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3000 Front Wheel Bearings

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Z

zyrtecx

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Rebuilding the front end on BJ7 and I’m down to installing the bearings and my question is, both the inner and outer bearing will not just slide onto the shaft. I can force them onto the shaft, but I need to get the proper shim(s) in place and I need the bearing to slide off the shaft so this can be done.
I have the correct bearings too… I’m I doing something wrong?
 
It's been a few years since I last did this, but I recall the bearings being a snug fit. Make sure the stub axle doesn't have any nicks or scratches; if it does I think it's safe to lightly sand it with some fine emery cloth. You can warm the bearings up a little; I bought a cheap countertop oven for tasks like this (and curing paint, etc.). For fitting, at least, you can lightly grease the axle. The inner bearing, of course, can be tapped in with the hub, for encouragement for the outer bearing some steel pipe with an ID slightly larger than the diameter of the axle, or a brass drift can be used (torquing the castellated nut should work, too). IIRC, there's a notch on the backing plate through which you can tap the rotor--I use a plastic hammer for this kind of work--as you turn it, to get the outer bearing off. The inner bearing can be left in place while setting the end float, but you might need a puller to remove it for final greasing. Oil the bearings with some light oil for fitting, but avoid turning them as much as possible. They're a snug fit, but if you have to really pound on them something is amiss. Don't fit the seal in the hub until you're satisfied with your spacer/shim spacing. Hammering on bearings, of course, isn't a great thing but if you're careful and eliminate as much slack as possible before striking it can be done without damage (unless you have an axle press it's about the only way to install the rear hubs).
 
I must say that I am a bit luckier than you, I can whip both sides off on my BJ7 without worrying about the bearings, perhaps some one has used the emery cloth treatment. I have gained a good selection of shims for that dry run and have a good dial guage and a solid block of metal to fix it to so i can accurately measure for the shims, before that it was trial and error, not to be recommended.

Good luck

:cheers:

Bob
 
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