Half way on Rear Bearing Job

[ColoradoSteve]

Whoa..... I think I got it just in time..
the snap ring was a b@#$ch to get out. When you squeeze the ring, insert a thin flathead behind the ring and then push it towards you. There must be a special place in Hell for the guy that invented those things! Not as bad as the one that holds the thermostat, though. Hopefully my new bearings will be here tomorrow and I can finish the job.

[2Tight]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSteve

Whoa..... I think I got it just in time..
the snap ring was a b@#$ch to get out. When you squeeze the ring, insert a thin flathead behind the ring and then push it towards you. There must be a special place in Hell for the guy that invented those things! Not as bad as the one that holds the thermostat, though. Hopefully my new bearings will be here tomorrow and I can finish the job.

Got to laugh about that snap ring. I ended up filing down the tips on a pair of cheap Harbor Freight 45 deg. needle nose pliers. I can get those things off now in one squeeze. Regular snap ring pliers are completely useless. Nice bearing, it must have sounded really nasty.

[Slam]

Yikes. And I thought mine looked bad the first time I changed them.

Yes, fun snap ring. Your method works but it takes immense self-control, 'cause when the ring flies out the first thing you wanna do is dodge it, but then you get a transmission in the back of the head. Then when you recoil from hitting the tranny, there's all manner of things in front of you to hit your head on again.

[ColoradoSteve]

I got the wheel back together, bled the brakes, and I'm back in business, no more noise, Yeah! Two things made the job easier. 1. I bought a piece of CV coupling and cap that measures 2.25" outside , perfect for for driving the inner bearing in. 2. I put the bearings in the freezer overnight , it really works! All in all, not too bad of a job, although I could only manage to torque the axle nut to about 200 lbs, not the recommended 350. There just weren't any gorillas available to help. Hope it won't be a problem, the nut can't turn with the cotter pin stuck through it so I'll take my chances....

[Rasta Monsta]

So Steve, you didn't reply to my other post. . .you are going to plan some cool drives for us around Parade 09, right?

[ColoradoSteve]

Rasta,
Yeah! There's some awesome drives around here in all directions. I don't know any details about Parade'09, tell me more.

[Rasta Monsta]

RIGHT HERE.