Rebuilding front hubs - question on re-installing bearings

[V951S]

This is my first time rebuilding hubs, so I'm learning as I go along...

I was able to heat up the hub and remove the old bearings and races following the video by Van Swenson:


I bought a race and seal driver set:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/286025668794

Questions:
- Do I need to re-heat the hub to install the new races, or can I do it cold?

- Should I put some grease on the side of the race before driving it in?

- Any recommendations on grease to buy?

- Any other tips/recommendations to ensure I do it right?

Thanks!

[Tom]

My only recommendation is to use a proper hydraulic press to put the race in and not a hammer. I had a similar race set and tried to do it with a hammer and ended up botching the hub and needing to replace it. That's probably a big part of why I now have a harbor freight 20-ton press. If you shop the coupons they're about $200...

[V951S]

Is that because the press is slower and more controlled versus a strike with the hammer which could cause something to slip?

[Tom]

Is that because the press is slower and more controlled versus a strike with the hammer which could cause something to slip?

A press ensures it goes in square, with equal pressure all around. I was being a little flippant with my answer -- lots of people pound races in every day, but I 'thought' I was being careful and it went in cockeyed and got stuck. Probably me just being ham-fisted, but a press ensures it goes down square.

[V951S]

I have access to a press at a friend’s garage. I will try that.

Do you recommend heating the hub before installing?

[walfreyydo]

Heat up the hub, freeze the race and it should drop right in with very little effort.

I did not need a press.. only some gentle taps with a hammer and a socket of the correct size to drive the race in. YMMV though.

Removing the front race was also fairly easy when heating the hub and drove it out with a punch.

The rear bearings are a little bit more involved/difficult, but I found the fronts to be very easy in comparison.

[V951S]

Ah, perfect summary - that should help me tremendously. Thanks!

[walfreyydo]

No grease on the race itself, that will only cause problems down the road. You will want to liberally apply/pack grease into the insides of the bearings though, where the balls ride, as well as the exterior under the washer that fits between the bearing and pinch nut, etc. Plenty of videos and walkthroughs on this online.

[chrischrischris]

I am gearing up for this job too. Regarding grease, I didn't see much info on a specific recommendation, but was planning to use a waterproof "marine" type of bearing grease.

I have access to dry ice at my work, so was going to use that to cool/shrink the race without planning ahead with the freezer the night before.

[dr bob]

Take a hard look at the spindle where the inner bearing cone rides. The surface there is normally slightly machine 'grooved' when new, but with miles and particularly with poor adjustment, they wear towards smooth on the bottom. Slide the new cone section on there dry and make sure it can't rock at all, particularly in the 6-12 direction. That part is hard to see since it's underneath, is very seldom actually clean/grease-free, but is a critical wear spot especially if you adjust bearing clearance by the rock-the-tires method.

As others share, freezing the races and heating the hub allow the races to all but fall into place correctly. My well-used garage toaster oven is more than capable of heating the hub until medium- to extra-crispy temps in the 350º range. Do make sure the hub is extremely clean and grease-free before it goes in, so you don't set off any smoke detectors, or spoil the oven for food use later. The bearing races in the home freezer overnight at 0ºF will drop right in to the properly heated hub. I have a pair or welding gloves for handing that hot stuff, and an old pair of oven mitts and barbeque tongs will be similarly handy. Tongs for the races so they don't warm up out of the freezer.

There's a handy red synthetic grease in a Mobil-1 tube, another in a Redline tube, and another in a Lucas tube. I keep the Redline because they were sponsors for a now long-ago race car effort, but realistically any of them will do, and will match the color of the stuff they put in there when the car was new. Grease separates in the tube at about the same rate it separates in the hub, so don't be afraid to grab some new stuff if your stash is, um, vintage.

Follow the factory adjustment method with the sliding-washer and screwdriver pushing (not prying) it to move. Most real front bearing issues happen when they are adjusted too tight. The goal is to maintain enough space to keep a film between the rollers and the races, even when the hub is extra-hot from brake disk heat transfer. The hub expands with the heat, and pushes out to take up that clearance in the tapered bearings. Too much heat equals not enough clearance, from which time there's even more heat and expansion, less clearance, ad mausoleum (until it's dead...). Folks adjusting by the rock-the-tire method are very common victims of this kind of failure.