/scrape-up all the tooling necessary to do that job correctly. Then, there's the "LEARNING CURVE".....

Good luck, whichever way you go.

Blue Juice

I have literally just finished my training arm re-build, arms still lying on the garage floor waiting to go back in the car.
A couple of my "learning points"...

1. I didn't use a spindle knock out tool. Thrashing away at a reasonably intricate assembly with BF hammer didn't seem right, so I used my press and sat the arm and spindle housing on two 3/4"bars. These actually touch against the brake dust plate, but you can align everything so that the bars don't touch any of the dust plate pressings for the Em Brake and the load is transferred directly to the spindle housing.

2. I would recommend that you do both arms at the same time. My biggest mistake was doing the drivers side first and finding all the Em Brake hardware in good condition, the dust cover was fine too, so everything got de-rusted and painted, etc..
Finished the arm, re-fitted it to the car, hooked everything up and moved round to the passenger side. Stripped it down and found wrecked Em Brake springs, retainer pins, cracked friction material on the shoes, much worse rust on the dust cover, etc..
Didn't like the idea of new gear on one arm only, so had to pull the drivers side apart again to change out the dust cover etc.

3. One of the Em Brake shoe retaining pins MUST be installed with the dust plate. It cannot be fitted after.

4. Didn't use a race install tool. Use the press and some suitably sized tubing.

5. I left the outer bearing as tight press fit, but polished out the inner race of the inner bearing. Not so far as to make it a slip fit, but just not as tight as the outer. This makes any disassembly much easier.
Why would you disassemble? In case there is any change between the bearing setup tool and your spindle.
There shouldn't be!! But I found that 0.003" end play with the set up tool, crept up to 0.004" on the assembled arm.
This was the "do it twice" drivers side, and I was surprised at how much wheel movement 4 thou' caused.
On the passenger side and driver's #2 set up I brought the end play down to 0.001".
I don't have a wheel on them yet, but with the rotors back on and the Em Brakes set, I have nice smooth rotation, not tight or dragging.

So if you have a press (and you'll need one) I reckon you could cross the knocker and race installer from Sigforty's list.
And I prefer a micrometer over a caliper for shim measurement.

It's easy! Especially for 4 out of 5 star wrencher! Good luck...

Scottd

Well, I dont own a press, and I dont have enough space in my garage to add one. I dont own any of the other tools other than a set of calipers and a cheap HF dial indicator.
I guess my next big project will be finding someone in the greater Syracuse area who actully services them. Now, did someone mention that the measurements may change once everything gets installed on the car? This sounds like its about to get real complicated, real quick.
Is there a down and dirty way to see if the bearings REALLY need replacment, or can I just get away with using the special grease packing tool? Ive read good and bad about this tool, but my options are pretty limited here.....

Blue Juice

With regards bearing condition; you could remove the half shaft and parking brake assembly so all you can feel is the spindle and bearings.
Rotate the spindle and feel for roughness or binding.
This is really a qualitative check and probably needs some experience to tell good from bad.
Pop the rotor and wheel back on and check for movement when rocking side to side (9 o'çlock 3 o'clock positions).

I don't see how any bearing greaser could work on the rear bearings! You have to dis-assemble to access them, and no press makes this a hard and messy task.

Do you not have a shed or outbuilding that could be a home for a new press? They are very useful, you would probably use it!
Regarding the other tools, the set up tool is the biggest cost, but it's a LOT less than someone else doing the work for you.

tracdogg2

Interesting video. But not real world and many steps were left out. Everything after 8:00 is incorrect. Doing it that way, you won't be able to install the outer seal.
He was using new Toms spindles and a new shim and spacer kit. That makes it much easier to do but it does add over $300 to your cost. The video left out the very first step, pre-seating the bearings. If you don't pre-seat the bearings they will loosen the first time you drive the car. And it never is as easy as the video shows.

kanvasman

I had that same project come up last spring. I am by no means a newbie, but I have learned enough in my almost 65 years to know that just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you should. Thought about it a lot, looked at the cost of the tools needed and the TIME to do it, and I just bit the bullet. Sent them out to Zip, one at a time, and they came back about 2 weeks later, all cleaned and painted and I just bolted them up. I would have spent almost that time just taking them apart. Instead I spent that time doing other projects on the car. I figured the cost of the tools would have paid for the first arm, or close to it. ( So then the argument is now you have the tools, you can do a lot of these in the future…REALLY?) The cost of the parts and the SS parking brake set up would be about half the cost of the second arm, maybe a little less. So for the balance of the bill, I got them done, done right and I didn't hit my hand with the hammer. Just my logic here. Good luck.

PS> Don't forget how cold that garage will be in Syracuse this winter.

OMF

This is a video I made, and the point of the video is how to setup the proper bearing end play. At 4:25 I rotate the spindle support to allow the rollers to get into their running position on the race. If you don't do this you get around 2 thou difference in readings.
You say everything after 8:00 is wrong, and mentioned you wouldn't be able to put the seal in.....well... At 8:38 I said the seal goes in.
New spindles or not, the video takes the "voodoo" out of doing your rear spindles. It's a job that needs a few special tools, I used some scrap steel to make a press like the one used in another video on youtube, a hydraulic press,a spindle setup tool, and my magnetic dial gauge, thats it.

I just drove the thing 1793 miles Edmonton, AB to Phoenix, AZ without any problems at all, so it couldn't have been all wrong....

tracdogg2

I stand corrected, you did say install the seal. But why would use a piece of pipe to press the outer bearing onto the spindle and then install the spacer and shim?

tracdogg2

I didn't say you did anything wrong, I said you left many steps out. I will say it's a very good video up until 8:00. For someone who is doing the bearings for the first time they will press it together like you showed but may forget the little things like the brake shield, caliper bracket, trailing arm, and bearing shield.
Since you didn't address my point about pre-seating the bearings I'm guessing you have no idea what I'm talking about. Pre-seating the bearings will change your endplay .002-.003. Toms spindles have less press fit on the bearings than stock spindles. Much easier to press together. Your spacers are not originals, they were made by international axle. Very good pieces and true. Original spacers are not true. I have yet to see one that was true. Original spindles are never true, they have to be machined.
Since all your new shims are in .006 increments what would you have done if you have .005 end play? How will you get it down to .001? It is very rare to get the correct end play with the shims provided.
There is no voodoo involved in setting up bearings. You can buy everything you need to make it very simple. But it gets to a point where it's just cheaper to have a pro do it and has all the tools and equipment to do it right.

OMF

I do have another video detailing the assembly steps, I just haven't edited it through yet.
I do know what you mean by preseating the bearings...rotating the bearing assembly 40-50 revolutions, tightening the nut, 40-50 more turns, and the same process again, ending up with a fairly snug assembly. I just decided not to do that process....my choice.
I admit I got lucky on that spindle, but the other one I didn't. I had to take a couple to the machine shop and have them surface ground to my specs. And yes I did buy two new spacer kits, one for each side around $30 each.
Your right, It would cost as much to do this yourself, if you had to purchase all the equipment, as sending it off to the pros. To some guys, (me included) we ge a great sense of accomplishment doing things like this ourselves, and as an amitted tool *****, I end up with some more tools
I do understand you getting somewhat concerned with vids like these as they do step on toes, I just like helping guy out.....no money involved here just some knowledge. Cheers

lionelhutz

We did Dad's car for the cost of the bearings and seals plus a used spindle since one was damaged by a spun bearing. It's good to know people who have things like a press and a surface grinder and will help out. We used the bad spindle to set the bearing end play. As posted above, we're not much for just paying someone else to do the work.

tracdogg2

You did a good job on the video. I wish you had included the part about having to have the other pieces machined. I'm not worried about stepping on toes, what concerns me is when it doesn't go smoothly. Too many videos don't show it or ignore it.
I am all for people doing their own work. It is a great sense of accomplishment for them. Maybe some of the people that I have helped will reply on this thread. I have spent hours and hours on the phone, all hours day and night, from people in many countries, walking them thru rebuilds, repairs and general questions. It would be so easy for me to say "you can't do it just send it to me". For people that want to do their ta rebuild themselves but can't set up their bearings, they send me their bearing supports and I set up the bearings for them. They get to do all the rebuild work and take all the credit for it. Sometimes I get thanked on the forum, sometimes I don't. Just recently a local forum member brought over his a-arms and I spent a couple of hours removing his bushings for him. Not even a thank you.
The problem comes in when someone watches a video, tries to do it they same way, and it all goes wrong. I don't like telling people that they have to do it all over again and re-purchase the parts they just bought. They get mad at me for being honest and truthful.
Here's a quick breakdown of my workload. 50% is custom builds, 10% is stock/restored, 10% is corvette owners that tried but for some reason couldn't finish, and 30% from corvette owners that just had the work done somewhere else.
I am all for do it yourself videos. But you have to show the bad with the good.

tracdogg2

Friends with tools are a great help.

Scottd

Nor am I. My vette has seen the insides of another shop exactly 3 times. 1) tires 2) Alignment 3) after a self induced valve train nightmare created by an engine swap.

I like to do everything myself, but it just sounds like this job will cost me either a lot of time and money to do myself (and worry afterwards) or even more time and money if I source it out.

What is an average, rough estimate that a shop should charge to service them? (Assuming both sides, removed from car)

Ibanez540r

I would not take them to your local garage and expect it to be done right. The C3 trailing arms are unique and many experienced shops have never done them, so it would be a gamble and not worth your money. Stick to someone familiar with the vette.

Do your own research but the top builders in the country are Mike above (tracdogg2, who did my Tom's 31 spline arms ) or Gary Ramadei who is no longer on this forum. I believe I have read positive reviews on stock rebuilds through places like Bair's, Vansteel, etc. but again do your own research.

I'm sure Mike would be more then happy to give you a price..

Moose 02 FB

just as a quess what would be the cost of rebuilding both side as an average and does anyone know someone in the New Jersey Area