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Car Forum / Chevrolet / Chevrolet Corvette / April 2006

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C3 Rear Axle Bearings

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neshaminy_insurance@hotmail.com - 08 Apr 2006 13:26 GMT
I was going to replace the rear axle bearings on my 1975 Vette. Has
anyone out there ever tried to do this on their own and what is
involved in doing this. I wanted to try to do this on my own but I'm
not sure if I can without buying the expensive tools. Thanks
JCORVETTE 72&75 - 08 Apr 2006 15:09 GMT
i can tell u its quite a job
easist way is with a axle press to get them apart.
im considering just replacing the complete trailing arm on the 72.
tricky part i dont understand is when the axle goes in to check for shim
size how do u get the outer bearing seal in place to check the shim
clearance and if its not right u damage the seal when u take it apart to
adjust the shim thickness
good luck anyways

Im sorry if you dont like my attitude but its the only one i have
BDragon - 08 Apr 2006 16:49 GMT
> i can tell u its quite a job
> easist way is with a axle press to get them apart.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Im sorry if you dont like my attitude but its the only one i have

The shop that replaced the bearings in my '77 took almost three weeks.  They
had to send the units out to two other shops before they got a shop with a
big enough press to get the bearings off.  That was just the beginning,
since then nothing much seemed to go as planned, but just getting the
bearings off could turn out to be a job that the home mechanic isn't
equipped to do.  You could send them out yourself.  Just know that they may
have never been changed before and it could take some real beef with a lot
of experience to get it done and done right.  By the time mine was finished,
it was the usual thousand bucks which seems to be a constant if/when you
take the car to the shop.
Tom in Missouri - 08 Apr 2006 17:32 GMT
The last price I saw to do the rear bearings was around $299 from Van Steel
in Florida, Baer in Pennsylvania, and there is another shop I can remember
right now.  They advertise in most Corvette magazines.   That is $299 per
trailing arm.

For comparison, if you mess up the spindle while trying to remove the
bearings on your own, the new spindle is $140.

The bearings and seals are $60 for both sides about the best price anywhere
and if you buy them local, expect to pay about $75 per side.

You will need a spindle press.  The bolt-on ones sell for around $150 and
usually work if the bearing hasn't melted as far as getting the spindle out.
IE, you are doing preventive maintenance, not repairing one gone bad.

Then there is set up.  It is critical. You really need a setup tool so you
can put bearings in with shims, check, then re-shim until you have the
proper clearance.

Getting proper clearance is an art. I could tell you, but I would write a
book with directions.  It is time-consuming.

You really need the trailing arms out to do it right, so by the time you get
them out, you might as well send them out to be done right by the experts.

However, if you are an above average mechanic, you can do it. I'd recommend
going to the Corvette Forum and searching on wheel bearings.  One guy had a
very detailed and photographed journal of his trials.

BTW, ignore the grease fittings installed in the back or between bearings
option. It doesn't work. It is a recent fad by some places claiming you
never have to take them apart. There was a guy here who figured that out 30
years ago, and never took a patent, since it didn't work. You know that if
it had, he would have because of the money in Corvettes and Corvette ideas.

Good luck.

>> i can tell u its quite a job
>> easist way is with a axle press to get them apart.
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> it was the usual thousand bucks which seems to be a constant if/when you
> take the car to the shop.
WayneC - 08 Apr 2006 18:40 GMT
> The last price I saw to do the rear bearings was around $299 from Van Steel
> in Florida, Baer in Pennsylvania, and there is another shop I can remember
> right now.  They advertise in most Corvette magazines.   That is $299 per
> trailing arm.

I agree that they aren't worth doing by yourself unless you are willing
to pay dearly for the experience.
Without the proper setup tools you must assemble and disassemble the
pressed-in parts multiple times to
get the clearances right, and the chance of damaging the new parts
during that process is very high.
Not worth it unless you are going to be doing them as a business.
Let Van Steel do them:
 http://tinyurl.com/o3uc7
 http://tinyurl.com/pbyat
 http://tinyurl.com/s6smo
Tom in Missouri - 09 Apr 2006 01:37 GMT
Here is a link on Corvette Forum to a guy doing it now.

63-64 trailing arm
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1359359

C3 trailing arm
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1229686

>> The last price I saw to do the rear bearings was around $299 from Van
>> Steel in Florida, Baer in Pennsylvania, and there is another shop I can
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>  http://tinyurl.com/pbyat
>  http://tinyurl.com/s6smo
Kickstart - 08 Apr 2006 21:36 GMT
>I was going to replace the rear axle bearings on my 1975 Vette. Has
> anyone out there ever tried to do this on their own and what is
> involved in doing this. I wanted to try to do this on my own but I'm
> not sure if I can without buying the expensive tools. Thanks

I'd go with new Offset trailing arms and complete new spindle, axle etc
Looks like Van Steel is $1044
Check Vette brake and parts too
http://www.vbandp.com/detail.aspx?ID=596

kickstart
tww - 12 Apr 2006 00:40 GMT
> I was going to replace the rear axle bearings on my 1975 Vette. Has
> anyone out there ever tried to do this on their own and what is
> involved in doing this. I wanted to try to do this on my own but I'm
> not sure if I can without buying the expensive tools. Thanks

Shades of yesteryear.  I had the rear wheel bearings go out on both sides on
a 71 Vette with just over 12,000 miles on -- catastrophically at about 50
mph. Took the Chevy dealer a month to fix it.  Was out of warranty by around
300 miles and cost over $500.00 back then.  Right after I got the car back
the power steering went out.... for another $300.00.  The rear wheel
bearings were a real problem with the C3.  BTW mine went out again at around
60k miles.
Bob G. - 12 Apr 2006 16:37 GMT
>Shades of yesteryear.  I had the rear wheel bearings go out on both sides on
>a 71 Vette with just over 12,000 miles on -- catastrophically at about 50
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>bearings were a real problem with the C3.  BTW mine went out again at around
>60k miles.

Ghee.... I currently still own 3 C3's ... all now have over 100,000
miles on them all have had engines etc rebuilt...  BUT I really can
not say that the rear wheel bearings were a "real" problem.. I do
grease the inner rear bearings every spring on each car as part of my
normal maintance but I do wish I could get to the outer bearings ..

Power streering ?...LOL  all of my cars leak every darn spring, until
I drive each about 200 miles...then the seals swell up and they stop
leaking for the rest of the summer...

Bob G.
64 72 76 79 & 98 Corvettes
 
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