On the subject of the roller bearings that are installed in the rearend
housing, and the axle is the inner race, you should probably just douse
them with 90 wt gear oil after installing the bearings but before
installing the axles...that's what they get for lube the rest of their
lives anyways.
Installing seals is best done with a heavy round driver, I have a set of
transmission bushing drivers that works great...they are a set of steel
disks, one inch thick, various outside diameters, with a 3/4" hole in
the center, and a handle that has a 3/4" diameter nub on the end to fit
in the disks, and gets whacked with a big hammer to drive in the seal or
bushing.
There really is no good way to drive in a tight seal except with a
strong driver that's the same outside diameter as the seal itself. As
you discovered, using other methods just destroys parts. If you are
patient, you can probably carve a piece of hardwood to the right size,
and it should do the job. Or, try to find a piece of pipe that's
exactly the right size...the odds are slim unfortunately. You might ask
a tranny shop if they have the correct size driver, you might get lucky
and they'll let you use it, but then again they might not...but offering
a ca$h deposit may help, plus offer a 6 pack of beverage for rental fee.
Yes, you want to install sealer on the outside of the seal! but if it
has a thick coat of paint, you can get by without...as long as the
housing bore is not scored or otherwise damaged.
Jim F
59s in AZ
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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