Easiest bearing race install I've ever done

[ragtopfury]

Some of you may already do it this.
I have never liked the idea of pounding the races when installing them in a hub on anything , even with the correct tool.
I'm doing bearing on the camper, and got to thinking the other day - dangerous sometimes, I know.... Anyway, many moons ago I remember dad saying "put the pilot bushing in the freezer overnight" when I put the 4spd in my long gone 69 Road Runner.
So I expanded on that and put the bearing races in the freezer space of my little dorm fridge in the garage.
Just did one hub during lunch today. Dang if they weren't the easiest races I've ever driven in! Now I'll let it sit for the rest of the day to get to room temperature before assembling on the axle. As long as they don't condensate and rust themselves to the hubs, I'll be good to go next time they need to be done.

 

[gzig5]

Freezing will shrink a bushing. It won't move much, but sometimes it is enough. Heating an inner bearing race to go onto a shaft will typically make a tight press fit a drop on slip fit for a few seconds until the inner race cools after a few seconds. I usually heat them to 250-300-ish degrees in an oven or with torch as a last resort.

 

[Scody21]

Also for the seals in a 727/904 clusters when putting togeather again..

 

[chryslerfat]

Yup heat and cool are your friend with bearings and bushings. I have a 2 burner hot plate and pan from when I did heavy truck transmissions and keep spring pin bushings in the freezer at work for when I need them.

 

[Garrett Ellison]

It’s generally accepted practice that bearings shouldn’t be heated above 257 degrees to assemble. Some of our local grocery stores carry dry ice. That 100 plus below zero stuff really helps you cheat on getting press fitments together!

 

[67Dart273]

AND NOW another annoying story from the old days. In the 80's I worked in Spokane for a very small HVAC/R outfit. He took in a Dunham-Bush shaft drive 250hp screw compressor that one of the mines had screwed up (no pun, YES!! LOL) They had been having trouble with this chiller staying online, and started bypassing safeties, then bypassed the phase protector.......makes certain the 3 phase is in correct rotation so motor(s) run correct direction.

Then they moved it and.........ran it backwards, damaged the screw. My then boss was pretty smart. As I recall a rebuilt compressor was 25K or more. He figured out how to machine the thrust areas on the screws and thrust plate and save it. We needed some big special bearings which are sold in mached pairs similar to the 75'''ish Dodge full time front bearings.

You are SUPPOSED to use an electromagnetic heater to heat the bearings to install. NAW---he says---go down to Good Will/ St Vincent and find a sandwich oven. OK THEN!!!!

But it turns out there had been a CHANGE in the bearings. These are angular thrust ball bearings. Turns out the ball cages were some sort of composite / plastic instead of metal. They were black, heck they LOOKED like steel Anyhow, 5-600 bucks worth of bearings are junk. Believe it or not, because there was not a warning note in the box of the change, he got them replaced by the bearing company!!!