help with green bearings

[Jamie]

Ok ,I need some help! I am assembling my 8 3/4. i bought a green bearing kit and a disc brake conversion kit. When I pressed the new bearings onto axle shaft I am not getting them to push all the way onto axle.I have a 1/4 difference exactly on both axles and this makes them sit further out of axle housing. I have lots of experience with pressing things like this and both of the bearings stop at the same distance???  I can see a 1/4" line where the old bearings sat but with a different style bearing ,I thought this may be normal but not the case because I cannot get the calipers on now. If I cannot get the bearings any further in then I guess I could machine down the spacers on the caliper bracket. And as usual no instructions with bearing kit. Any help would be awesome.

[Chryco Psycho]

Welcome to the pitfalls of green brgs !!
 you need to remove the spacer inside the diff or trim down the axle length to fittheaxles all the way in , this can also upset the brake aligment with the axles in futher than stock as you are finding out , Another reason why I use stock brgs 

[Jamie]

Actually it seems like the bearing itself just won't slide all the way onto the shaft. I have a stock rear and the measurement fromflange to flange is a half inch wider on the rear I am doing. I feel that it is all about the bearing placement, the only reason I bought the bearing kit was because brake kit said it was mandatory!

[jimynick]

Jamie, I can't speak for you, but I'd take those green bearings off and either take a brake cylinder hone to the inr race or some sand paper to the axle until I got them on. I'd also suggest throwing the axles in the freezer for a couple of hours and the bearings in a 200' oven for 15 minutes before I tried to put them on again. It sounds like you only need a couple of thou to get there. Don't forget a dab of good, high pressure lubricant as well. Good luck. 

[Cooter]

Rear disc brakes ain't worth all that.

[72cudamaan]

Rear disc brakes ain't worth all that.

I bet they are to Jamie. 

[footin70rt]

I did a disc conversion on the rear of a 69 Road Runner and we ended up just machining a little off the end of the axle. If I remember right it was just the taper before the splines that had to be removed.

[Cooter]

Aren't these the same bearings that only last about a year after all this trouble??

I think I read some horror stories about Green bearings giving up when sided loaded.

[brads70]

Aren't these the same bearings that only last about a year after all this trouble??

I think I read some horror stories about Green bearings giving up when sided loaded.

 Yep... they didn't last one night in a stock car ( racecar)    Stock tapered last for years!

[jhaag]

So with all the bad press on this site concerning the green bearings, what is the solution for those who want to run rear discs? Does anyone make a kit for the stock tapered bearings?

[brads70]

Why can't you use the stock style bearings with rear disc brakes? I didn't know that?

[Chryco Psycho]

the plate to support the caliper has to bolt on to the flange studs so you have to replace the retainer plate & lose the adjustment to mount the caliper bracket , the system I install from SsBC worked without replacing the retainer plate so you could use the stock brg but the caliper was too wide & hit the rear sway bar 

[brads70]

the plate to support the caliper has to bolt on to the flange studs so you have to replace the retainer plate & lose the adjustment to mount the caliper bracket , the system I install from SsBC worked without replacing the retainer plate so you could use the stock brg but the caliper was too wide & hit the rear sway bar 

Hummm good to know! I'll have to ask Cass about this and see what he offers.( Still planning a Dana 60) I'm not willing to give up the tapered bearings for disc brakes.

[Chryco Psycho]

Hummm good to know! I'll have to ask Cass about this and see what he offers.( Still planning a Dana 60) I'm not willing to give up the tapered bearings for disc brakes.

I agree , the tapered brg is afr superior but you can use longer studs to hold the caliper bracket & pinch the stock adjuster

[brads70]

I agree , the tapered brg is afr superior but you can use longer studs to hold the caliper bracket & pinch the stock adjuster

I'll look into the SSBC set up too. I have the Hotchkis rear sway bar so it may clear for me?