camaroneil

guys,
guess what the squeak was????
well it wasn't the rear parking brake shoes as i expected,
it was the bearings, :nonod:

well, i 've taken the trailing arm off, got the bushes out easily !!!!
i'm gonna have a go at the bearings myself as there's no one anywhere near me who does them,
i'm just gonna have to follow all the links and help articles on this site,
wish me luck,
neil

Stoge

good luck! let us know how it went when its done!!!

Yeller81

Good Luck. I just did mine but I removed the Bearing Assembly and took it to a local Chevy dealer and had the bearings replaced. If you don't have the proper tools to set up the clearances it is better to let someone do it that has the tools.
:steering:

camaroneil

thanks guys,
but there's no one any where near, i would ahve to send the parts away and it would mean the car would be off the road for weeks and it's the wifes daily driver,
if i just stick some new bearings in and put everything back together whats the worst that could happen????
it's got to be better than it was,
neil

BSeery

If it is too loose I am guessing a wobble.

I do know the answer of what happens when bearings are too tight.

My 1974 El Camino had a left front wheel bearing lockup and twist the end of the spindle right off the arm and the wheel departed the vehicle. While I was doing at least 75 MPH :eek: :eek: Think of that on the rear of a fiberglass car and now you have at least repair to the fender well and damage to what ever is dragging until the car gets stopped. Or you will have much worse damage as the car could be in a very serious crash.

Either order some rebuilt units and swap them out, or take it to a shop that can do it right.

ukvette72

Hi Camaron

Where abouts in the UK is Washington (is it the one near Lincoln ??)
If your not too far away i could give you a hand. I have done a couple succesfully (well at least the wheels are still on the car!!!) and have a bearing set up tool and a dial guage as well as an assortment of shims. It can be tackled at home if you take your time and measure the end play accuratley.

David :seeya

Larry B.

I know it's not what you want to hear but the end play is very important AND you DO need Special tools to do the job. The bearings are pressed onto the spindle and then the spindle is pressed into the trailing arm. You have to have a dial indicator for the end play. Even with the correct tools it is not an easy job. If they are too tight they will get hot and sieze, when a rear bearing siezes it can shear the spindle or catch fire. If you shear a spindle the wheel will do a lot of bamage to the fender. If the bearings are too loose, the rotor wobble wil cause the rear brakes to suck in air... No brakes is the result.

camaroneil

hi david,
it's the washington beside newcastle upon tyne, typical,
well, going by the posts here i'm gonna have to get it done properly as i don't have any proper setup tools,
how long does it take with the proper tools???? as your only 2 1/2 hours away,
neil

CF6873

Why not send them to one of our supporting vendors like Van Steel for a professional rebuild. Craig

stingry

You also need to check your spindles for damage. Mine were "torqued" ie twisted and pitted due to the bearings.

At the end of the day the ONLY people who have a flawless record on rear bearings is VAN STEEL. If you are worried about delays ask them if they can exchange yours for others or have them ship a rebuilt unit then swap yours out and send back the cores for a refund. At least ask before you play with that area. And yes it does cost to get them rebuilt. Good news is you only have to do it once. None of their rebult bearings have failed.

I had them rebuild mine and the problem went away.

Good luck.