I imagine this question has been asked before and I tried to use the search function but probably did not use a “key” word that would bring up the answer….

I am going to pull the engine and transaxle out of the car in preparation for bodywork and paint. In the past I have left the CV’s in the trailing arms and wire them up so they don’t flop around but they still do and it is a pain to manage this….

This time I was wondering if it is OK to pull the entire CV assembly out of the trailing arm so the car is easier to roll around?

Will this do any damage to the bearings in the trailing arms? Just wondering what others have done?

You need the stub axles or you will damage the bearings.

Just unbolt the outer CV joints from the stub axles; leaving the stubs in the trailing arms and you should be good to go.

Appreciate it. Kind of what I thought….

Rolling around as pushing it from a corner to the other, or flat tow?

Flat tow without stubs, hubs can move out (no restrain), loss of wheel.

But I would doubt the bearings could get damaged if the car is just pushed by hand on a trailer or around a shop.

Rear bearings are double row, split race. They need clamp load across the inner races to keep the balls rolling in the race where they are designed to roll and bear load.

They will be damaged. Bearings will not fail instantly but life will be severely shortened. This is not an urban legend.

They will be damaged. Always use stub axles.

A few years ago - before I learned anything about 914's, I bought a basket case/roller . . .

I thought that like any good ol' 'Murican vehicle, if the wheels were on it - I could tow it with the tow dolly I rented from U-Haul . . .even though I could easily have rented the full trailer for a few more bucks, but thought it was unecessary since I had towed an 1986 Honda CRX behind the biggest Ryder tow truch they had at the time - on a tow dolly, with no problem. . .from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

Stub axles weren't in - ruined the wheel bearings (didn't even know it for a year before I read a thread on 914World about it). . .extremely lucky I didn't lose the wheels driving up and down the hills on the 101 freeway for 45 minutes . . .

Yep - wish I had known more about these cars then.

Glad you were aware enough to ask the masters here.

Makes sense, thank you!

I pushed my '73 in n out of the garage several times w/o stub axles in place. The bearings were relatively new w/ ~90 hours run time on them. That was 9 years ago and 25K miles ago. Would I do it again w/o the stub axles in place; no.