Well, it's time to change front wheel bearings in the litt'l blue beastie. The right one is not too bad, but the left one is starting to howl and vibrate at certain speeds and has too much play when you wiggle the wheel.

I've bought two front kits, thanks to JT's and everyone else's input on B'net.

Now here's the HELP question. Can anyone give me written instructions, and maybe diagrams, on how to install them step by step ?? I'm sure many of you guys have done this before. I don't care if it's in Japanese, Mandarin or Swahilli

B.

It didn't seem as complicated as a modern car to me, so I probably didn't do the job right.

Remove the spindle nut.
Slide the hub off.
Make sure the inner race from the inner bearing is off the spindle.
Remove the inner seal.
Remove the inner races and bearing roller cage assemblies from the hub.
Scoop the excess grease out and look for the two indented places in the side of the inner hub which expose the back side of the races.
Use a pin driver and a small hammer to tap the races out of the hub. I think the small outer one comes out first, then allows more space to get to the larger inner one.
Press new races into the now empty spots.
Grease the bearings and install with inner races.
Install a new inner seal.
Slide onto the spindle and reinstall the nut.

You can add this step if you want:
Waste a hundred man hours grit blasting and painting the hubs, the more hours touching up the paint after each subsequent step which scratches or mars the paint. Finally give up and say "That's as good as it's going to look, I'm tired of fighting with this...".

a couple of added points for new comers...

u have to unbolt the caliper before trying to remove the hub/rotor assembly. just unbolt it and lay it to one side. dont undo the brake hose, as doing this will then require the brake system to be re-bled.
make sure that the bearings are very well greased. pack the grease in by having a palm full of grease, and pushing the bearing into the grease, repeatingly. the bearings must be FULL of grease (ie: the entire area around every roller and the cage is full). not enuf grease will cause overheated bearings, and bearing failure.... at the worst possible time. (and i have experience in my race car with this... at 130MPH...)
and most importantly... REPLACE THE SPLIT PIN that holds the stub axle/spindle nut from turning when putting it back together again. it MUST be fitted to stop the nut from un-doing and causing the whole wheel/rotor/hub unit from coming off.... with disasterous results.
and always use NEW split pins, never re-use old ones, as they can break when being re-bent. they are only a single use item.

my advise B, and honestly not to ignore the knowledge you have to repair and maintain your GT, i'd advise that if this is the first time you've changed a set of wheel bearings to get some help from someone who has done it before. the best thing to do here would be just to have this person watch what u do and make sure it's all done correctly, so that way u know all is ok, and u learn how to do the job yourself if the need arises again.
it isn't a difficult job, but it has a few pit falls for the in-experienced, and if the job isn't done correctly, the outcome of missing one thing, or just doing something slightly incorrect, can be very dangerous.

mate, if u were about 800k further east, i'd be only to willing to help!

cheers, and i hope i didnt put u off, but just thought i'd alert u to the things that can be easily missed.

All great advice guys and much appreciated. Particularly that sort of detail I was looking for PR91. For someone who can lube a door hinge (and quite confident with oil changes and radiator flushes), I'm aware of the consequences of not getting one of those hidden details right when it comes to wheel bearings . Removal of the break caliper was going to be my next basic question but you've saved me the embarassment Also I had a hunch that max "packing" of grease was the way to go.....grease in palm of hand technique !! In fact I reckon lack of grease (as well as wear) is why the left side is hissing, growling and grumbling at various speeds. The job needs doing before the inevitable happens I intend to give myself plenty of time. In fact, could be a possibility to ask 2ldohc to point me in the right direction.

Cheers, B.

Well......good people in Bellett world. It's a couple of weeks after the last post, but after spending some late nights / early mornings getting a front wheel bearing replacement right, GTtoo is terrorising the streets of Adelaide again !!
Can't thank you guys enough for departing a wealth of knowledge and experience, especially GTorqhanage ( just a buzz to put a voice to the name mate )

The difference is ENORMOUS !! For anyone experiencing bad grumbles and vibro from the front of the car.....CHANGE YOUR FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS NOW IF YOU STILL HAVE THE ORIGINALS.

As PR91 noted, "theyr'e not like modern cars". These things were designed with precission engeneering, but still keeping it simple enough to do the job rolling around on the shed floor with limited tools. What was the name of the engineer again ? Mr. .........' san ?

Short of writing a book, "zen and the art of front wheel bearing replacement", I'de be more than happy to share first hand experience with anyone (like myself) who is doing this for the first time.

B.

Good work B, Keepin it safe.
I'm fortunate Dad was a Truck driver, & I watched him do lots of home mechanicing when I was a kid. Lots of times I was holding the torch. We didn't have a workshop, just a backyard & a tarp to lay on. But thats how you learn.
Cheers, mate. Matt.

Whatever you do, do not forget to put grease on the bearings. I still have nightmares about an incident near Holbrook. A few will know what I mean.