Pressing Front Bearings into Rotors Options

[7TPorsh]

Got into this brake work, have all the parts then realized i have to press in the inner and outer races into the rotors. Doesn't seem to easily tap in.

Is this something I can easily do myself with limited tools? or am I looking at taking it somewhere and dropping $30 or $40?

thx

[PRS914-6]

If you decide to beat the races out back and forth with a drift and hammer you run a HUGE risk of dinging the step where the race seats. The old races may beat right out and you may not even notice the slight ding that damages the lip a few thousands. One whack where the drift hit the hub and it rolls the edge ever so slightly and the lip will be deformed. The result is that the new races don't seat square and you have to tighten the wheel bearings too tight to get the play out because the races are no longer parallel.

In my years of working on cars, I have found that the safest way to remove old races is to use a MIG welder. Run a bead all the way around the inside of the old race and let it cool. It will shrink and the race will literally fall out without ever touching it with a hammer. I use the same method with the rear wheel bearings, just pop the guts out of them and weld a bead in each groove where the balls used to run.

You will be amazed at how easy this is and how well it works. To install races, heat the hubs in an oven and use a larger flat piece of metal in a hydraulic press to get the race started straight followed quickly by a socket or similar that fits perfectly around the race. A little oil on the surfaces prevents galling. Pressing them in square is REALLY important . Back and forth with a hammer just deforms the precision hole. I realize people everywhere use the hammer method but I have worked on many cars to see the scars that this method typically yields.

The pictures shows a MIG welded race ready to come out and the other shows the lip that can be damaged when using a drift and hammer. Note, not a nick on the lip. Hope this helps out.....