time to admit defeat

[garment]

Hi Pelicans:

I've assembled the necessary tools to remove the rear trailing arm bearings on my '83SC. The tools, they ain't workin'. Those bearings have me licked. See pic of the floor flange that has been beaten as well.

I'm a bit stalled on my suspension refresh until I get this solved. Does anyone have a suggestion for me? Perhaps someone in the DC area with a press to help me get these things out?

Thanks, Pelicans!

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Are to referring to the rear wheel bearings? Regardless though, if the trailing arms are off, you can take them to a machine shop and they will easily remove whatever you want removed from them (wheel/hub bearing and/or bushings, etc).

[steely]

mine deformed too. chinese grade metal
find better or double up on the floor flange.
also, you should heat the trailing arm a lot more before you wrench.
i heard an audible pop then went to town pressing out the bearing. it moved much easier then.

[Sboxin]

We used this tool

Bearing Removal/Insertion Tool Bearing Insertion/Removal Tool - $100.46 : ArnnWorx Specialty Tools





Regards

[will hung]

Originally Posted by Sboxin

We used this tool

Bearing Removal/Insertion Tool Bearing Insertion/Removal Tool - $100.46 : ArnnWorx Specialty Tools





Regards

Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. Much more affordable than the other tool. I replaced mine recently borrowing a friend's tool, but I might just buy this.

[yelcab1]

This is one of the few jobs that you need professional grade bearing removal tools. Worth the money.

[911tracker85]

I had seen another thread on this and the tool they listed was something like $400. it had several different size plates so probably would apply to a wider range of cars.

I have a set of bolts/big washers/PVC I used in the past on my 911, but want a proper tool.

think I'll get this one from arnnworx. have the rear to do on my 78 SC/930 conversion project and my 86 951.

[KTL]

Originally Posted by steely

mine deformed too. chinese grade metal
find better or double up on the floor flange.
also, you should heat the trailing arm a lot more before you wrench.
i heard an audible pop then went to town pressing out the bearing. it moved much easier then.

Note the above in large bold font. A very important key to getting the bearing housing out of the trailing arm w/out needing a massive amount of pulling force

[Baby]

That flange looks like the victim of uneven force. That's shouldn't happen if everything is lined up. Was that one on the outside or the inside of the bearing? Remember that the small flange goes on the inside. Both flanges should lie flat and lying flat should be subject to fairly equal forces all the way around. As you know, many have had an easy time with those bearings using the homemade tool and no heat.

You might try another flange as a next step. Good luck!

(PS: I can't tell what you have, but 3/4" threaded rod and fittings are noticeably better than 1/2".)

[Jdub]

As mentioned, you want the right tool and MAPP gas and an infrared heat temp gauge. Head to a minimum of 200 degrees.

[garment]

I will try more heat. I am concerned about too much, given the part in question is aluminum. Curious to hear about the "popping noise" from an earlier post, when using heat. Regardless, will give it a shot this eve.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by KTL

Note the above in large bold font. A very important key to getting the bearing housing out of the trailing arm w/out needing a massive amount of pulling force

[garment]

The amount of force I used was substantial, but I didn't use a breaker bar. I saw the washers bending first. Yes, the small flange was on the inside. The outer ball ring has fallen out at this point, but the inner is still intact. I tried to get things flat/even, and will try again with a new flange on the inside. I may go to 3/4" as you suggest.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Baby

That flange looks like the victim of uneven force. That's shouldn't happen if everything is lined up. Was that one on the outside or the inside of the bearing? Remember that the small flange goes on the inside. Both flanges should lie flat and lying flat should be subject to fairly equal forces all the way around. As you know, many have had an easy time with those bearings using the homemade tool and no heat.

You might try another flange as a next step. Good luck!

(PS: I can't tell what you have, but 3/4" threaded rod and fittings are noticeably better than 1/2".)

[charwood77]

try this:
i sprayed penetrating oil on it then I used heat and a slide hammer with a wheel flange attached to pull hub out. Then I used a large, 32 or 33MM impact socket at the back and hammer to tap the bearing out. Worked well on one but on the other the bearing came apart when pulling the hub out leaving me with the outer race fused to the trailing arm. after tapping at it with a hammer and drift I realized that I needed to get even distribution of force on it... I then took a wheel stud (which i had since i was swapping to turbo length) I threaded an open nut on it and inserted it vertically inside the race and un-threaded or loosed the nut until the nut and bolt became tall enough to wedge itself inside the race, then i used a hammer to tap on the middle of the bolt/nut (from the back) and it allowed the race to come out.

freeze the new bearings, use bearing grease inside trailing arm and slide in, mine required some very light tapping all around, around and around and around (on outer race only) to get it in.

take your time, its not that bad.

[steely]

I am looking for the one reference thread i used that indicated there would be a muffled pop when enuf heat was applied. The first time I applied heat I too was concerned that I would deform the carrier/trailing arm. I couldn't get the bearing to budge so I applied more, and the pop sound actually scared me initially until I recognized it as being the milestone I was waiting for .

I cannot remember if I had the extraction tools set up with the bearing under some pressure already and if it budged a bit causing the sound but honestly it moved much more easily once that happened.

IOW, I may have had my pipe coupling lined up with, and tight against, the bearing when I was heating the trailing arm.
I recall being concerned too so as not to cause collateral damage from the torch as I tried to evenly heat the arm. Not having done it before, I was trying to learn where the boundary was between being cavalier and chicken little. :-)

I think i found my reference: Rear Wheel Bearing Removal
it was post #21 - it quite literally 'popped'

hth and good luck

[KTL]

Yep i'm with steely Dan on this one. My puller arrangement was made up of some threaded rod, large washers, probably a floor flange and the base was a large plastic schedule 40 PVC fitting as the foundation piece sitting on the trailing arm. I applied some really good tightening torque to the nut on the threaded rod and then heated the trailing arm. The trailing arm is a BIG hunk of aluminum alloy and you're not going to harm it unless you just sit there with your MAPP gas torch focused on one point for a very long time.

Move the torch around the trailing arm bearing area and eventually you hear a pop, which is the bearing's outward movement caused by the energy stored in the tightened threaded rod. It moved because you heated the trailing arm enough to expand its size. The heat works because the aluminum trailing arm expands more than the steel bearing body.

[garment]

Heat did the trick! I heated the housing for about 4-5 min, and kept the flame moving about as I did so. Then I thought to myself "Let's see if we're getting anywhere," and starting cranking on the pulling jig. The bearing practically walked out!

Outstanding advice Pelicans - thank you so much. Now, off the handle the second arm - will probably take me about 5 min to do this one!

BTW, note the sad stage of the arms, with 34 or so years of grime, grease thru a split CV boot, etc. Anything wrong with taking a pressure washer to the arm, followed by a soda blast?

THANKS TO THOSE WHO SUPPORT THIS BOARD!!!

Originally Posted by KTL

Note the above in large bold font. A very important key to getting the bearing housing out of the trailing arm w/out needing a massive amount of pulling force

[steely]

Awesome, way to go!
My T/A's were on the car, so i never had a chance to clean them (or replace their bushings / a lesson i am still learning), I just the bearing surfaces / hub area.

[KTL]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Nothing wrong with cleaning the trailing arm via pressure washer. It has drain holes in it to empty all the water. Rinse it good after soda blasting.

[garment]

Since I was at my powder coated, I let them clean the TAs via glass bead blast. Will report back with pics.

Originally Posted by KTL

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Nothing wrong with cleaning the trailing arm via pressure washer. It has drain holes in it to empty all the water. Rinse it good after soda blasting.