TR6 Rear wheel bearing help TR6

Hello,
Well, I started out thinking I would just be putting in new springs in the rear end, and I have ended up pretty much rebuilding the entire rear suspension at this point. The last thing for me to evaluate is the rear wheel bearings. How do you determine if they need replacing? They do seem to turn smoothly. How hard is it to replace the rear bearings? I am a novice - I replaced rear wheel bearings on a 65 Ford Falcon before, but everything on this car seems more difficult. Is this something a machine shop or mechanic should do? Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Kevin

IMO if they are smooth and have no play; leave them alone. Changing them is a LOT worse than your Falcon ... I wouldn't even trust a shop unless they had significant experience with TR4A-6 rear hubs AND could show me their purpose-made hub puller. The hubs have a "locking taper" fit to the stub axle, which can easily be so tight that just sticking them in a press will distort and ruin the hub. The proper puller supports the face of the hub so it can't distort.

What Randall said. I even bought the tool to break the hub down, thinking one day...one day I'd be faced with that task. The more I learned about it, though, I decided to pick up 2 hub assemblies, one from Ebay and the other from a 6-Pack member. Both seem ready to go. I may put the disassembly tool up for sale.

Kevin
I have a home built tool and have used it to rebuild both my rear axles. It is not a job for the fainthearted. I have unit I bought on ebay that is disassembled that I was going to rebuild then install and rebuild the one I took off. I ended up just rebuilding both of ones on the car as they were the original ones.
Heres 2 articles.
https://members.visi.net/~kohout/rearhub.html and this one www.geocities.com/michelotti_tr/Hub_Puller_Use_Notes.pdf
The last is a pdf file and this is the one I built the tool from.
I also have a machinist drawing of the tool. PM me and provide and email and I will send it.
There are 2 things that are challenging, one it does take a big wrench and cheater bar and as the article states a car. This gets it apart. The second thing is reassembly, as it uses a crush distance piece to set the end float. Over crush it and you start over.
I still owe you a visit, between some trials and tribulations with my car and my work schedule I just haven't had time.
You are welcome to use the tool or if you want pull them off and bring then over, we can rebuild them here. There is the possibility that we can't get them apart as time, heat and rust can play a part. On the other hand all three I have tried did come apart.
Heres another post also
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/ubbthreads.php/topics/263290/1

Hope this helps
Mark

That reminds me, I have a copy of an article written some years ago by Eugene Wellenstein about how he made his own version of the puller using heavy pipe flanges and an assortment of other hardware. Seems like massive overkill, but depending on what tools you have available, it might be easier to build than Tony's "beast". And it only requires a picnic table instead of an Oldsmobile

I got Eugene's permission to put it on a website but never got that done ... PM me if you'd like an email copy.

There is also mention of another type of puller at
Stag Phorum that sounds intriguing. That's what I'll try first, when the time comes.

Thanks for all of your help. I downloaded the info, but I have decided to take your advice, Randall, and not attempt this. I'm going with "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Mark, I sent a PM.
Thanks, Kevin

Mark if your going his way someday. Let me know.