Hi guys, Just a simple question :confused: I just got done installing new bearings (front Disc )for my 72 Chevelle and would like to know,

how tight do I make the castle nut? Is there a torque specification?
Or just a bit more than finger tight plus 1/4 turn.

Thanks Bob :beers:

Anybody? Thanks ahead of time for your reply!!:yes:

1/4 to a 1/2 turn after hand tight.What I do is snug it up with a wrench but not tight then back off a little bit until you can get the cotter pin in and give it a spin.

Here's what I have always done after repacking a bearing (new or not).


Tighten castle nut with a wrench snug
Spin the the rotor/drum ~10 times to seat the bearing and spin the grease out a little.
Then back off the nut, then finger tigten, then back off ~1/4 turn.


So far I haven't burned up or cracked a bearing.

Thanks fellas for the replys. Much appreciated Bob

I tighten with a wrench snug to remove burrs. Then I back it off and finger tighten it. Put the pin in and make sure it spins easy.

GM (Pontiac, but same bearings and procedures) technical service bulletin regarding overtorquing of bearings
"Under no circumstances is the bearing to be even finger tight"
PDF file:
http://firstgenfirebird.org/dtb/docs/68-T-18.pdf

jpgs:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9691/bearing1ca1.th.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/9691/bearing1ca1.jpg)http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3559/bearing2ey9.th.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3559/bearing2ey9.jpg)

Thanks Chevry!

I go till its seated then a slight amount more then that thereafter to line up the cotter pin. Not much. Never had one go bad and I have done thousands, im a professional mechanic. Its usually still ends up finger tight to some people. Im not strong enough to un thread it with my finger personally, but there are some that are strong enough that they probably could loosen it up with thier fingers. It ends up to be about the best tightness IMO.

You can run them a little tight and they still last for years and years if not ultra tight. Run them on the loose side and they last for decades.

The clincher for me was after seeing a few cars (over the years) with forgotten toungue washers. They come in on a hook usually. Usually w/i one week from last service (newbies).
Sometimes they come in with no problem but the missing washer... and a little bearing play. One had 20,000 on it since last service and no washer.
I just do what the manual says. A little play seems to go a long way. Say K?

I know this is a way way old thread but I was searching for this answer and found this.

I just got my rotors back from getting new bearings in and I put them on and when I was putting the castle nut on I'm like hmmmm shouldn't there be a washer here?

So should there be a washer? it doesn't seem right that the castle nut goes right against the bearing.

Thanks

Yes ,there should be a stout washer which has a little "tongue" that fits into the milled groove in the spindle. Probably a dealer item or for sure salvage yard stuff. The tightness of the nut should be loose enough to allow the rotor to expand from the heat of braking so the bearings are not overloaded.

Shane,
I am pretty sure you can still get the washers at a good part store.

the washers can be found in the "Help!" aisle of any decent parts store.

Thanks guys I went and "borrowed" them from my 69 setup.. you were right they have little tab on the inside and the one edge of the washer was flat. I will check autozone tomorrow to see if I can get 2 more or I will hit up napa.


I do have one more silly question tho even with the washer on the castle nut is well below the cotter pin hole.. if I put the pin thru it doesn't even touch the nut.. I noticed these are thinner castle nuts then I think came factory I remember my originals had very tall slots but this CPP brake kit castle is not very wide.

Is there a trick I'm missing here?

if you can't get the cotter pin to go thru the castle nut, then you've got a problem. it needs to go thru the slots to keep the nut from spinning off.

just to be clear- from the spindle out it goes like this:
grease seal
inner bearing/race
rotor
outer bearing/race
thick flat washer with the tab on it
castle nut
cotter pin
dust cap

i've seen some cars that have two of those thick washers on them, and some cars have a stamped steel retainer that goes over the big nut that has the slots in it for the cotter key, but i don't think that was ever a GM thing. i believe i've seen that setup on some Fords.

Yeah if I put the pin thru it doesn't even touch the castle nut.

I had the bearings done at a garage so I would hope they did them correctly.

I was thinking tho I have my disc brakes on and if the rotor was in too far the brakes would rub and they spin freely so the rotor has to be in the correct spot... I might try to find my stock castle nuts cause I swore they were taller altho they would have to be alot taller.

All the little stuff if fighting me... rear brake lines weren't bent correctly... missing clips.... can't find my distribution block... now this... it's been a mess.

Any other ideas on this? are there different thickness castle nuts maybe?

Re-use the original taller castle nuts and washers if possible, or add another washer to get the notches onto the cotter pin - they don't wear out if installed properly. Every A-body uses the same nut and washer regardless of whether they come on a drum or disc system.