Front Wheel Bearings / Hub - 83 944

[thamlin000]

I'm in the middle of replacing the front wheel bearings on my 83 944. I've removed the two bearings and the two races. I have not installed any new races or bearings yet.

When cleaning and inspecting the hub, I noticed some small gouges. I'm not sure if I did this or if someone else did this. My procedure to remove the races was to heat up the hub with a propane torch and started out using a brass punch to remove but soon the punches were getting deformed and I switched to a steel punch, which worked much better.

I'm pretty sure that the hub is ok but I still want to double check. Please see my pictures below (both inner and outer hub) and let me know if the gouges are going to be an issue before I reinstall my new races and bearings.

[Slam]

Your hub is okay but you've got some work to do. First, gently file and sand the gouge until you can't catch your fingernail on it. You don't want any metal proud of the hub's surface. It looks as if your inner race has been running, so I would suggest gently sanding the inside of the hub not only to smooth it but also to provide tooth for the new race. You don't want it running too. Believe it or not, an old but questionable trick for worn-out hubs is to deliberately scratch and/or lightly gouge the inner surface to hold the race in place. YMMV. I'm sure others will chime in with more opinions.

[thamlin000]

Thanks for your response and advice. I'll work down the gouge and give the races a better substrate to seat.