Repacking Front Wheel Bearings - Preventive Packing

9. With our hubs freshly cleaned and painted, we tapped in the new races. Be sure you put the larger opening of the race towards the opening of the hub. Getting the races in is tricky. There are race-installation tools, or you can tap them in with a brass punch. We use brass because it won't scar the race or the hub. Another method is to use the old race and a punch. But first run a grinder over the outside of the old race so it doesn't get seated in the hub.

10. The proper method of packing grease in a bearing is like the proper method of opening a beer: As long as grease gets in the bearing amongst all the rollers, it's good. There are bearing-packer tools that make this messy job easier and cleaner, but it's good to do it by hand also. Our method involved a big glob of high-temp grease in our hand and forcing it between the race and cage of the bearing all the way around the bearing.

11. Then we take another glob of grease and roll the bearing back and forth in it until each roller is rolling and coated. And then we add a thick layer of grease before dropping it into the race in the hub. We put a bunch of grease in the hub between the two races to help keep grease from escaping the bearings.

12. The outer bearing isn't installed in the hub until after the hub is on the spindle, but the inner bearing is held in place with the grease and the new hub seal. Installing the hub seal is done with a hub-seal install tool, but if you don't have one you can use a wide block of wood and a hammer. The tricky part with the hub seal, as with the races, is installing it squarely and evenly in the hub. Take your time with small taps until it is started, then crisscross over the edge of the seat to slowly tap it into place.

13. The hub and bearings are held on the spindle with a combination of an adjusting nut, a lock ring, and a locknut. The two nuts thread onto the spindle, while the lock ring goes in between them and is kept in place with a groove and tab in the spindle. The adjusting nut goes up against the outer wheel bearing; some adjusting nuts have a small pin that lines up with holes in the lock ring. Other lock rings have flanges that are pounded over on the nuts to keep them from moving.

14. There are different types of adjusting and locknuts, and each uses a special hub socket. These sockets can be borrowed from many auto parts stores, but having your own is better for field repairs. We've seen people remove and tighten these big spindle nuts with a hammer and chisel, but we don't recommend it.

15. Now you simply put the hub on the spindle, and then slide the outer greased bearing onto the spindle. It is important to try and get the hub completely seated on the spindle before you torque it down. The spindle nuts should seat the hub bearings, but not be used to install the entire hub.

16. Each front axle bearing requires its own special torque procedure. Most times there is a torque setting for the adjusting nut. This is set while having someone rotate the hub, then the adjusting nut is backed off a half turn, then it is retorqued to a lower torque setting, again while the hub is being spun, and again backed off about 3/8 turn. Then the lock ring is installed and the outer locknut installed last. This way the bearings are properly seated but not overtorqued. Check your truck's shop manual or the manual for the truck your axle is out of for proper torque settings and procedure.

17. Most folks run selectable hubs on their front axles, but this 60 is going under an old-school wheeling rig that will run a well-balanced front driveshaft, so we chose some Poly Performance drive slugs. Drive slugs (aka drive flanges) have an inner spline that the axle keys into and an outer spline that keys into the hub, thus transferring the drive from the axleshaft to the hub and wheel. Some drive flanges bolt onto the outside of the hub. These chromoly slugs reduce the worries of broken hubs completely, yet the slugs can easily be pulled and just the caps run if you don't want your front axle spinning constantly.

18. The final step is installing the brakes. We outfitted the axle with new rotors and calipers from RockAuto.com. Rock Auto is an online auto parts store and it's very easy to use-just find your year, make, and model truck and then click on the parts you need. The next thing you know a guy is dropping them off at your house. As for brake pads, we stuffed some yellow high-friction 4000 series EBCs for maximum stopping ability.