Friday I rebuilt the front-end of my recently purchased '96. New wheel bearing and hubs were part of that. I own a 20 ton press, but I didn't know how to support the hub without causing a lot of grief. I searched high and low around the shop to come-up with some type of support device but I couldn't find a way to make the thing level and have enough support to press out the hub (the first thing that needs to be pressed-put).
To make this story longer... a couple of weeks ago I redid the front struts, and replaced the passenger CV axle. At that time I was going to replace the brakes and rotors, just because I was down there anyway, and the kit was $54 bucks, why not? The kit wasn't here the weekend I did the work, and I realized the brakes weren't too bad, so I thought I'd just send them back to the place where I ordered them from and be $54 richer. Then I found out what it cost to ship them back (ouch!), and by then I'd decided to redo the wheel bearings so I figured I'd just put them on. Lucky me!
I had to beat the old rotor off the wheel hub assembly with a sledge, the @#$% was stubborn, but then so am I – and it was that rotor I looked at, after tearing my shop apart, and had the revelation; the rotor could be modified by cutting the center out to support the wheel hub assembly! But how could I do that? I don't have a cutting torch, but I do have a few 4" grinders and I felt I could grind the circle out. Thinking harder, I realized grinding the centers out was going to be hateful work... thankfully that very morning I'd just bought a corded drill for $5 at a yard sale (all my other hand drills are cordless, and useless for any real work) On the drill when I bought it was a great carbide bit and I started drilling holes in a circle, close together, around the outside of the rotor. After creating a lot of empty space, I used my grinder to eat away the metal between the holes and soon had the thing weak enough a good thump from the sledge (I love that thing) broke the center out.
My hole was too small, so back to grinding, but not by much and I soon had the thing ready to try.
I set the old rotor between two thick metal blocks and found a make-shift something-or-other to press-out the hub (a thick washer with a very small hole and a bolt). I carefully applied pressure and as I held my breath the contraption worked! The hub slid out and crashed to the floor.
To press the outer bearing race from inside the assembly I used a 2" piece of pipe and two more bigger washers that fit perfectly into the old inner race. To support the hub from this side I used metal blocks (rather than the ******* rotor tool) and without too much trouble I had the old race out.
YEAH!
I reassembled the hub assembly using the old outer race to press in the new race, you can press the new bearing in without worry that the old race will become stuck (thanks toyota)... also the old race fits perfectly over the front of the hub to keep the lug nut studs from hitting when you're pressing the new hub into the bearing.
NOTE: BE AWARE WHICH SIDE OF THE BEARING FACES THE HUB. The first time I got the bearing stuck on the hub and had to resort to a hammer (not the sledge though) to get it off. Flipping the old bearing around made a big difference. Also, the old bearings seemed to be made of multiple parts (or maybe they just seem that way on my rig) and this is how I was able to use the outer race this way (there was nothing in it, all the bearing parts were out)
Sorry I didn't take photos as I worked... I was greasy as hell and my mind was occupied with trying to fix the car. I'll shoot some photos of the device and how I set it up and post those. I'll probably do it this week when I can use the library's internet because ours is slow. . . . .
To make this story longer... a couple of weeks ago I redid the front struts, and replaced the passenger CV axle. At that time I was going to replace the brakes and rotors, just because I was down there anyway, and the kit was $54 bucks, why not? The kit wasn't here the weekend I did the work, and I realized the brakes weren't too bad, so I thought I'd just send them back to the place where I ordered them from and be $54 richer. Then I found out what it cost to ship them back (ouch!), and by then I'd decided to redo the wheel bearings so I figured I'd just put them on. Lucky me!
I had to beat the old rotor off the wheel hub assembly with a sledge, the @#$% was stubborn, but then so am I – and it was that rotor I looked at, after tearing my shop apart, and had the revelation; the rotor could be modified by cutting the center out to support the wheel hub assembly! But how could I do that? I don't have a cutting torch, but I do have a few 4" grinders and I felt I could grind the circle out. Thinking harder, I realized grinding the centers out was going to be hateful work... thankfully that very morning I'd just bought a corded drill for $5 at a yard sale (all my other hand drills are cordless, and useless for any real work) On the drill when I bought it was a great carbide bit and I started drilling holes in a circle, close together, around the outside of the rotor. After creating a lot of empty space, I used my grinder to eat away the metal between the holes and soon had the thing weak enough a good thump from the sledge (I love that thing) broke the center out.
My hole was too small, so back to grinding, but not by much and I soon had the thing ready to try.
I set the old rotor between two thick metal blocks and found a make-shift something-or-other to press-out the hub (a thick washer with a very small hole and a bolt). I carefully applied pressure and as I held my breath the contraption worked! The hub slid out and crashed to the floor.
To press the outer bearing race from inside the assembly I used a 2" piece of pipe and two more bigger washers that fit perfectly into the old inner race. To support the hub from this side I used metal blocks (rather than the ******* rotor tool) and without too much trouble I had the old race out.
YEAH!
I reassembled the hub assembly using the old outer race to press in the new race, you can press the new bearing in without worry that the old race will become stuck (thanks toyota)... also the old race fits perfectly over the front of the hub to keep the lug nut studs from hitting when you're pressing the new hub into the bearing.
NOTE: BE AWARE WHICH SIDE OF THE BEARING FACES THE HUB. The first time I got the bearing stuck on the hub and had to resort to a hammer (not the sledge though) to get it off. Flipping the old bearing around made a big difference. Also, the old bearings seemed to be made of multiple parts (or maybe they just seem that way on my rig) and this is how I was able to use the outer race this way (there was nothing in it, all the bearing parts were out)
Sorry I didn't take photos as I worked... I was greasy as hell and my mind was occupied with trying to fix the car. I'll shoot some photos of the device and how I set it up and post those. I'll probably do it this week when I can use the library's internet because ours is slow. . . . .