My '72 desperately needs a new rear hub bearing on the left side and I'll probably do the right side too.

My question is: Is there a simple way to do this job without special tools, without a hydraulic press and without removing the trailing arm?

Yes, I've seen the PMB videos...

Lemme know some personal procedures and experiences.

Thanks in advance.

-Chris


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Pay someone? You can make the tool. Do a search on the site.

I did it last year on my '72. Borrowed a slide hammer from AutoZone to remove the old one. Biggest challenge was getting the new one in without screwing it all up with a BFH. I put it in the freezer overnight like recommended, but it was still a PITA to get the bearing into the hub. It can be done without special tools and without removing the trailing arms, but it took me the better part of one weekend to get it done. Plan on removing starter and disconnecting drive axles.

I have a special threaded tool to remove and install the bearing. You might want to see about renting or borrowing one. If you were closer, I'd lend you mine.

beyond easy with the right tools, its the only option.

I did mine. I forget how, but it's not that difficult.

Lightly warm the arm and put the bearing in the freezer. It is way harder to get the bearing in mounted on the car, but I have done it.

Pelican has a tech article that will help you get most of the way. You don't need to remove the trailing arm. Do a search on this site and you'll find pictures of a homemade tool that uses an allthread to create a press to remove the bearing. I'll see if I can find what I used and upload a pic. New bearings often slide right in with little effort if you freeze them and heat the hub just a bit. Mine dropped right in with no effort.

There is no reason not to take the trailing arm off. It's not that much work.

Once the CV is disconnected and PB Blasted the bolts, unhook the caliper, take off the rotor and undo the mounting bolts and drop it out.


I'll say this from experience. There be a ton of "while your're there" stuff. That's more the issue.

There is a tool you should rent, it's a super duty c-clamp with various sizes of fittings to do this.
With that tool, and the bearing in the freezer, a map gas torch on the trailing arm, it's fairly straight forward to do the bearing.

Rich

There is a video on you tube on how it is done, older guy that was a VW mechanic. He shows how to remove it with a home made slide hammer. He put the bearing in the freezer overnight, heated the hub slightly with a propane torch, and the bearing slid in like butter.

All Thread, Appropiate size washers, sockets etc. to remove.
Use the old bearing over the new one to tap in.
However I installed new ones when I reconditioned my arms. Froze the bearings overnight, Stuck the arms in front of a propane garage heater. Placed the bearing in the arm and turned to get my hammer. Looked back and the bearing had just dropped in on it's own!
I love parts that assemble themselves !!!

Spent more time fabricating tools as described on the forums and using other tools than just pulling the arm and having the old pressed out and new pressed in. Oh, I had no luck with it on the car. That's not to say it can't be done, just saying for me the bearing was very tight and didn't budge w/o a press.

Mine popped out easy with just a couple sharp whacks on a brass drift

While it's not necessary to take off the trailing arms, it is a hell of a lot easier to install the bearings with the trailing arm on the bench.

To install the hub, I made a puller with a very large diameter all-thread and some equivalent washers. I welded 3 washers together so they wouldn't bend.

To install the bearing, I froze the bearing and heated the trailing arm with a heat gun. When I installed the bearing, it dropped right in place.

Then I froze the hub and heated the bearing and trailing arm with the heat gun.

Using the all-thread, I put the hub on the bearing and pulled it in. Very easy.

BTW, it is possible to get the trailing arm off without disconnecting the axle from the transmission.