I hope someone out there can help me on this. I successfully set up one rear wheel bearing according to Dan's specs, now I'm having the worst problem setting up the other one.

I installed new races, and went to set up the bearing with the spacer tool. I used the original size spacer that came out of it, and came up with way too much slop. I tried another one, and another one, and eventually tried every spacer I had, way too much slop every time.

Now here's the problem, I tried just the bearing, spacer collar, NO SHIM, and the other bearing, and came up with WAY TOO MUCH SLOP AGAIN! The reading came out to 20 thou.

I'm at a loss here folks. I'm not a dummy when it comes to cars, I checked everything countless times, and still have no answer. I will state that the car had over 100,000 miles before the teardown, and the inside of the bearing housing, where the races press into look a little rough, not smooth like the other one.

Could my bearing housing be shot?

Alan

Didn't really notice any noise before she came apart. The shim I removed is a medium sized one. It measures .118 on a vernier caliper.

There was some slight up and down play in the rear tire before I took it apart.

I would take a close look at the spindle and bearings.   I suspect the new inner bearing is not seated correctly.  You could also have a problem with the spindle itself.  Perhaps a burr?  Something is holding the bearings apart, or preventing the nut from tightening down to where it should be.  It will take some close observation. kstyer38470.3146296296

If I read your post correctly, you are using a 'setup' tool for checking the clearance without the spindle, right?? If you have too much play with the setup tool, I think your spindle housing has been damaged by a spinning bearing race, and now the races are actually closer together than they would normally be. That would explain why it is still loose without ANY shims at all. It's probably too late to take a measurement off of the other housing, since you said it went together nicely, but I would check and see if the distance between the shoulders in the housing where the races fit is SMALLER than it should be, indicating a bad housing. It came apart with a .118' shim, but you did say it was loose when you moved the wheel before. My money is on a damaged housing. ("spindle support") Sorry!

Just an afterthought....I have salvaged some trans cases that were damaged by a spinning bearing race, by shimming the RACE. If you can get a selection of shims to fit behind the bearing RACES, you could possibly shim the slop out that way. It's a little more work, but I have saved a few expensive trans cases with this method. Just an idea. Adams' Apple38470.8155555556

Joel,

 That was my conclusion about the bearing housing, in the area where the races press into, there looks like there was a lot of "chatter" in the area, not smooth as it should be.

 The idea about shimming the race sounds like a good idea. That's why I posted this...to get a different take on it. I'll see what my options are, and if I can try this.

Thank you

Alan

How are you setting the bearings up? Dry or greased?If you have to much slop in there now with your original spacer and a .118 shim, maybe you should try using a thicker shim. They go up to .145. If you spun your race, you will not be able to drop another on in there without it falling out.

Also, the up and down movement you had is not your bearings, it's the side yokes in your differential. They should not move in & out any more than a 1/8". If they do than they need to be replaced as well. 3 & 9 will check bearing play.

Dan

Dan,

 I tried every shim I had. I have one of each size, smallest to largest. The car is disassembled right now, waiting to go back together.

 I did end up replacing the side yokes in the diff. The old ones came out like all the others, shafts worn out to the c-clamps. The ring and pinion looked like it had absolutely NO wear in it. I thought that was pretty amazing.

 I sent my setup tool, and dial indicator to Ben (Cthulhu) to use for his bearing setup. He found out that it wasn't the housing, it was the TOOL that was off. He used a shim after the bearing, and before the nut washer, and it worked fine. I know this sounds weird, but anything is possible with these cars.

 After i get everything back, I'll try it Ben's way, and let you know.

Alan

OK. Check your spindle flange. If he had to put a shim in there before the washer, that would mean to me that the flange has worn down. Did you previous rebuild these or did the previous owner do them? This happens often when they are set up incorrectly. It starts wearing away the flange and than it gets real sloppy. If you need specs for your spindle or anything else let me know. There are 3 critical measurements that must be taken on the spindle. Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Yes, if it's not too much trouble for you, may I have those measurements please?

I would love to get to the answer here, and not just try new parts to see what works.

Thank you

Alan