Well, I just got an alignment done on my 79 and it did not go so well....it looks like I need wheel bearings in the rear. I just did the trailing arm bushings last month, changed out the c clips in the differential and replaced all the u-joints. I did not do the wheel bearings because that is beyond my capability or knowledge. Got grabbed my wheel at 12 and 6 and was able to move it back and forth.

The were able to get the alignment done pretty close but the toe was way out in the rear. Prior to the alignment, my car was all over the road and it is 100 percent better now. One of the reasons it was so bad was over the last year I have replaced all the bushings, tie rods, shocks, springs, body mounts, control arm bushings, trailing arm bushings, and this was the first chance I had to get it aligned.

Any idea how much that would cost to get the rear wheel bearings replaced? Just an average guess.

Thanks for your input

Dan

 

i wouldnt change it out till it totally lets go because it wont happen in an instant, you get plenty of warning before the screeching and smoke pours out of it. they are too expensive to fix if it aint broke but when it does get "bad" go to vansteel . my bearings still going strong 8 years later and probably go another 8.

 

Grabbing the wheel at 6/12 is not an accurate way of gauging the bearings. Grab it at 3/9 instead. 6/12 can give you a false reading because the differential side yoke play can be mistaken for bearing play. New clips is a good first step but the ends of the yokes and the diff cross shaft/pin can also be worn... and you typically test for yoke/pin wear by grabbing the wheel at 6/12.

Have an assistant look very carefully at the point where the diff side yoke enters the differential at the side of the diff case. Grab the wheel at 6/12 and put some back into it. Unless the yokes & pin & clips are relatively new, your assistant should see the yoke move in and out at the case with your 6/12 push-pull. Go from there.

 

I know of quite few people who will categorically disagree with you on that.

 

Dan, check your I.M.'s

 

Dan-

The best way to know the condition of the bearing is the remove the 1/2 shaft and do a spin test first, listening for noise. (Don't confuse broken parking brake spring noise with bearing noise). Then put a dial indicator on the spindle and check the run out on the bearings, anything wider than 8 thousandths is too much.

Do not put this off, if he bearings are toast they will eat up the spindle and this will cost you even more money.

IMHO,

Willcox

 

Wilcox gives good advice here.
Having just done my bearings, I can tell you to expect to pay about $450 for both sides. It requires special tools and some knowledge of what you're doing. Definitely NOT a DIY job.

 

I came down an on ramp one day and was just accelerating to highway speed when the left rear wheel locked up. Not fun so as Mike is indicating they can go in an instant.

 

Related question.

complete new (exchange) T/A's/bearing/spindle/rotor/e-brake :$390
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductDetails/StyleMasterDetails.aspx?pid={ca98935a-8216-44b0-a397-503651aa1aae}&gid={1fb710fb-73a8-4c2b-b6f9-61b999c24666}&GroupName=Trailing+Arm+%26 +Bearing+Assemblies&pname=77-82+Trailing+Arm+Assembly+w%2fNew+Rotor+% 28Rebuilt%29&Referer=&Alias=&ptct=SGR-SR&CTitle=&

VS

bearing and spindle unit: $260
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductDetails/StyleMasterDetails.aspx?pid={ca98935a-8216-44b0-a397-503651aa1aae}&gid={1fb710fb-73a8-4c2b-b6f9-61b999c24666}&GroupName=Trailing+Arm+%26 +Bearing+Assemblies&pname=77-82+Trailing+Arm+Assembly+w%2fNew+Rotor+% 28Rebuilt%29&Referer=&Alias=&ptct=SGR-SR&CTitle=&

As long as the T/A is not rusted to he!l, Only thing is the T/A bushing is new (vs 30+ years old). So only replace the T/A (& bushing) if its bad? If the T/A is good just get a bearing/spindle unit?

How does one determine if the bushing is bad? Or is it just based on age and condition of 30+yo rubber that is expected to be bad?

Or am I missing something else?

dodosmike

 

hmmm, I will check again. When I replaced the C clips, the yokes looked pretty good but then again, I had never seen one before. When he pulled on the tire at 6 and 12, it really didn't take much to move it and it looked like the tire was what was moving, not the whole half shaft. I will look again. I am not really thrilled about taking the trailing arms off again but we will see.

I went through this a few months ago and that is why I replaced the trailing arm bushings and c clips in the first place. shazaaaam

 

To change the wheel bearings, do I have to take the whole trailing arm off again, or just the spindle? I have the AIM so I will start looking in there also.

 

The trailing arms don't have to be taken off to change the bearings, but you MUST have special tools to pull out the bearings regardless of whether they're on the car or not.

 

That is a good starting point. But before the half shaft is removed, a quick look at the yoke play is a wise move. It may save a lot of time and money. The leverage you have with the wheel also lets you really force the yokes in & out to see how loose they are.

I did an experiment and found that checking the end play with the spindle horiziontal is kinda iffy. The bearings are tapered roller bearings and they tend to move up & down as well as in & out when checked horizontally. I'm not saying you can't ball park it.. just that the reading may be skewed because the tip of the dial indicator moves around on the spindle flange and the spindle flange is not perfectly flat. A spec of rust or paint will even throw the reading off. Under ideal conditions, the end play should be checked with the spindle standing vertical. I use a special jig for this.

.008 is the max factory tolerance. The general concensous is that they should be set up at less than .002 I always shoot for .001 to .0015, and some people go with .0 because they tend to loosen up just a bit after initial run-in. To be ****, they should also be checked with no grease.

 

I have yet to find anything on this car that is easy to fix. Here we go again.

 

Has anyone done their own bearings? I have seen a couple of threads on how to adjust end play but not a 'how to assess and replace your bearings' step-by-step thread. I know it takes special instruments and tools to do it properly. I am just amazed that with all the other DIY projects on here that nearly everybody agrees that bearings must be sent off to someone else. I got this car to tinker with and I really don't want to know there was any part of a restoration that I had to send to someone else!

 

I'm in the process of a frame off restoration of my '81 which includes the entire chasis and suspension, all new bushing, bearings, ball joints and yes front and rear bearings, you do need a couple of precise measuring tools but I found it not to be as hard as I had read.

 

As others have noted, do not wait if you suspect the bearings are bad or going bad unless you don't mind one of the rear wheels separating from the spindle at speed-it is a safety issue-don't mess with it!!

I have replaced every single component on the IRS of my 78 except the rear wheel bearings which is coming soon at 66,000 miles on the car. The degree of difficulty for most of the rear suspension components is not bad and not very different from just about any other car. However, as many have noted, because of the need to have specialized tools to remove and install the wheel bearings and to setup the tolerances correctly, most will not be doing this job. I have owned my 78 for 35 years now and have replaced or upgraded just about every single suspension component but have no intention of tackling the rear wheel bearing issue. GTR1999 AKA Gary Ramadei custom rebuilt/blue printed my oem steering box and when I drove to drop the steering box off in New Haven CT, I got a very comprehensive tour of his shop and capabilities including rebuilding 4 speeds and trailing arms. I would remove the trailing arms as a unit and have the whole trailing arm rebuilt including the TA bushings, Emergency brake hardware, wheel bearings, and reusing the OEM rear Disc if at all possible with the correct tolerances set. You can reinstall yourself with completely rebuilt TA's.

T/A rebuilds is the one suspension item that I am not doing myself. Not worth the effort, aggrevation, and possibility of doing it wrong. I forgot what GTR1999 told me he charges but somewhere around $175 per arm without new E brake components if i remember correctly. I will check with him.

 

I've done a couple sets and with the special tools I found them to not be as bad as some people say but that might just be me.

 

The tools for assembly and disassembly are just the start of it; precise and correct set up is the real challenge.

Most people will only do this process once in the their life, it's not worth the time, trouble and expense of doing it themselves.

 

i did mine myself and no real problems. getting the arms out of the car was the worst part of the job on mine.if you got the car to tinker with i would try doing them yourself.worst case is you get then done by someone else if it turns into too much of a job. its not brain surgery i say go for it.