So, did front rotors today on my 72. Build date is 10/71. Rebuilt my calipers. New pads. Installed new wheel bearings. I removed the old ones from my old rotors before taking them to get turned. Found out they needed to be replaced. Didn't pay attention to the inner races when I removed them. My question is once you install the inner bearing into the rotor, how far do you seat the race? I want to say there was a lot of space between the old bearing and race. Didn't seem right when I installed the new set. I installed the new races until they bottomed out on the bearings. Is that correct? I tried searching for a guide or tech article. Found nothing. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks! Scott

Scott,
If you are able to look into the hub, you will see a lip where the race will seat against. Also, as you drive the race in, you will hear and feel when the race is seated.
Cesar

Cesar. Yes for the outer race it is pretty much just pushing it in all the way till it bottoms out. But my question is the inner bearing and race. Is there supposed to be a gap between the bearing and race? Or does the race seat against the bearing? That's the way I did it but it seems wrong to me.

So. After a short test drive. Wheels lossened up at the bearings just going up and down the street. Outer bearings are pretty straight forward. I'm guessing it's the inner race placement?

Races can be pressed into the hub and spindle individually -- the bearings/cage should not be involved.

Both inner and outer races get pressed in until they fully seat.

And the inner bearings get trapped in the rotor by the race correct? Meaning you have to remove the race to get the inner bearings out of the rotor? At least that's the way the originals were. But like I said earlier. The originals seemed to have a space between the race and the bearings.

No, the races go in first. Each race gets pressed into the respective sides until they are fully seated. Then grease up the rear bearing and put it in followed by the grease seal. Then install it on the spindle and grease up the outer bearing. Place it on the spindle, then the washer and spindle nut. Tighten the spindle nut down to properly load the bearings, then tighten the allen head bolt clamping the nut in place.

Thanks for that explanation. Now I see what I did wrong! What a dumb mistake! Hopefully no damage done to the spindles! I drove it a couple hundred feet and the wheels got loose. Guess I'll be pulling them off tomorrow!

I fear that you have ruined the bearings themselves.
Luckily they are not very expensive.

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I fear that you have ruined the bearings themselves.
Luckily they are not very expensive.
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100%. Get new inners, sounds like you installed the outers correctly.

Doubt you did any spindle damage, pull the rotors off and clean the spindles; there might be some scratches but nothing like a PO that got a little carried away with a grinder/sawzall to remove a fused inner.

Yeah. I picked up an inner set today. I'll pull it apart tomorrow. Figured they were going to be bad. Can't believe I did that. I had a lot on my plate. I've had very little time to work on the car and was trying to get so much done. Rebuilt my calipers. Installed new pads. Did the rotors. And finally figured out an electrical problem that kept blowing my flasher relays! I went through 4 flasher relays! That was getting expensive! Thanks for the advice guys!

.........way safer to buy new bearings than to wonder if incorrect "load" put on them will bite you later when going hard through the twisties.........

All good now! Thanks for the help guys!