83 pickup wheel bearings and rotors

Discussion in 'Maintenance/Repair' started by Coreyjm, Aug 12, 2013.

  1. Coreyjm

    Coreyjm Newbie

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    Location:
    seattle wa
    Truck:
    83 pickup
    So i want to replace my wheel bearings and my rotors on my rwd 83 pickup. I know what i need to do but im confused on taking off the rotors from the hub. Also are the new bearings going to need to need to be pressed in with a brake press or is there a way to do it without having to take it to a shop.
     
  2. Beefed Taco

    Beefed Taco Addict

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    Pretty sure your rotors just un bolt from the hub and like most wheel bearings you'll need to pop out the seal on the rear of your hub to get your bearings out. You can destroy the seal because ideally you should be putting new ones on.

    To do the job right you're going to want to hammer out the old races with a brass drift punch and install the new races that come with the new bearings. This will be the hardest part, but really isn't even hard.

    Then pack the new bearings with grease, you can do this by hand by putting a mound of grease in your palm and scraping the large side of the bearing over it until it comes out the other side and you know it's full.

    Then put the new bearings into the hub and put the new seal into place, and either tap lightly around it until it's seated, or get a piece of wood (usually a piece of 4x4 or something) that covers the entire seal and is flat, and give it one good whack with a hammer. Fill the little groove in the seal with grease so when it spins on the spindle it doesn't get messed up like if it were dry.

    Bolt your new rotors onto the hub and slip the hub onto the spindle. Hand tighten the wheel bearing nut until it's seated, use a wrench or socket to turn it to the next hole for the pin and call it a day. Don't forget to put new pads in and use some anti squeak stuff on them.
     

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