Can you replace the front rotors on a FB without replacing the races and bearings? As everyone knows, today is a holiday and I am not able to find a store that is open to purchase these items. So is this doable? And just put the new bearings on later, when I am able to get a hold of some.

Thanks!

Ryan

 

d'oh wrong post

 

Yep, just use a punch to knock them out around the edges and punch them back into the new rotor.

Kev

 

It's a lot easier to do them all at once, but if you can't find bearings today (Memorial Day), then you can try and remove your old ones. Just keep in mind that you'll need to be VERY careful not to damage them, as bearing failure can lead to catastrophic failure of the rotors.

That said, find yourself a brass rod (solid), and a dead-blow hammer (lead), and heat up the rotor with a torch, if needed. This will expand the rotor, and the bearing will heat up at a slower rate, allowing for easier removal - don't overdo it - you don't need to 'smoke' the grease in the bearings, as this will damage them. Try tapping opposite corners as you go. Better yet, get a bearing puller to get the bearing out of the rotor enough to allow the tapping to work better. There are forged 'flats' inside the rotor that will allow you to hit the bearing from the opposite side to get them out.

Repack the bearings before reinstallation in the new rotors.

To install the old bearings in the new rotors, put the bearings in a freezer for about an hour. This will contract them as much as possible, making installation in the new rotors much easier. Take your time, and go slowly, again tapping them in from opposite sides until they're fully seated. Keep the rotor on a block of 2x4 and you will be able to tell when the bearings are fully seated as the 'ping' sound will change to a much more solid sound - hard to explain, but you'll know it when you do it.

On reinstallation of the castle-nut and cotter-pin, be sure to keep the rotors to the point that it takes about 3-4 lbs of pull to get the rotor to spin - the bearings will retard movement when regreased, and when you drive the car, they will loosen up over time. You DON'T want them spinning freely, as this will be too much play and cause tire wear issues.

Re-check your rotor 'pre-load' after driving the car for 100 miles, and readjust the castle nut tension to get the 3-4 lbs of force to spin it again. HTH,