1968 LeSabre front wheel bearings

[Guest bugsy1955]

Ok. My son is sticking with the drum brakes. I walked him through the disassembly process with the front and installing the new parts won't be a problem. However, good old dad is having difficulty remembering how to replace the wheel bearings, especially the rear bearing in the drum. I didn't put to much effort into it since I have to replace the drums, but the rear bearing did not seem to want to come out. Any help and direction will be appreciated! I looked for instructions but found nothing.

Planning to pick up the new drums from CARS, Inc unless anyone as some or another suggestion.

Just had a thought, I need to have my son start asking the questions on here! Had a 61 Skylark convertible about 20+ years ago that this forum helped tremendously with and I sure did appreciate it then as much as now.

Thanks!

[JohnD1956]

Not sure where you are, but I would recommend checking with your local auto parts supplier for the drums. As for the bearings, there is a dust shield that is lightly pressed into the hub from the back. Many times you can just reach in and pull it out. Other times you may have to use a large socket to ride on the rim of the bearing and tap it out from the front to the back.

[Guest bugsy1955]

Thanks John!

How do the rear bearing and dust shield go back into the drum? How much torque does the retainer nut get?

The bearings look good. Should they be cleaned before repacking?

All help is greatly appreciated and valued!

[JohnD1956]

The bearing goes in with the taper in the direction it came out. The dust shield is tapped lightly into place. I would not bother to repack a bearing that I did not wash thoroughly first. The installation of the front drum assembly is a process where the unit w/ bearings is put in place, then the nut is tightened to a certain torque, then loosened, the drum is spun , and then the nut is re torques to a different spec. What with all my cars being different, I can never remember the specific torques. Let me look it up and re reply, although this will be 1969 information.

[JohnD1956]

found it:

While rotating wheel assembly, tighten the nut to 19 ft lbs.

back off nut till bearings are loose.

re torque to 11 ft lbs.

Even if the nut is in line with a cotter pin hole you still back off 1/12th spin and install the cotter pin.

If, after re torqueing to 11 ft lbs, the cotter pin hole is not aligned, then you back off 1/12 to 1/6th spin of the nut maximum, and install the cotter pin.

In my humble opinion, this process is critical if you want the wheel bearings to last.

[Guest bugsy1955]

Thanks for the info John! Very much appreciated and highly valued. Thanks for taking the time. Do you suggest cleaning the bearings?

[JohnD1956]

Yes, and no. This would be a condition judgement call. Is the current grease black? Does it feel gritty? Did you drop the bearing assembly on the ground at all? In all these cases I would clean the bearing with gasoline and a brush, making sure to rotate the assembly to get all the old grease out. If, however, the grease just looks like a dark honey color, and I did not drop it, I would leave it alone.

If you clean it out it must be thoroughly packed with clean grease. Have you ever done that to any wheel bearings before?

[Guest bugsy1955]

They actually look great. I have repacked bearings and would be comfortable doing it, but also a believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Also trying to let my son do the work on the car without taking over. Thanks again!

[JohnD1956]

I endorse letting your son get dirty. If you are concerned about this judgement call, post a picture of one of the bearing assemblies for folks to see the situation.

[old-tank]

I you are not sure the bearing have been previously cleaned and packed with NLGI No 2 grease like you are probably using, clean all remnants of the old grease from the bearings, spindle and hub. Some greases are not compatible and will turn everything to liquid.

[RivNut]

Planning to pick up the new drums from CARS, Inc unless anyone as some or another suggestion.

I'm mostly familiar with the mid 60's cars, '63, '64, '65, and '66 and I know they have aluminum front drums. I'm sure that your '68 does as well but if get new drums from CARS, they will not be aluminum. About the only way to reuse worn aluminum drums is to get new cast iron liners installed in them. Check out these guys - http://www.jgrelining.com/#!services/crfi

Ed

Edited June 18, 2014 by RivNut (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

I am considering a relined set for each of my cars, the '64 Riviera and the '60 Electra. I would probably be set for the rest of my life. Here is the quote I got 7/2012:

Hey Bemie, To reline your drum would run $275.00 ea. but if you ship me both pairs at the same time we can reline all four drums for $ 965.00

all drums will come back to you with new races and bearing. If you have extra cores we pay $ 25.00 ea for those drums if you would like to sell them.

Thanks

Don

J&G Brake drum relining

815-276-2578.

Bernie

[NTX5467]

Re: CARS non-alloy brake drums . . . are there any "user reports" out there on these? How do they perform comarped to the OEMs in HD driving (towing, mountains, high speed stop fade) with OEM-comparable brake linings?

I like OEM-type parts to replace orig parts, but that $1K price for four re-lined drums strikes me as making some of the aftermarket disc brake kits worth considering ($1K, + some $, + more labor, for that "incognito upgrade" look) to have something that's better than it used to be.

Regarding the front wheel bearings . . . once you know how it all fits together, the main thing is "quality of assembly". The rear/inside bearing was usually knocked-out/removed (along with the wheel bearing seal) by using a mallet/hammer and a long socket extension. A few good whacks and they were bouncing on the floor (along with any shield that was in there, too). In some cases on later vehicles, the shield was a part of the backing plate for the brakes.

You can either replace just the bearings OR you can replace the bearings and races too. The races can be removed with the same tools, I believe, as the rear bearing/seal. For installation of the races, you might want to use a brass "drift" and ensure they are fully-seated in their places (which is what the higher initial torque should do, I suspect, for good measure).

When you take the bearings out and initially look at them, if the rollers are still smooth and "look good", re-use can be possible, but if they show "heat"/discolorations, they AND the races probably need replacement. So much depends upon how things look in this situation. Inspect the integrity of the rollers' "cage", too as that can be another wear point.

Over the years, I've replaced just the bearings on my cars, as there was no reason to replace the races.

In adjusting the bearings, "endplay" is what you're desiring to be "enough to keep the bearing alive, but not too much to affect the accuracy of the steering". Too tight of an adjustment will not let the wheel spin as freely as it needs to, but too loose is not good, either. This is where the "slots" and "retainer" come into play.

The OTHER "torque" to pay attention to is for the lug nuts. The older cars do NOT torque nearly as much as modern cars do!!! An accurate torque wrench is a good thing to have in your tool box! NOT to forget the "criss-cross" torque pattern in tightening the lug nuts in "increasing torque sequence", starting with "tight enough to seat the lug nuts and wheel against the brake drum and working toward the final value in two more increments.

There are many "cleaning fluids" to use when cleaning wheel bearings. MANY will be flammable, although the parts washer fluid might not be that critical in that respect. In ANY event, take precautions against the possible of starting af fire when doing that cleaning! PLUS suitable hand protection from the cleaning fluid/solvent, too!!! Bare skin WILL absorb some of those fluids!

There was a story of a man using octane booster for his desired cleaning fluid, bare-handed. He was working along, cleaning some enging parts one day, when his friend came over and noticed that his hands and forearms were blue -- not good. He spent a few days in the hospital as a result and NEVER used octane booster for that purpose again! So many of those fluids have "poison" notices on them, cautioning against drinking them, but your skin can also absorb them, which can result in them getting in your blood stream, either way.

When "Better Buicks" are worked on by "People Who Care", more fun and pride of ownership can result!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

Edited June 21, 2014 by NTX5467 (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

Here is the tool that I use to repack wheel bearings. I have two of them. One for regular wheel bearing grease and a second one for trailers, especially boat trailers with silicone grease.

http://atoztool.com/270.html

E-Z Squeeze Bearing Packer - Wheel Bearing Packer Tool - EZ Squeeze