[JS_Bethlehem]

I just acquired a 68 coupe. I need to replace the rear axle outer bearings and seals. Will I need a slide hammer to get the axles out, or will they come out easily after I release the keepers inside the pumpkin?? Are the outer bearing pressed on the shaft or are they pressed into the axle tube?? If anyone has done this job, would appreciate some tips. Thanks, John.

 

[GasTiresandOil]

They come out rather easy and you won't spill any fluid either. The seals were the biggest PIA for me. Pressing off the old bearing will be a pain as well, but getting the axles out is no problem and there is no need for a puller.

 

[lars]

On a '68, there are no inner C-clip retainers. You simply unbolt the 4 bolts on the axle retainer plate on the brake backing plate (under the brake drums) and the axle slides right out. The bearings are retained on the axle with a pressed-on retainer ring. You can cut this ring with a high-speed cutoff wheel or snap it with a chissle. The bearing will then slip off the axle. For installation of the new bearing and retainer, you will need a press to press the retaining ring onto the axle shaft. The axle with the bearing on it then simply slips back into the axle tube and you retain it by installing the 4 nuts on the retaining bolts.

 

[JS_Bethlehem]

Thanks to both of you for responding. Tomorrow I will attempt to remove the axles. My car is a 1968, but the rear could possibly be from a different year. I don't know. I will post how I make out. Thanks. John.

 

[lars]

John -
When you pull the rear brake drums off, you will notice that there is a hole in the rear axle flange (the part that the lug studs are attached to). This hole is there so you can stick a socket on an extension through the axle flange and get to the axle retaining flange nuts- it aligns perfectly with the nuts. Just rotate the axle to move from one nut to the next. Once all are off, the axle slips right out.

As a caution, the bad thing about these non-C-Clip axles is that the only thing that keeps the axle in the car is the press fit of the bearing retaining collar. I've had these fail during hard cornering, and the result is that the axle comes out of the car with the tire hitting the quarter panel. When the axle comes out, the brake drum comes out with it. This results in loss of brakes.... After having this happen the second time on different GTOs, I now put two short TIG welds on my bearing retaining collars to prevent failure. The welds are short enough that they can be ground off easily, but big enough that the bearing does not fail on me any more. Contact me if you have any questions on the process.