Seating Bearing Races
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,590
Likes: 403
From: Nashville TN
St. Jude Donor '09
Seating Bearing Races
I don't know if it is me or something messed up with the Advanced Search today, so I'll ask. How do you get the bearing races in? I am replacing both front bearings with new Timkens. I've gotten the old races out, but how do you get the news one back in?
Last edited by redman76; Mar 10, 2009 at 04:42 PM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,590
Likes: 403
From: Nashville TN
St. Jude Donor '09
Gary, I'm not sure I follow what you are saying. When I tap on the left side, the right side pops up and vise versa. Is there a trick or jig I need to get them in? I don't have a press and don't really want to take them any where if I can do myself.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,291
Likes: 493
From: Salmon Arm, BC
Use the old one you popped out and lay the narrower edge of the race on top of the new one. Now get a nice piece of flat steel or something similar and lay it ontop of the old race. Use a short piece of 2x4 ontop of that and hammer 
it in
If it ***** off to one side or the other use the 2x4 at a very slight angle to drive it in straight. It also helps to hold downward pressure on the 2x4
it inIf it ***** off to one side or the other use the 2x4 at a very slight angle to drive it in straight. It also helps to hold downward pressure on the 2x4
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,590
Likes: 403
From: Nashville TN
St. Jude Donor '09
Thanks Stocker, I'll try that. One of these days I'll learn to think out of the box. Never thought about flipping the old race upside down so I would clear the hub.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 716
Likes: 1
From: Albuquerque New Mexico
I know on some hubs you have to grind the outer surface down slightly otherwise the old race (now an installation tool) get pressed in on top of the new one. Then you have to knock back out. Maybe this was on the camaro but not the corvette. Just in case though you can always grind down the OD slightly if is the case. Great Method!
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 3,990
From: Connecticut, USA
I have used various methods but never a press for the fronts. A piece of flat stock across the race will do it. A hammer tap around the face of the race to square it and drive it in is all you need to start. I have one of those common aluminum seal/race installers and they work great, tap the race in, you'll hear the sound change when you hit bottom.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,412
Likes: 792
From: Redondo Beach, California
I bought a set of bear race aluminum installation disks from Harbor Frieght. They were pretty cheap and work just fine (for the front rotors that is). You use the disks to get the races aligned up to the hole and then just hammer the disks pushing the races into place.
I wouldn't use a press for the front rotor races unless you had a pressure gauge on the press. I'd think there's a danger of too much pressure distorting the races. They're not that hard to install with the Harbor Freight toolset.