71 ghia rear wheel bearings: do they 'run in oil' or are they 'packed with grease'?

Grease.

Up thru '68, they swam in Hypoid. Not because of any reduc box but because the old swing axle design was used and the tubes for the axle were connected to the gearbox and Hypoid filled both at once.

Back to your query: If the rear axle bearings aren't rumbling now, I would not do a thing.

If you want to see what is involved (you're correct; it's a LOT!), go to the Mechanical Section of my web site and look for: " Bearing replacement on the IRS rear axle."

Speedy Jim

thanks, speedy. as always, your help much appreciated.

one last question, if I may: if I just want to "drive out" the stub axle, and leave the (assumed to be undamaged) outer races in place, and clean it all up best i can from under the car, (and in a wash tub, of course) can I perhaps "drive out" the stub axle with a huge brass drift and heavy hammer? while the carriers themselves are still *attached* to the car, I mean? like withOUT doing the "chisel marks top and bottom and total unbolting it all over everywhere for complete removal" type deal?

that'd definitely have 'more appeal' for me....

umm, the car has 54K orig miles on it, but the journey is 1100 miles, one-way...the car has, essentially, sat, unmoved, for roughly ten yrs, indoors...with VERY minor exceptions, like once every fifth year I hand-pushed it twelve feet or so...to another spot in the shop...

when *do* the rear axle bearings "generally" (or roughly, on average, sort'a) give up the ghost and call it quits?

thanks again, sir,

toolie

Speedy Jim wrote:

Though the book says to take the entire trailing arm off, I don't know anyone who would. The shaft drives out relatively easily. BUT.......there is the danger of damaging a ball bearing; they don't like hammering much :-)

Rather than go thru all that (and *something* WILL go wrong), I would pull the drum ( a feat in itself) and shoes and then squeeze new grease in thru the roller bearing. If you ask nice, the bearing inner roller may come out without too much protest (the inner race is separable).

Those bearings are quite durable. Unless water has gotten in thru the seals, they easily go 200,000 miles. Compare the size of them with the teeny rear wheel bearings on Asian Frt wheel drive cars.

Well, it's your call...

Jim

again, as always, your help much appreciated. thanks speedy jim :-)

umm, yeah, familiar with that :-/

I was -hoping- you might mention a 'compromise solution' of sorts, which ya did, gosh dern GREAT, and *thanks* for that :-)!

they'll come off readily on my car. the splines are clean, and *very* lightly greased...

shoes, springs, etc are already off :-)

I assume we're talking about the inner race of the "outermost" bearings (closest to the huge cottered nut) here, right? I have a huge old plastic hypodermic, from a vetinary supply, which I use for shop stuff. I was thinking of heating up some grease (to make it thinner "injectable" consistency) and 'injecting it' into the carrier 'central area'. question is how *much* to add? the hypodermic has a 'useable internal volume area' approx .625 in diameter by about 2.250 inch long, ( but maybe only 1.750 long)...one *or* two 'full needleloads' per side about right? or, just 'hand pack/schmear it on in there, as best I can, with a total volume of new grease added per side of about 'one golfball', or less, would you suggest? more?

or maybe I should just 'pass on the whole idea'...hmmm. been some (fairly many) yrs since I cleaned off the brake backing plates, and I don't remember exactly, but I don't recall any 'profound amounts' of grease being on them.

thanks again, jim, much

toolie