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The
following Special Tools are all but REQUIRED to
do a proper job:
Spindle
Knocker (spindle removal tool)
This threads onto your old spindle and protects
the threads while you beat on it to break it free
from the housing. Even though you may be planning
on replacing the old spindle, if you beat on the
spindle without the tool, you will very likely
mushroom it to the point where you can’t
slide the bearings off the end.
Spindle Set-Up Tool
This allows you to slide the bearings on a mandrel
instead of the spindle itself to check the endplay
of the assembly. The final installed endplay must
be between 1 and 8 thousandths. The old shim will
only be correct if you are very lucky. Chances
are you will have to try one, measure the endplay
with a dial indicator, then figure the correct
shim and try it again. If you use the spindle
as the mandrel for these tests, you would have
to do it through the installed pre-greased outer
bearing and seal. It’s much preferable to
check it dry before installing anything permanently.
Spindle
Installation Tool
This tool threads onto the new spindle and allows
you to torque the spindle into place. The problem
is the outer bearing has to be greased and placed
in its race before the grease seal is installed.
The spindle then has to be pulled through the
outer bearing, and the bearing will have to slide
onto the thick shoulder of the spindle where it
rides. The installation tool makes this a snap.
Without the proper tools, this is tougher.
Assuming
you have the right tools, the following is the
proper sequence. Without the right tools, you
will have to follow along and improvise. The tools
are available from Mid America new for about $185
including freight, or you can rent a perfect used
set from us for $174 (freight free), use it and
return the still perfect used set for a refund
of $125. I will also refund $1 for every unused
new spindle shim you return.
Lets
Begin:
1 |
The
day before you get started, put the car on
jack stands, remove the rear wheels and hose
down everything you are going to take apart
with Liquid Wrench. |
2 |
Remove
the rear brake caliper and place a socket
between the pads to position them properly.
You don’t want to have to bleed the
brakes when all this is over! |
3 |
Remove
the rotor. If it is riveted to the spindle,
the rivets have to go. |
4 |
Separate
the halfshaft flange from the spindle flange.
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5 |
Remove
the cotter pin from the spindle castle nut.
Often you have to drill it out. |
6 |
Using
a 1-1/16th inch socket, remove the castle
nut from the spindle. |
7 |
Remove
the washer and pull the spindle flange off
the spindle. |
8 |
Screw
on the Spindle Knocker all the way on and
hit it squarely and sharply until the spindle
lets go. You may have to beat the hell out
of it. |
9 |
Using a long punch, tap the bearing races
out of the bearing support housing. |
10 |
First
clean the grease out of the bearing support
housing with a rag, and then scrub it thoroughly
with Brake Clean. It can’t be too clean. |
11 |
Assuming
you are not reusing the old spindle, you can
just set it aside. Removing the old bearing
from the shoulder of the spindle is a problem
you don’t have to deal with now. |
12 |
Install
the new bearing races. Be careful not to deface
the bearing surface! Make sure they are ‘home’;
nestled all the way into the housing to the
stop. |
13 |
Using
the Spindle Set Up Tool, place the outer bearing
on it all the way onto the shoulder. Stack
the spacer and the thickest shim you have
onto the mandrel and place it into the housing
from the outside. From the inside, place the
inner bearing on the tool, and using the thick
spindle washer and the nut and sleeve from
the installation tool, torque to 100 Ft. Lbs. |
14 |
Measure
the endplay with a dial indicator. If you
used a .145 shim and the endplay is 17 thousandths,
you know that if you replace that .145 shim
with a .133 shim your endplay will be 5 thousandths.
Remember, the minimum endplay according to
GM is .001, the maximum .008. You are better
off to be on the tight end of that spec, as
in .001 - .004. |
15 |
Repeat
the process with the correct spacer and confirm
the correct endplay. Its time to pack the
bearings. Use a high quality Moly-Graphite
grease rated for Extreme Pressure, or better
yet, do as we do and use Mobil 1. Pack the
bearings by hand and pack the housing with
a lot of grease. It doesn’t have to
be absolutely full, because the spindle is
going to take up some room in there, but it
needs to be completely full when you are finished.
You don’t ever want to do this job on
this car again. |
16 |
Now
the tricky part. Put the outer bearing onto
its race and install the outer grease seal.
Insert the spindle from the outside through
the grease seal and the outer bearing, and
then from the inside slide on the spacer,
the correct shim, the inner bearing and install
the inner grease seal. |
17 |
Slide
the spindle flange onto the spindle flutes
and screw the Spindle Installation Tool on
to the end of the spindle. By tightening the
nut on the end of the tool, you will draw
the spindle into place and into the outer
bearing. Torque to 125 FT LBS and make sure
the spindle is properly seated. When properly
seated, the gap between the spindle and the
head of the ¾ inch bolt head that is
at the top of the parking brake assembly should
be about 300 thousandths, plus or minus. You
will notice when more torque yields no more
spindle movement. |
18 |
Remove
the Spindle Installation Tool and place the
washer with the concave side down and thread
the nut on the end of the spindle. Torque
to 100 FT LBS. |
19 |
Check
the endplay again by hand. It will probably
be 1 thousandths less than you had with the
set up tool if you did everything correctly,
and that will be just fine! |
20 |
Put
the cotter pin through the castle nut and
bolt everything back together. |
21 |
Check
the runout on the rotor with your dial indicator.
There are 5 possible positions of the rotor
on the spindle, and you should pick the one
with the least total runout. |
22 |
Ship
your spindle tools back to us, along with
all your unused shims for a credit of $100
plus $1 per shim. |
Congratulations,
you are now a qualified Corvette mechanic!
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