Installing Bearings and Hubs, ...another step-by-step Options

[Eric_Shea]

After Saturday’s bushings install came Sunday’s bearing install. The factory manual can be quite vague on most subjects; lessons that become clear only after doing it so… hopefully this can clear things up a bit regarding installing rear bearings:

Step 1 – If you haven’t taken out your old bearings then you’ll want to do that. If the hub is in then you’ll need to drive it out of the control arm. This varies from a “light tap” to a “full blown slam”. You will ruin your old bearing but… that’s what we’re doing here. Find a suitable drift. Porsche calls it a P297a (better known as a suitable drift). I use an old 911 rear torsion bar. Once the hub is out you’ll need to drive out the bearing. Again, a vague reference to a “suitable thrust piece” to drive it out. After the hub is out you’ll see the lip on the backside of the bearing. Use a hardened punch and slowly tap out the bearing moving the punch from 9:00 to 3:00 to 12:00 to 6:00… you get the picture. Slowly so you don’t lodge it sideways in the bearing pocket and damage the control arm. Make sure the punch is resting on the bearing edge and not scoring the pocket surface. Save an old bearing housing…