rear bearing issue, opinions sought.

[robmog]

I upgraded my 72 to aluminum control arms and preemptively replaced the bearings.
I tightened the castle nut to the recommended torque value of 300+nm.
everything seemed fine when test driving, but then a rhythmic grinding developed.
iIdisconnected the half shaft and hub would barely turn.
it wasn't the E brake.
I loosened the castle nut and then it turned freely.
I hadn't had a chance to adjust toe and camber but they weren't far off.
questions.
what did I do wrong?
is that bearing ruined?
what about the other side?
thanks

[ant7]

Originally Posted by robmog

I upgraded my 72 to aluminum control arms and preemptively replaced the bearings.
I tightened the castle nut to the recommended torque value of 300+nm.
everything seemed fine when test driving, but then a rhythmic grinding developed.
iIdisconnected the half shaft and hub would barely turn.
it wasn't the E brake.
I loosened the castle nut and then it turned freely.
I hadn't had a chance to adjust toe and camber but they weren't far off.
questions.
what did I do wrong?
is that bearing ruined?
what about the other side?
thanks

Are you sure its not the hub rubbing on the Brake shoes etc, it may just be that its not the bearing' but something rubbing in the hub/flange etc when everything is pulled up hard.
Check for rubbing marks on the handbrake shoe area' hub flange' and back plate first before stripping everything out.
Hope this helps.

Anthony.

[robmog]

I'm sure it's the bearing , I took off the rotor. It was hard to turn until I loosened the castle nut.

[Steve@Rennsport]

The main things that come to mind are whether the bearings were installed properly and whether your torque wrench needs to be checked & calibrated (we do this twice yearly).

[tblracing]

Which hubs and stub axles did you use? Early LWB hubs will not work as the shaft that fits into the bearing is about a quarter inch or so shorter than later ones and when the castle nut is tightened causes the stub axle to bind on the trailing arm. When you loosen the castle nut, even just a bit, the axle will move away from the arm and the grinding ceases causing much head scratching as to just what the heck is going on. Later hubs have the hub-centric "fingers", early ones don't. Hope this helps.
-Phil

[robmog]

i have a new US made S-K torque wrench.
i installed the new bearings myself.
i feel pretty good about the install itself.
i used my original 1972 hubs and stub axles.
i upgraded to 1974 control arms.
AFAIK they are compatible.
when assembled, no binding.
this was not the first drive.
i did "go for a spin" on 2 other occasions, short distances, and everything was fine.
the other side seems OK.
at this point, i plan on replacing the bearing and starting over.
i don't see any other option.
thanks all