Work continued this weekend on the 1966 Honda CL77 restoration, with wheel bearing replacement being the focus.\u00a0 In a few weeks the new Borrani aluminum rims should arrive, so I needed to get the new wheel bearings pressed into the hubs before lacing of the spokes could begin.<\/p>\n
Replacing wheel bearings is normally a quick process, but as luck would have it, one bearing came apart during removal, leaving the outer bearing race stuck in the hub.\u00a0 Furthermore, the three screws that secured the bearing retainer had stripped heads and needed to be drilled out.\u00a0 That’s never fun.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, drilling out the screws was fairly easy with the drill press.\u00a0 I then used a large screw extractor to bite into the screw and unscrew the remaining screw material.\u00a0 All three backed out fairly easily.\u00a0 The threads in all three holes are in excellent shape, so no new tapping is required.\u00a0 That’s one problem out of the way.<\/p>\n
On the same hub I still had to remove the stuck outer bearing race.\u00a0 There was no edge or lip exposed from inside the hub, so I couldn’t pound it out from the opposite side.\u00a0 My only option was to cut it out with a rotary tool fitted with a small abrasive cutting blade.\u00a0 The tool cut into the hard steel race with no issues.\u00a0 I was careful to avoid cutting into the aluminum hub.\u00a0 After a few minutes of cutting, I was able to pry the two halves of the bearing race out of the hub.<\/p>\n
I heated the hubs to around 400 degrees in order to expand them, making it easier to press the bearings in.\u00a0 The bearings were frozen, to contract them a bit, also to aid in pressing them into the hub.\u00a0 All 4 bearings were easily pressed in, and they roll as smooth as silk.\u00a0 These hubs are ready for lacing once the rims arrive.<\/p>\n
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