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MG TD TF 1500 - Wheel Bearings, in or out?

I am working on a 1953 mg td has as sat in a garage for the past 18 years (I hate to use the word restore, right now I only want to get it running). Right now I am rebuilding the brakes. I had a heck of a time getting the brake drums off. The right front came off with the bearing still in the drum. the left front left the innermost bearing still on the spindle.

I have rebuilt the brakes with new pistons and flex lines. I am now wondering how to get the bearing off the spindle so I can put it back into the brake drum. The condition of the bearing is good, plenty of grease still on and in them. There is no room between the bearing and the plate behind it, so I can not get a bearing pulling onto it.

I though about leaving it on the spindle and putting the brake drum back over it.

Any suggestions? It is no problem to remove the brake shoes, one minute on or off.



CH Hull

If you look in the Workshop Manual you'll find some pretty strong words about not leaving the bearing on the shaft. That's especially the case if you're using unsealed bearings, as you seem to be doing. I just went through this in the past few weeks as part of a total brake job. I found that my bearing puller would just grab the back edge of that bearing. It's a Craftman puller. If you'd like I can get the model number for you. It took a lot of effort to keep the jaws square for the pull. Good luck. Bud
Bud Krueger

But is right - the bearing MUST come off. I use a straight arm 2-arm puller, and put a c-clamp from side to side to keep a grasp on the bearing. Sounds (and looks) cumbersome, but works.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

I used the advice from above, and was able to get a two arm puller onto the bearing and pull it off. Bearing looks great, still full of grease. Cleaning it out and will will re grease it and put the hub back on tomorrow.

Thanks for the help.

Chuck
CH Hull

Great, Chuck. Glad we could help. Bud
Bud Krueger

If you don't do it that way, the bearing won't seat fully in the hub, and the seal may be completely loose. George
George Butz

Nothing ruins brake shoes faster than wheel bearing grease. Don't over do it with the grease, it will migrate out throughout he seal if you use too much.
D. Sander

I have no idea if I did the right thing many years ago when I ran into the same problem as CH. My fix was to use some emery paper on the spindle to remove just enough metal to allow the bearing to slide with some reasonable force on and off the spindle. Now, if I remvoe the drum with a puller, the bearing and seal comes off with the drum. I used a shoeshine boy type approach when using the emery paper and made sure I kept rotating around the spindle to keep the removed amount as even as I could. Never had a problem since.
Jim Merz

FWIW,
I had to use a combination ot two pullers to get my front bearings off,,,
The puller that had enough pulling "travel" didn't have thin jaws to get behind the bearing,,, and the puller that had the thin jaws, didn't have the "Travel",, soooo I had to combine them,,,

Hope this helps,,
SPW

STEVE WINCZE

This thread was discussed between 25/08/2013 and 26/08/2013

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