The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline timkin rearend packing

I have a 1948 timkin rear end under my Federal and was wondering if I should pack the hub bearings or not. This is probably a dumb question but could wreak havoc if not asked.

Have you pulled them out? Were they wet? If wet then they were lubed and might be just fine. I would "pack" them on reassembly just to keep them alive until the fluid from the pumpkin gets splashed out to them. I don't know what the pre-load on them would be for sure. But, a floating rear is a floating rear. It would most likely be the same as any big bolt rear. Might try looking for casting numbers and codes to find what rear it is. Post in the big bolts section for some smart folks and good help

I did what I found online. I tightened the inner nut till the hub didnt really wanna turn then I backed it off a quarter turn and snugged u the locking nut after I put the locking washer on it

Yep sounds like what I do. Never put a dry bearing into service. Was good advice from my Dad and still works today.

Some of the older big rig rear ends used an outer grease seal that fit between the axle flange and the hub bearings. Those hubs ran grease-packed bearings. If there's no oil seal outboard of the bearings, then the hubs are lubed by differential oil. The level check plug on a rear end designed with oil-lubed hub bearings will be slightly above the bottom of the housing tubes. After installing new bearings, I would always jack up a wheel 3-4 inches off the ground to allow lube to flow down the axle tube to the hub and flood the bearings. Putting a little chassis grease on a replacement bearing was a good idea to assure there would be no damage during the initial run-in.
Jerry