So I made the trade of the weekend a few weeks ago at the PNW Chevy/Corvette Swap meet in Puyallup. Swapped a bunch of extra parts for a correct
date coded 61 amp alternator for my '73. It's condition was perfect for my car but it clearly needed a rebuild, the front bearing was a bit crunchy - but no biggie.
Everything came apart fine until I got to the front housing/bearing. Soaked in penetrating oil for the next three days then tapped patiently with a substantial plastic hammer - nope, bearing is stuck on the rotor shaft. Soaked for three more days and repeated the tapping with a bit more vigor - still no movement. Thought of trying a puller, perhaps a press, but I thought I'd give this a try.
WARNING - THE FOLLOWING IMAGES MAY BE CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE TO PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS AND/OR HARDCORE CORVETTE OWNERS !!! LOL !!
With a 5/16" tune-up wrench and a bit of help from a needle nose pliers, I found that I could back out the three screws holding the bearing retainer.
After a bit more tapping with a deep drive socket, the bearing and rotor came free of the housing. Bearing was really roach, and the retainer is stuck between it and the rotor.
So now it's time for Mr. Dremel to go to work. One cutting disc later, the outer bearing race and the ball assembly were history.
Being very careful not to cut into the rotor shaft, load up another cutting disc and attack the inner bearing race. I didn't have to cut all the way through, a bit of heat built up during the cutting and a tap with a chisel did the job. Bye, bye old nasty bearing !!
So now with the ability to breathe again, both the rotor shaft and the housing cleaned up great. Checked the rotor and stator for any winding issues and we're ready for the rebuild kit. Of course the nearest Napa kit is located at their warehouse in VA., so sometime next week I should be good to go.
Hopefully the re-assembly goes a bit more according to the book !!
|UPDATED|2/20/2015 5:08:19 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
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John Sigmund
valkman57@sbcglobal.net
NCRS Member 61302
NW NCRS Chapter Member
Duct tape is the new Black !!