Wheel Bearing Races

[TDecker]

Just want to share a tip I found after beating the hell out of my hubs trying to get the races on my front wheel hub out...

If you weld a bead along the inside face of the race, as the bead cools it contracts pulling the race in with it thus releasing it from the hub. (I found this via Hemmings.com and echoed on lots of other sites.)

I had tried a torch, brass drift (which quickly disintegrated), and a small flat blade screwdriver trying to punch out the race. Found the tip above, welded the bead, and the race popped out in two whacks.

Now to clean up the damage from the early attempts.

[DieselSpider]

Gentle taps with a steel punch walking around the rim of the race has worked for me for over 50 years now working on hundreds of hubs many of which were subjected to immersion in salt water. You usually just have to tap them hard enough to make them ring without really wailing on them and you just gently walk them out. Hit them too hard and you will jam them cockeyed to the hub and then have a bear of a time getting them out and then need to go to extreme measures to get them moving again. Many times if you knock them cockeyed you can just push them back in straight and start over a bit more gently but only if you haven't already gone too far. Once you hit them too hard you can gouge the hub with the race and then need to super heat them to get them loose as they cool.

Glad you got it done but try being a bit more gently next time and finesse them out.