Was cleaning and repacking the bearing on my 56 Century and noticed thse marks on the outer race. Should I replace this? I am just trying to spend the money if I don't have to.
Replace it. But, to make yourself feel better, get a price on a new wheel bearing for a FWD car. You'll feel lots better then. As an aside, why is it, after years of 'them' telling us that rolling element bearings are the best for this application (wheels), we are now putting in ball bearings again?? Oh, yeah, they fail pretty regular, too, unlike rollers... Cosmo
if you have to ask the question the answer's probably yes. do it once and do it right--will cost you less hassle and cash in the long run
Thanks everyone. I knew the answer when I posted it and was looking for a second opinion, just hoping that it would not need to be replaced. But again I knew the answer already. Thanks for the confirmation. By the way the rest of the races look fine but they all look like original bearings so they are all being replaced. The wheel seals were not rubber, they looked like felt. So I am guessing they were either original or replaced a long time ago. I am in the process of doing a full rebuild on the front suspension and this was the last big piece. Hence the reason I was looking to save a little cash. The suspension and steering made that race look brand new. It was the wost I have ever seen. Some of the threads on the A-arm pins were actually worn away. I guess I will be calling Bob's Automobilia on Monday.
Hey, Roadsterpu.... You mean to tell us that you were serious with that question? It was I who was fooled. But, we do have to remember that we were all novices at one time. None of us started off knowing much of anything other than the basics. I have edited this post. I was a bit too hard on him. When I reread what I had typed, I realized that I was less than diplomatic. After a few minutes, I decided that the best thing to do was delete most of what I wrote and try again. Yo, Roadsterpu....latch onto some guys that have a club or, at least, are into the rod/custom car scene. At the very least, find a decent mechanic that you can learn from. And, I apologize if you read this reply before I edited it. My excuse is that I am getting older and have less patience for.....uh, certain kinds of questions. See? Being diplomatic!!
I know you are trying to save money but this is not the area to save it in. You need to spend the money on a new bearing or race now or it will cost you later. Good luck with your project. V/8
Relax Flathead, I obviously thought that it was a bad idea to put it in but was asking for confirmation on what I thought. If I actually thought it was probably OK I would not have asked, I would have just put it back together. Everyone needs confirmation from time to time. And remember sometimes it is not about what you know but what you question. And again all the wheel bearings will be replaced. Like V8 says, it is not a place you want to risk.
I doubt that you can buy the bearing and not get the race included. The ball bearing type are expensive and will probably need to be ordered. You might check to see if anyone is making a roller bearing replacement. I bet you knew the answer before you asked it. That's the nice thing about front end work all you need to have to figure out what is bad and good is a set of eyes.
Races are cheap compared to the cost of getting towed. Seriously, that's no place to skimp on the dollars. That baby's gone.
Not sure about the Buicks, but on my 55 Chevy I could replace those ball bearings and races with taper bearing ones from a later model
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