The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Help with Stubborn Rear Wheel Bearings and Seals

Good morning,

My good friend SWEET and I disassembled the 1957 truck axle and differential Thursday night. We made great progress and had it almost completely apart in an hour. We did, however, run into one stubborn area.

The axle seals and bearing look (according to the shop manual) like they are supposed to come out at the same time, using a slide hammer with a 3-jaw puller. We tried. No luck. Puller kept popping off the inside of the bearing,

The bearings themselves are open, roller type and there is a thin metal ring that is taller than the bearings that sits inside the axle tube adjacent to the bearings. I am pretty sure that this metal ring is the outside edge of the bearing itself, but wanted to check with you guys to see if I am maybe pulling on the wrong thing. Neither side wants to budge after several attempts.

Can anyone suggest another approach? I started hacking up one of the outside seals, trying to take it off first, but don't know if that's the right idea.

In a related question, when I search for wheel bearings for this truck, most places list only the one replacement bearing, which is not an open type and has the wrong bore size. I measured my axle at the bearing area and it measures 1.8-something. All the rear wheel bearings I am finding say the bore is 1.3 inches. Do I have an odd axle?

The pinion gear is stamped with "2 3 57 GM"

Thanks very much for your help.

Jim

Jim

Doing a search, HERE is a good diagram to help explain. The solid ring and the bearing are the same size so there is no way to get the puller behind the bearing. Keep trying, I'm sure it will break loose......

What I did on mine was this. I had removed everything I could, spider gears and axles. I then took a really long piece of rebar and carefully inserted it in the axle tube till it was pressing on the back side of the bearing on the opposite side of the axle. I whacked it with a hammer and I think the bearing came out in one hit. So try that with a piece of rebar or long wooden dowel or something similair. If using rebar be careful so you don't damage or scratch anything up on the inside.

Does that mean we've got to get that solid ring thing before we reassemble? Or just be careful not to destroy it while pulling?

Funny, didn't in the service manual. Weird.

Thanks

Apachefiend, You're a genius!

I did not have any rebar, but what I did have were two crappy Harbor Freight pump jacks with long handles. I doubled them up, added my seal press to one end, and started slugging. Could not believe it, they moved!

After MUCH more manliness, both are now out of the axle. Split one of the jack handles and mushroomed the end of the other, but both still work anyway. What a great tip.

Thanks very much for the tip. I will definitely remember it. Appreciate you helping me get this done. Owe you a beer.

Best Wishes,

Jim