C2 Rear Wheel Bearings--Better Left Alone?

[Chuck R.]

Re: I agree with Duke

I pulled the extreemly rusted rear spindles apart on my 68 that had been abandoned in a back yard for five years with the odometer frozen at 78,000

Both bearing assemblies looked great and had plenty of grease.

I agree that if they roll nice and smooth, leave them be.

If they exhibit a rumble or hitch when rolled replace them.

Chuck

[Duke W.]

Re: Duke...The '64 Shop Manual says...

The cable clutch actuation is not very good. Lot's of guys have high effort and even pull the cable out of the cowl. The secret is to lub it occasionally with graphite. I use Lock-eze. Of course, that's not in the OE maintenance schedule. It's something you learn.

Hydraulic clutch linkages work well, but slave and master cylinders eventually fail, even with regular fluid changes. The Corvette's mechanical clutch linkage is by far the best - good feel, reliable, little maintenance, and nearly bulletfproof.

Duke

[Chas Kingston]

Re: C2 Rear Wheel Bearings--Better Left Alone?

Greasing the inner and outer rear wheel bearings was a ritual I performed whenever I bought a mid-year or shark. I then re-greased them again in the spring. The link below shows the tool I made and the procedure. I never had a bearing failure in 20+ Corvettes.




Greasing Rear Wheel Bearings

[mike cobine]

Clutch Cables

The clutch cable could be a problem for several reasons:
- the firewall flexed where it mounted on top
- alignment of the top of the cable could get off
- dirt and grit would increase friction

As a result, the inner cable often became a saw that cut into the bottom of the sheathing end. When it began to cut a groove, the pedal force increased. Once the groove started, your only recourse was a new cable. The cable had a "set" to it so you couldn't roll it over easily and it would cut a new groove even faster. Probably due to the cable being sharp after cutting the other groove.

It would have worked great in a straight line, the sharp bend caused the problem.

It was probably a great idea for a cheap car that you got rid of after 2 years and shifted slowly only a dozen times a day. Good idea for an emergency brake, not so hot for a clutch.

[Eugene B.]

Re: What I found

Bruce,
The trailing arms and spindles are currently out of my '65. Car has 44K actual miles - I have owned it since 1970.

Before I disassembled, the runout was fine and the bearing felt perfect when the spindle was turned by hand. I intend to drive this car many miles during the next several years, so I decided to service the rear wheel bearings.

I'm glad that I disassembled. The outer bearings were reasonably dry and the grease on the inners was very hard and probably not a very good lubricant. The bearings are fine and will be repacked and spindles reinstalled.

I originally did this for peace of mind and after disassembling, I'm glad that I did. After all, you'll only have to service the rear bearings once. Same goes for the U-joints while you're there. I'd had one that was semi-frozen.

Hope this helps. Good luck with the '64.

Regards,
Gene

[Bruce Boatner]

Re: What I found

Gene,

Thanks for your feedback. Did you tackle this job on your own? How difficult is it to remove the bearings?

Thanks

Bruce

[Joe C.]

Re: What I found

Bruce:

The bearings can be removed without removing the trailing arms from the car, but this is still a very time consuming job. After SAFELY jacking and supporting rear of car:

1. Disconnect shock from lower mount.
2. Remove tire and wheel.
3. Disconnect halfshaft at bearing hub flange.
4. Remove drum, disassemble brake shoes.
5. Disconnect strut rod from shock mount.
6. Remove shock mount from bearing housing (this may require special tool)DO NOT DRIVE it out. Possible to double nut, and GENTLY drive out.
7. Remove 4 nuts holding bearing housing and brake splash plate to trailing arm.
8. Remove bearing and spindle assembly by pulling it out (outboard) thru hole in trailing arm.
9. Bring assembly to bench, remove cotter pin, nut and washer from bearing hub flange. Remove flange/shield from splines on spindle.
10. Pull spindle out of housing (outer bearing is pressed onto shaft, and must be pressed off- do not use heat, since this will weaken spindle-must be pressed off.

[Eugene B.]

Re: What I found

Bruce,
Removing the bearings is impossible for guys like us. I removed the trailing arms from the automobile and took them to a local Corvette shop to be pressed apart. Same is true for the U-joints. They were tighter than nuts on a bridge!

While apart, I reconditioned the trailing arms, spindle supports, brake caliper mounting brackets, splash shields, etc. They are ready to be reassembled (by the same local Corvette shop) because a press is necessary to reassemble the spindles and setup wheel bearing end play.

Continued good luck on your '64.

Regards,
Gene