Front wheel bearing confusion

[Tremelune]

I've got a question about tightness and part numbers...I bought some bearings from Pelican, but I wound up with four big inner bearings with different part numbers and no outer bearings.

Tightness

I've read many threads, and the torque technique seems to boil down to these two:

1) Tighten until you can just slide the washer with a screwdriver tip (factory method). The wheel will "click" when you wiggle it from 12 and 6 o'clock, but that's okay because the aluminum hubs heat up and expand when you drive.

2) Tighten until they start to drag on the wheel as you spin it, then back off a hair. If you can't spin the wheel freely without any play or clicks, it's time to replace the bearings.

I'm inclined to go with the second route because I absolutely hate wiggle and play, but I fear over-tightening them might lead to heat and failure.

Anyone have any insight here? If you're tempted to say "I've always done it this way and haven't had any issues", please include the bearings and miles put on them...and whether you ever repacked them...because I'm never going to...and whether or not your car wiggles at high speed...


Parts

According to the fiche for my 1970 911T, the front hubs take two bearings. The big inner is 999.059.006.00 and the little outer is 999.059.065.00. There's also a bearing "set" (PCG.059.065.00) that has bearings 999.059.065.00 and 999.059.098.00

PCG.059.065.00 is $200 special order from Germany.
999.059.006.00 doesn't come up in Pelican.
999.059.065.00 brings up outer bearings from SKF, NTN, and Porsche.
999.059.098.00 brings up inner bearings from SKF, FAG, and Porsche.

I bought two pairs of SKF bearings, which are labeled as such on the box:

999-059-098-00-M92 - Big inner bearings, marked "China M12R LM67048"; races are marked "China SKF LM67010"

999-059-065-00-M92 - Big inner bearings, marked "China M10R LM67048"; races are marked "M10R SKF LM67010".

What is happening here? What are the correct bearings? Are there any still made in japan as pictured...?

[Tremelune]

Spoke with Pelican. It seems to have been some kind of flub. I wound up buying the Porsche OEM suckers, which are allegedly SKF suckers made in India as opposed to China (the FAGs are made in Korea instead of Germany now, but don't seem to have the outers available from Pelican). This is derived in part from photos on the website and what I was told over the phone...but the SKF photos say Japan, so who knows. Fingers crossed they still have the good quality control that they built their whole brand with, lol...

Am I the only one buying bearings??

[SCadaddle]

Whether or not you install new bearings or simply clean up the old ones and justify repacking and re-using them depending on condition, the first thing I did on this job...after getting the grease cap from hell off.......was to wipe down the clamping nut on the spindle and the end of the spindle really well, spray a bit of brake cleaner on a rag and wipe it down a couple more times to get it really clean, then use a paint pen to mark the clamping nut to spindle position in one spot. That way when it all goes back together you have a reference of where it was before you started. You can see if you are a little bit tighter or a little bit looser than where it was originally. You might even wind up right where it was.

The front wheel bearings are nothing more than a "Set 1 or Set 2" trailer bearing. Extremely common bearings. You might find some that are not made in China locally. And probably less than $10 or $20 each.

IF you didn't get a new set of hub seals, same as the trailer bearings being very common. However, if you've still got the old Kaco type metal seal and the rubber is still ok, you can use a long piece of wooden dowel to fit through the hub from the front and past the rear bearing to the ledge on the back side of the metal seal and use a mallet to tap the dowel around in one spot, move to another etc. to pop that rear hub seal out so you can re-use it.

[Bill Douglas]

I adjusted mine a while ago and found the multiple youtubes on the subject very helpful. I recommend watching a few of them.

[911obgyn]

I tighten it until i can still move the washer by hand with a screwdriver not prying it. Very snug and i have no noticeable play in the hub. Havent taken a measurement with a dial indicator and still good 80k later.

[David Inc.]

Originally Posted by 911obgyn

I tighten it until i can still move the washer by hand with a screwdriver not prying it. Very snug and i have no noticeable play in the hub. Havent taken a measurement with a dial indicator and still good 80k later.

My issue is that this method always leaves play in the wheels. Like I can push the top of the wheel with the car on the ground and feel motion.

It's been like this for years and several different bearing sets, and I have no ideas. Maybe I just need to find some new hubs or something.

[H-viken]

I spin the hub while tightening until it starts getting resistance so that it seats properly. Then I back it off until I can move the washer by hand with the help of a screwdriver

[Bill Douglas]

I've never been able to move the washer. Doesn't matter how loose it is. I just used the youtube examples of how far to back it off.

[thetorch]

Van at RL suggested the method of putting a flat blade screwdriver in the slot to rotate the locking collar. You don't need to use a lot of force, but it snugs up the locking collar just the right amount if use one hand to turn it. It's almost impossible to overtighten it this way. Hub still spins freely at that point, but I end up with no free play in the wheel. YMMV

[Tremelune]

Well. This is kind of annoying. When I tighten to the point where there is no "click" wiggling with the wheel bolted on at 12 and 6, there is a slight amount of drag. It's slight, but there. When I loosen, there's like...a linear reduction in drag...No "sweet spot" just a decision of compromise.

I wound up tightening to the very point where there's no click. Wheel spins fine, but you can tell there's still more drag than when it's looser at the moment the wheel comes to a stop. Washer moves with a light pry, but a pry nonetheless.

[Bill Douglas]

Maybe take it for a drive. get them to bed in then do the checks and final adjustments again.

[Locker537]

A little drag is fine.