Don't jump me to hard cause this is my first post
But anyways am in the process of replacing a rear wheel bearing on my 92 and the way the three torx bolts go in gives me a thought.
Anyone ever replace with bolts going from the outside to the inside?
Let me guess if I did the the whole thing would just fall apart?

 

I just replaced another one on mine. The bearing is threaded so if the bolts were put in backwards it would need to be drilled out. Then nuts would need to be used on the inside. Those might interfere with the U-joints.

It's not to bad the way it is. I only take off the caliper and rotor, so five bolts isn't that rough.

 

if there were a better way....

someone would have done it.

First time is hard. 2nd time is 45 minutes.

get car on jack stands SECURELY.

Drop all the links to the knuckle, spring hanger, rods etc.
pull u-joint straps each end. Get under and push wheel outward with feet while catching the 2 lbs half shaft with hands. Cake.
Change joints, and NOW you have EASY access to the 3 torx bolts that you CAN replace with hex or allen, whatever you like. Grade 8 ONLY and use thread locker. This is TOO easy with the half/shaft out.
Have cheater pipe for spindle nut....and USE the washer correctly. That nut should be close to 200 ft/lbs torqued. Be wary of the speed sensor ring and the ABS sensor tip...they break if you hit them.Pull the sensor to clean, lube with anti-seize and reinstall AFTER the hub has been done, to be safe. Can;t run to the store to get another ABS sensor...they are rare. be nice to the ones you've got.

BTW
if your replacement hub/bearing assy cost less than $75 each...save yourself some time and trouble and just throw it in the trash can now before doing ANY of this work...

 

You can do it without removing the halfshafts, jack it up high so it's easy to work under, put transmission in neutral, access the 3 torx head bolts using series of "wobbler" extensions, 2 at least, 3/8" extensions hooked to a 1/2" (with adapter) breaker bar works well, need to rotate the halfshaft some to get good access to each bolt, but must completly remove each bolt before going to next one, or halfshaft will hit head of torx bolt.

Good flashlight helps, I agree with using a quality replacement and using the thin teflon coated washer in exact position it was originally. Also use a NEW cotter pin on the spindle nut, makes it much less frustrating.

 

It really is a sad state of affairs when a new member has to be afraid of ridicule when making a post for help. Your post has no reason for anybody to give you any trouble and you have got some good responses. If I had been afraid to post when I joined up I would have never stayed, that's how much things have changed. I will be the first to admit that I have dealt out some pretty harsh remarks but they were directed at total idiots or trolls, not a new member with a real need for help. Everybody should try to remember that we were all noobs once. I have noticed that almost all of the ones who give someone a hard time are idiots who can't answer a question to begin with. Rant off.

 

Well I got it done but I didn't remove the halfshaft and now wish I had, (it was a pain to keep crawling out to move the tire on the passenger side to access the bolts, def recomend a helper to move) now the grinding noise is gone but I still hear a clunk when shifting from fwd to reverse in the driveway! Its not the driveshaft thats a diff. clunk but yes it clunks to. I'm sure by next spring I will have all 6 of the u-joints replaced and might as well do the hub on the pass. side also.
I even have the u-joints on hand but my buddy the car guy has been gone all week so I got tired of waiting and took the hub assembly off Tue. night and put back together last night. These cars are amazing I spent more time cleaning and shining up the knuckle and dog bones than I did wrenching, never had a car with so much hidden shiny metal, between the A-Arms on the front which were black when I first saw them and now this. I've spent a lot of time rubbing on this car.
One last question "Could or would you want to install nuts on the torx nut hub threads on the outside of car? Just to insure the thing never comes apart going down the road, theres only about 5-6 threads showing so not real tight with the nut. Maybe a fine thread locking nut?
PS thanks for the help!

 

In my opinion: NO! these bolts coming loose have never been an issue, and the Spindle nut has a cotter pin locking that in place, so I think it's not an issue. I have changed many, many rear bearings on C4's and never had an issue with these bolts.

Congrats on getting it done! it's not too bad, these C4's can be worked on by average people.

 

That just doesn't sound right.

Glad to hear you got the hub changed, the other side should be a breeze now.

 

Yeah I know, I started saying this a couple weeks back. I was out "detailing" my engine one night in the garage and the wife came out and said. "You know if you spent as much time rubbing on me as you do that car you would prob. get more" Well being the smart ### I am I replied. "Well if I want a ride in this thing I just turn the key. Now if I want a ride from you I have to kiss your ### for three days. Ha Ha!!!
Well as you can guess I didn't get any that night.

 

Boys and their Vettes!!! Love it

 

IT IS an ISSUE and it CAN and DOES happen !

Its happened to me. With the heavier or stiffer suspensions and bushings there is a LOT more vibration and associated stress transmitted thru the bolts than might normally be. Those 3 torx need to be set with a thread locker, or replaced with allens and thread locker. Softer suspensions might never encounter this...but I can assure you that my hard ride transmits every ripple in the pavement thru the suspension hard parts.

2 yrs ago I hit a particularly big crater in one of our state of the art Texas freeways and shortly after I noticed the ABS lite on...and the rear end was loose...not tracking well. I assumed a bearing was failing so I purchased a new set...upon inspection, 2 of the 3 torx on the left rear were GONE..not broken...GONE...backed out and fallen out. I can only assume that the impact on the rock hard rear suspension caused the bolts to loosen and back out. It was fine before that event.
The replacement allens went in with loc-tite and have not been a problem and will not be a problem. I'd MUCH rather curse a bolt thats glued in place than have to drive the car out of a wheel flying off around a freeway transition ramp..R Its not a big deal with the half shafts out...and pulling the shafts is the ONLY way to address the hub assy and do it right. Clean and easy. The opportunity to check and grease the half shaft joints does not present itself often...if nothing else, pulling the caps off and filling with grease justifies dropping the shafts. Longivity is the goal...its not a 9 sec pit stop. An additional 30 min work will save a couple hundred $ annually by cleaning and greasing otherwise inaccessable suspension & drive-train componants.

I'll bet I've changed 20 or so rear hub assy's...a few had loose bolts...not sloppy loose but too easy to break loose. Missing 2 of 3 was plain scarey. Those bolts have virtually no load on them IF the hub assy is in place and drawn up tight. If the assy gets the least bit loose, or the bolts are loose, it causes the bolts to stretch and wallow out the holes...accellerating the problem. Also why you use grade-8 or better. metric 10.8

 

I lost a wheel once a long time ago. I had a 74 Nova and my girlfriend (who is now my wife) was using it and when she came back she said "I had a flat tire but I changed it myself". Well being young and dumb I just thought "hmm maybe this one is a keeper" which she was and is.
Anyways a couple of days later we were driving along and the car went bam and bottomed out and the rear tire came rolling past the now stopped car.
I hadn't bothered to tighten up the tire after her flat and it had worked loose!
2 or 3 of the wheel studs were broke off and all the lugs were gone, well we were within a quarter mile of a parts store so I jacked up the car and got new studs and lugs and all was well. Didn't damage the body at all but of course a 74 Nova is a tank compared to C-4.
Moral of long story always re-ck. lugs after wife changes tire, really after any tire removal ck again after driving a short distance.

 

Mine just fall off