How to Remove a Stuck Bearing Race: 1953 International Front Hub Rebuild (Video)

To get a stuck front bearing race out of an old truck hub, run a small weld bead on the inside face of the race, let it cool, and drive it out from the back with a brass punch. The bead heats the race and shrinks it as it cools, which breaks it loose. To put the new races in, clean the bore with brake cleaner, knock down any burrs, and seat the races with a race driver until the hammer sound changes. That's exactly how we did the front hubs on our 1953 International for its disc brake upgrade. Watch the whole thing below.

It was a rainy Sunday morning in the driveway, and Rob was back out on the 1953 International. The truck is getting a front disc brake kit, which means new hubs, new races, new bearings and new seals. One hub was already packed and ready. The other one had a race that had been sitting in there for 73 years and had no plans to leave.

Why we're redoing the hubs

A lot of the time you can leave original hubs alone. A disc brake swap is different. The new setup needs fresh bearing races pressed into the hubs, so the old ones have to come out first. On a truck this old, that's where things get interesting.

Step 1: Get the stuck race out with a weld bead

When the last race wouldn't budge, our neighbor and co-founder Boyce came over from his garage (you can see it in the background of the video, because that's how we build: out in the driveway, next door to each other). His tip was the weld bead trick:

1. Run a bead on the race itself. Rob laid a short weld on each side of the race, up underneath where it sits in the hub. Keep the weld on the race, not on the hub.
2. Let it cool. As the bead cools it pulls the race in just enough to break its grip on the bore.
3. Drive it out from the back. Rob used an old brass punch, working from side to side so the race walks out straight instead of cocking in the bore.

A few taps later it popped right out. Rob's words: that's why it's great to live next to a good friend who knows his stuff.

Safety note: wear a welding hood and gloves, and keep brake cleaner and other solvents well away from the welder. Brake cleaner is flammable, so do your cleaning after the welding is done and everything has cooled.

Step 2: Clean up the bore

After 73 years, the hub had one small burr right where the big race sits. Rob used a small sanding disc to smooth it down, and it made easy work of it. Take off only what you need. The goal is a smooth, clean seat, not a bigger hole.

Then clean everything:

• Spray the bore down well with brake cleaner.
• Wipe it out with a lint-free cloth so nothing gets left behind where the race sits.

Step 3: Seat the new races

Here's where a cheap tool earned its keep. Rob used a bearing race and seal driver kit from Harbor Freight, about 39 dollars, and called it the best 39 bucks he's spent in a while. The driver squares the race up in the bore so it goes in straight instead of cocking.

• The freezer trick didn't help. The old-school method is to freeze the races so they shrink before you install them. Rob tried it, and it made no real difference. He still needed the driver to tap them down and get them tight.
• Listen for the sound change. Tap the race down with the driver. When it bottoms out in the hub, the sound of the hammer changes. That's your sign it's fully seated.

Step 4: Pack the bearings and install the seal

With the races in, Rob packed the bearings by hand with high-temp grease, the old cup-in-your-palm method, then set them in place and installed the seal. In Part 2, the second hub goes on the truck, the cotter pins go in and the rotors go on so the International can roll.

About those wheels (and the copper calipers)

If you watch to the end, you'll see some wild wheels with skinny tires on them. Those tires came with the rims and are just for rolling the truck around for now. The International still needs a motor, a transmission and brake lines, so there's a long way to go. The calipers got painted copper so they flash behind the wheels. Rob wanted people to look at an old International and see that it's running disc brakes. It goes against the grain, and that's the point. It's his truck.

Follow the build

We post our driveway builds on the Vulture Kustoms YouTube channel. Up next: Part 2, the front hub install.

If you've got a project of your own that's a long way from done, the NO ETA tee is for you. The BUILT BROKE tee is for the fix-it-yourself crowd, and the DRIVEWAY RATES mug is for anybody whose neighbor keeps showing up with a tip and a welder. Shopping for a builder? Browse our gifts for car guys.

Frequently asked questions

How do you remove a stuck bearing race from a hub?

Run a short weld bead on the exposed face of the race (not the hub), let it cool so the race shrinks slightly, then drive it out from the back with a brass punch, alternating sides so it comes out straight.

Does freezing bearing races make them easier to install?

It's an old trick, but on our 1953 International it didn't make a noticeable difference. A race driver tool that squares the race up in the bore did the real work.

How do you know a bearing race is fully seated?

Tap it in with a race driver and listen. When the race bottoms out in the hub, the sound of the hammer changes.

Do you need new bearing races for a disc brake conversion?

On our truck, yes. The disc brake kit called for new hubs and races, so the old races had to come out and new ones went in. Follow the instructions for your specific kit.