Hi...keeping up with maintenance is a good idea! We
should all try to stick to a schedule like that.
With modern ethylene glycol antifreeze, you don't
need to change it or flush it but once every two
years or so.
To pack your front wheel bearings, you need to set
the truck on good jack stands, then remove the
wheels, the dust cap, and the cotter pin, nut, and
washer. Then you can remove the hub/drum assembly
and bearings...but you may need to adjust the brakes
looser if drums have not been machined in a long
time.
Carefully remove the grease seal on the back of the
hub. Remove the bearings, and clean them thoroughly
in solvent. Clean the old grease out of the hub and
off the spindle also. Pack the bearings with wheel
bearing grease, and put a layer of grease inside the
hub, and on the races, and thin layer on the
spindle. Put the inner bearing in place in the hub,
and reinstall the grease seal (new seals are
recommended...but if you have replaced them recently
and they are still in good shape after you remove
them, you can reuse them). Reinstall the hub/drum
assembly, and install the outer bearing, washer, and
nut. Adjust the bearing, by torquing the nut to 33
ft lbs torque, then back off so that a cotter pin
hole lines up with a slot in the nut...and install a
new cotter pin. Reinstall the dust cap, put on the
tire, and readjust the brakes (which you have to do
anyways at 5k miles).
The wheel bearing adjustment for the old ball
bearings is tight, while the newer style roller
bearings (on 63-newer Chevy trucks) are adjusted to
be just a bit loose.
Jim F
59s in AZ
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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