Hey guys,

I have a ford 9" rear axle in my '66 Chevelle. The driver side wheel seal started leaking pretty bad, so I pulled the axle out to check the damage and found the bearing race was damaged. I attempted to use a slide hammer. No luck there. Then I remembered that you can use a arc welder to put a bead on the race to shrink it, to more easily remove it. Long story short, the welder kept tripping the electrical box in the house and I could not get a complete or hot enough bead. I am attempting to cut it out, with a die-grinder, but I don't know how far the race goes out towards the opening of the housing. I have never worked on ford axles, so any help is appreciated. Although, I think I may have achieved FUBAR (****ed up beyond all recognition, for those who don't know). I will attempt to attach some pix of the driver side and passenger side, for comparison.

Cut a slot width wise in the race so the diameter can shrink.

Not to beat a dead horse, but, just how wide is the width? I don't know where the bearing race ends.

There is a tool that screws onto the end of the slide hammer that gets behind the race. Is that the tool you reffered to?

Spoiled,
Boy I sure hope I am not getting CRS disease, but I thought that a 9" Ford used a sealed type bearing with the bearing and race being all one pc and held onto the axle with a lock ring ??? Like these http://www.markwilliams.com/detail.aspx?ID=1698 There should not be a race in the housing unless the bearing has come apart somehow ??

Spoiled,
Boy I sure hope I am not getting CRS disease, but I thought that a 9" Ford used a sealed type bearing with the bearing and race being all one pc and held onto the axle with a lock ring ??? Like these http://www.markwilliams.com/detail.aspx?ID=1698 There should not be a race in the housing unless the bearing has come apart somehow ??
It's been ~20 years since I've worked on a 9"; I'm thinking that in classic Ford "We've already paid the engineers, we might as well have them change something" style, rear axle bearings on 9" axles could be one of several part numbers; but you're correct--I thought they were all retained on the axle shaft, not in the housing.

I guess it's time for me to learn something new...

That picture of the bearing is very similar to the ones that are press-fit on the axles, and they spin well enough. Now I'm convinced that I seriously screwed the axle up trying to remove a race that may not be a race, after all......There is some kind of sleeve there. I just don't know. Is it part of the wheel seal (which, by the way, was just laying inside the axle)?

That picture of the bearing is very similar to the ones that are press-fit on the axles, and they spin well enough. Now I'm convinced that I seriously screwed the axle up trying to remove a race that may not be a race, after all......There is some kind of sleeve there. I just don't know. Is it part of the wheel seal (which, by the way, was just laying inside the axle)?
http://www.markwilliams.com/images/ml-803.jpg

Does your bearing--on the axle shaft--HAVE an outer race like this one, or is it like a Chevy axle where the tapered rollers are visible?

If the rollers aren't visible, what's in the axle housing isn't the outer race.

http://www.youtube.com/user/telowe2000#p/u/13/drUlJXKlY5g

Maybe this vid will help?

Sorry guys, been working alot of hours. I appreciate all the replies. Here is a diagram of a ford 9". I believe what I thought was a bearing race is actually a retainer ring, but I'm not sure. According to the diagram the retainer ring is between the bearing and the seal. When I pulled the axle out the bearing was attached to the axle, and the seal was still in the axle housing. I had to remove that with a pair of pliers. The one on the passenger side is still in the housing (see pic from original posting). If that is a retainer ring, how do I remove it? I don't know what else it could be, unless it is a part of the housing itself. I tell you, I am really at my wits end with this.......

I believe what I thought was a bearing race is actually a retainer ring, but I'm not sure. According to the diagram the retainer ring is between the bearing and the seal. When I pulled the axle out the bearing was attached to the axle, and the seal was still in the axle housing. I had to remove that with a pair of pliers. The one on the passenger side is still in the housing (see pic from original posting). If that is a retainer ring, how do I remove it? I don't know what else it could be, unless it is a part of the housing itself. I tell you, I am really at my wits end with this.......
If it's stuck in the housing, it's not the retainer ring.

The retainer ring will be pressed onto the axle shaft right against the inboard side of the bearing. It's a smaller-diameter steel collar. SEE MY PHOTO posted earlier.

Your right Shurkey, it's not the retaining ring. It is the part that the bearing and retaining ring are sitting on just inside the housing. Is THIS part removable, or is it a permanent part of the housing? And if not, how do I remove it?

Your right Shurkey, it's not the retaining ring. It is the part that the bearing and retaining ring are sitting on just inside the housing. Is THIS part removable, or is it a permanent part of the housing? And if not, how do I remove it?
I think it's a "non-serviceable" part of the housing...but it's been a long time since I've seen a 9-inch opened up.

Now see what ya get for putting F*** parts in your Chevrolet? ;)

According to my 82 Ford Shop Manual for Light Trucks, there are two types of outer wheel bearings for the 9 in, ball bearing and roller bearing. The ball bearing style should have the outer race as part of the bearing and come out with the axle.

The tapered roller bearing style should have the separate outer race that goes into the housing.

The only part on the axle inside the bearing is a seal on the ball bearing type. The tapered style has the seal outside the bearing.