Part 3: The Wheels Are Coming Off

Remove the spindle flange nut to service the spindle bearings. If youdecide to replace just the spindle housing that comes with bearings andspindle, transfer the original flange to the rebuilt assembly. Thecomplete trailing-arm assembly comes with the flange. The spindle has ahole for cotter-pin placement. When tightening the spindle flange nut,do not back off the nut to install the cotter pin. Always go tighter toline up the cotter-pin hole.

Use this tool to safely remove the spindle. The bearing and spindlethermal cycling can tighten up a bearing. Pound on the forcing screwdrive nut hidden inside the 7/8 socket with a 32-ounce ball-peen hammerto loosen the bearings. Pressure is applied with the forcing screw, thenthe hammer shocks the bearing enough to remove the forcing screw. If thehammer technique isn't used on extremely tight bearings, the calipermount used by the removal tool for anchoring will bend or breakdepending on the amount of pressure.

The spindle and rotor assembly is removed from the spindle supportshowing the broken emergency-brake-shoe return spring. The spring causesa bind in Reverse. It also makes a chirping noise and a popintermittently at low speeds. The grease is minimal and all over thebrake area. The bearing races have a slight red discoloration, almostlike anodizing, which is a warning of impending failure.

An 11/16-inch drill bit works best for removing trailing-arm bushings.The drill bit cuts off the large washer, and you can push the bushingand sleeve out by hand. The trailing-arm bushing is in pretty bad shape,since the rubber is forced out from the center.

The rotors had never been removed from the rear spindles. Use a 3/8-inch drill bit to remove the rivet head. The drill bit is large enough to remove the head of the rivet, leaving the rivet shank to be pushed out. Use a 1/4-inch pin punch to push out the rivets the rest of the way.

This is an OTC ball-joint press. It works well when disassembling and assembling U-joints. Spray the U-joint cups with rust penetrant before attempting to remove the cups. It also works well when a portable press is required and when replacing C3 and C4 factory-style rear sway-bar bushings.