Bearing race interferrence on rear spindle?

[Art Jett]

I got my new rear spindles from Corvette America and I have new Timken bearings. I measured the I.D. of the races and the O.D. of the spindle bearing surfaces. The spindle surfaces are .004" larger than the inner races. I checked with the mechanical engineers at my work, and they all said this is too much. They told me that it shouldn't be more than .001"-.0015". According to them if I press the bearings on like this it more than likely will distort the bearing race and effectively kill the bearing before I even put the car on the ground. Has anyone run into this before? A resto shop near me says that it takes a 10-15 ton press to install the spindle! For a bearing this small this seems excessive! I have access to a lathe so I can turn down the new spindles but it dosen't seem like I should have to after spending that much for what is supposed to be a correct part. I have a turned down spindle that I used for a setup tool so I have the correct shims, no problem, just unsure about the spindle measurement.

 

[GTR1999]

You should not have to machine new spindles. I don;t have the spec off hand but call your supplier about it. .004" is a lot of interference and I agree with your fellow workers. I use a 20 ton press to install them. I posted about this job see if you can find it as it has a lot of pictures to help you out.

 

[Art Jett]

Gary, I read your post on the rebuild. Very informative! I have turned down an old spindle to use as a set up tool and it worked great. I have the bearings at .000" to .001" with oil. I called my vendor (Corvette Supply of N. Tx.) and they said they would call immediately and I should have a new one tomorrow. They appologized for the problem and said their supplier (Corvette America) is usually very good. It looks like the machinist quit after doing a rough cut without doing the final finish cut. I'm not a machinist, just a service mechanic for an oilfield equipment co., but I've run a lathe before and this one just didn't look right! Thanks for your input. I'm sure I'll be asking for more help along the way as I have the car down to a pile of nuts and bolts. Well, almost.

 

[GTR1999]

Art .000-.001 is a tad on the tight side for me. Others may set them that way but I like a little room to torque the nut down. If it were me I would be sure about the endplay and bring it up a .001"
Glad you liked the post, good to hear it helps.