Re: 58 Packard Hawk ear axle bearing

Posted by Ross On 2023/6/22 7:34:14

Both the bearing and the axle are tapered so one needs to do little more than drop the bearing onto the shaft and it finds its home. They would have to push very hard to move it beyond that point and possibly then crack the bearing open.

On those rears the two axle bearings react against each other to determine the end play by pushing along the lengths of the shaft and through a floating thrust block in the center of the diff. Thus the measurement should always be the same on both ends unless something is so out of whack that the thrust block can not travel far enough to compensate.

Is your axle a Twin Traction unit? On those there are little wear pads that are inserted in the center of the diff and push against the ends of the axle to control end play. They love to fall out when the axles are pulled so have a look in with a good light. You can stick them back in place with the aid of a dab of grease on a wooden dowel.