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I’m doing the rear brake rotors and a couple studs on my new to me ‘73.  I’ve removed the hub assembly and axle flange.   The manual says to remove the bearing retainer and shield then press out the hub. Is that correct?  I don’t see how you can get to the retainer bolts with the rotor still on. (I have Wilwoods)

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Can I press it out without removing the bearing retainer?  It seems like the retainer would hold the bearing and the axle hub would press through the inner race.

Here is my press fixturing. It did move about 1/4”. Not crazy about pressing against the brake rotor but I guess thats the way.
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Last edited by Gunarun
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Yes, you need to press out the axle first as described at end of item 7 & Fig 5. as you setup, then you will have access to remove the bearing retainer and press out the bearings.

That is an aftermarket brake hat/disc, most competent mechanics would never put it back together without new bearings when doing the brake upgrade, so question is have the bearings failed again and if so why? Check the axle and hub carrier closely as well as the bearing spacer end surfaces and outer spacer.

Last edited by joules

You are right to be concerned about pressing on the rotor(s). Some have broken them in two with a 10 ton press. About any kind of press stand-off will work; I've seen them of plastic or hard wood. Pressing each of the lug-nut studs out first vastly lessens the amount of force needed to push a stub axle out of an upright assembly. Do NOT hammer them out- they are high-carbon steel and will crack if hit even a little bit sideways!

The retainer must be in place to press out the axle. Using too much pressure will distort the mild steel bearing retainer into a shallow cone, which then does not correctly hold the outer bearing in place on reassembly.  Perceptive drivers will notice some rear steer effect and excess tire wear from even tiny amounts of rear stub-axle movement. Hammer the retainer down flat on a heavy piece of steel if it's cone-shaped or wavy.

The real problem is, because of leverage the required clearances are very small. The axle shaft should be an interference fit of 0.0005"-0.0008" in the bearings and yes- all those zeros count. In most cases, the extremely hard bearings are fine but the relatively soft mild steel stub axle is either worn from spalling, or undersized. Find a shop that has a 5-decimal 1.5"  micrometer, or rent one to check axle wear. ALL other methods of checking are little more than guessing.

Some stock axles and most aftermarket axles (of high strength 300-m steel) will be the correct interference-fit size. But I've heard of good looking stock axles that FELL OUT of new stock bearings.  There are tolerances in everything so we must check.

I really appreciate the info. I’ll check the bearing retainer for flatness.  When I went to remove the bolts, two of the Allen heads rounded over and two came out easy. No sign of lock-tite. Therefore I had to weld a jam nut to the top of the Allen bolt to get a wrench on it to remove it.  
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I’ll check the axle shaft dia and compare it to the new bearings. I ordered them from Hall Pantera today along with new lower shafts and bushings.  It had greasable shafts but one bushing was galled up.  
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Wilwood used to make a Pantera specific hat with 2.1" offset part # 170-0636, I think it is only available special order now.

Before commingling you should measure current location and required offset for outboard mount as each brake kit differ es slightly and they usually have their own matching caliper mounts/adapters for their offset.

Last edited by joules

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