hey guys. im pretty happy i just got my Superior axle shafts, bearings, seals, and studs in the mail. One thing about this product - the wheel studs do not come pressed in (even though i was told they were buy the Summit salesman). they were $245

first questions:
1. the bearing surface on the axle shafts is a little scratched and knicked...should i worry about this? (i will have pics soon)

2. how should i press in the wheel studs because i dont have a press. what hammer should i use?

 

i would file the nicks down on used axles but on new ones i would send them back if you have the time and for the studs if you have a old brake drum put the studs though the axle and alain it to the holes in the outside of drum and hammer them in any hammer should do i use a ball peen

 

or you can just slide all of the studs through the axle and then put the drum on and then put the tire and wheel on and put the lug nuts on and tighten it down with a impact or rachet and pull the studs through doing no damage to the axles or stud.

 

should i put penetrating lube on the bolt that holds the pin? i tried to loosen that bolt with a 12 point 8mm wrench and it didnt come out. i stopped after the first try of course because i dont want to strip it. i need to get a 6 point wrench tomorrow. the previous owner had 3.73's installed so im assuming its been taken out before....right?

 

If the bearing surfaces of the axles are nicked, send them back. Clean them up with lacquer thinner or spray-can carb cleaner or something, make sure they're really nicks. Damage to that surface will surely cause short life, noise, and catastrophic failure.

DO NOT use a hammer to put the lugs in. Above all, DO NOT put the wheels on and try to use use the lug nuts; you will probably destroy the wheels and/or lug nuts before you get the studs pressed in.

If you decide to do it yourself, get some grade 8 nuts and washers; make sure the washers have a large enough ID for the shoulder of the lug to fit through; grease the lug threads; and use an impact on the nut, to draw the stud into the axle.

Or, just take them to your corner machine shop, and have them use a press. People usually charge about $10-15 to do those.

The reason they don't press the studs in before they ship, is in case you wanted to use different size or different length ones.

Also, IIRC those axles are drilled with more than one pattern, to fit different wheels.

And, the little screw that holds in the cross pin, is NOT 8mm; it is 5/16". Get a 6-point 5/16" box-end wrench, and tap on it with a hammer to dislodge it.

 

i pressed in the wheel studs with a hydraulic press at school. i got all of them in except one stud still needs to be pressed in about 2mm further. im going to try to press that one in at home with washers and the bolt. (trying to use the wheels to put them in is a bad idea, i never planned on doing it )

i tried 5/16 and it had more slack than the 8mm....i know its supposed to be 5/16 but if the 8mm fits more snugly then i have less chance of stripping it.

i was told these bolts are a pain to get out because the gear oil actually creates a suction on the bolt when you are trying to unscrew it. im going to spray it with brake parts cleaner; hopefully that will help dissolve the gear oil.

i wish i had a corner machine shop...the closest one to my house is 15 miles away which kinda sucks for me but oh well.

and yes there are other holes for different studs, so thats ok

do i need to put any grease on the wheel bearings before i drive them in?

by the way, the bearing surface isnt that bad, its actually just some spotting and its close to the flange so the bearing isnt going to ride there anyway...

thanks so far

 

Good... my comment was in response to the other person's suggestion that you do it that way. Definitely a bad idea.

Glad you have a press, that's really the "right" way; but the nut/washer method is the "most nearly right" "shadetree" way.

Sounds like maybe sombody has already done some rounding off of that bolt... it starts out life as 5/16". Bummer.

I usually put some grease in the bearings; just yerbasic NON-FIBER type wheel bearing grease, like white lithium or something.

 

alright thanks, im headed to the store to get a 5/16 8mm and 7mm just in case.

im worried that i wont be able to get the c clip retainers out because it looks like the limited slip springs and plates are in the way. i dont want to have to take anything out besides the carrier pin and the c clip retainers...im hoping this is possible

 

i got the pin out without stripping the bolt. axles out, c clip retainers were a breeze...i dont know what i was worried about. i also got the axle seals out. tomorrow im going to autozone to rent a bearing buller & slide hammer. how much gear oil do i need, what weight, and how much limited slip fluid do i need?

 

Don't bother with the puller. That's getting dangerously close to WORK, and I'd hate to see somebody get sucked into THAT.

Instead, go to Home Depot or some such, and get yourself a 6' piece of ¾" galvanized steel water pipe; stick it through the housing; catch it on the back side of the bearing; and just knock it out. It took me longer to type that, than it will take you to actually do it.

Put them back in with a dull chisel or drift or large punch.

To put in the new seals, set them on the bore of the housing; take a 6" piece of 2x4 or something like that, and lay it against the seal, PERFECTLY FLAT; and whack it in with one huge blow with a BFH. DO NOT try to tap the seal in around the edge; it will leak, every time. Put a smear of grease or a few drops of oil on the seal before you slide the axle in.

I use Mobil 1 75W-90 or whatever they call it; if your rear is a posi, add a bottle of the additive first, then fill it the rest of the way with gear lube. It should take about 2 quarts, maybe a little more; depending on exactly what parts are in it, since the parts take up some of the volume.

 

i have a big tube of limited slip fluid...how much do i use? im thinking its 2oz or something.....

its free to rent the slide hammer so i think im gonna try that first i have the whole day off tomorrow anyway

to drive in the bearing im planning on buying a big socket that fits around the edge of the bearing and then hammering on that.

do i put grease on the outside part of the axle seal where it contacts the axle tube?

thanks for all the info and help dude, i dont think you are "sofakingdom"

 

ok i got the bearings, seals, and axle shafts all in with no problems

should i put grease on the diff cover gasket? i dont know what im doing....its a paper type gasket so i dont think i should.

i bought lucas 80-90 gear oil. it says i dont need to add limited slip fluid...i want to anyway. its 4oz of limited slip fluid by the way

 

It doesn't matter too much what you do with the gasket. You could use grease on it, or silicone, or no gasket at all and just silicone instead.

Definitely add the fluid, if the rear is a clutch-type posi.

Glad to see that it's coming along!

 

i put on the brake drum and hand tightened the lugnuts over the drum...turned the car on put it in drive and it still looks like the drum is wobbling...how lame lol. i guess there is another thing bent..who knows. i havent checked to see if the axle flange is wobbling. im gonna just get a new wheel and tire and drive the car for a few months...

 

you can say the wheel idea is bad but i've done it plenty of times and never once had a problem. never broke a wheel or drum. And when you do'nt have a machine shop around it's alot better then nothing