RE: [Chevelle-List] of rears and tires...

[John Nasta]

Thanks Mikey,   I did the rear bearings on my Olds a few years ago, but there were no C-clips and the bearings were pressed onto the axles. I read the service manual about this quickly. It seems pretty straightforward, except that the manual says to remove the c-clips but doesn't say exactly how they come off. I saw the picture showing the pinion bolt. I'll be careful not to break it. Thanks for the tip on not turning the axles.   John Nasta       -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Capt Crunch Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 8:23 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Chevelle-List] of rears and tires...   John the rear wheel bearings isn't a real bad task... basically pull the cover and drain the fluid... pull the tires and drums. Then you will need to take out the bolt that holds the cross shaft in. Be careful and use heat if it is tight as these bolts are known for breaking ... and speaking from experience it really sucks when they do. I usually replace the bolt if the application is old... napa sells them... if you need the part number I have it out and the garage and can send it to ya. After the bolt is out pull out the cross shaft. Make sure you don't spin the axles while this is out or generally the spider gears fall out and they can kinda be a pain to get back in while lying on your back with stinky diff fluid dripping on ya. Gently push each axle shaft in and you will see the c-clip.... you can pull it out with your fingers sometimes or else a magnet. They just pull out... and then you can remove the axle shaft. Check the shafts for any grooves or pitting... if either one has either I would recommend replacing the shaft. Pull out the axle seal... a seal puller is a cheap tool if you don't have it and is well worth the 8 or 10 bucks... makes the task easier then other methods. The bearing will need to be pulled out of the tube with a bearing puller or slide hammer. Be kinda gentle unless you really need to give her the gusto (You certainly may have to on an old rearend)... sometimes the bearings come apart and then you have the pieces in there and can be hard to get it all without pulling the carrier and using a rag and long pole to push it all through. If they do break apart use a flash light and lots of rags and a coat hanger to clean out the tube real good so no metal gets in the diff. The new bearings are just tapped in... tap in the seals and then reassemble.   John this probably sounds worse of a task then it really is... I just like to hit the "ifs" that pop up occasionally that can make the job kinda miserable so people can avoid them if at all possible. Hopefully I didn't whiz thropugh it too fast. Let us know how it goes if you run into any binds.   Mikey   ----- Original Message ----- From: John Nasta Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 6:52 PM To: Chevelle List Subject: [Chevelle-List] of rears and tires...   I need to do the rear axle bearings this Saturday on my 69 El Camino. I don't know much about the rear except that it is a peg-leg, and the yoke uses bolts & a strap to hold the U-joint in, which I'm told means it's a 10-bolt. Does this rear have C-clips? What's the deal on getting those out? I presume they would have to come off first. I want to take the diff cover off anyway to drain the old oil out, so no big deal if I have to get in there. Also, about tires, in the "old days" I used to run Cooper GT Radial 70s. Anybody know anything good/bad about them? I know there was a problem specific to the ones with 225 sidewalls, but I would be getting 19570R14s. Anybody know of a place to get a good deal on them? Tire rack doesn't seem to carry them. I definitely want a raised white letter tire. Any other recommendations? TIA for any advice. John Nasta ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]