Front Bearings

LookingUp

New Member
Aug 2, 2018
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I was feeling confident after getting my rear bearings swapped out so I decided to jump into the front end on my 2003 4wd. After collecting all of the parts I gave it a shot and failed miserably. I was able to find a fair number of sources for info on the rear but almost nothing on the front so I bought the largest bearing separator at Harbor Freight and hoped for the best. Fortunately, everything went back together easily once it became clear I wouldn't be able to get the bearing out.

The bearing separator was just a TINY bit too small. One thing I noticed is that the nicer brand bearing separators are 4 5/8 and the HF one is 4 3/8. It could be possible to grind a few key spots and get it to work, but I'd prefer to be more confident in my solution before taking the truck apart again.

What have you guys used for this job? I've heard that Jim Smola has a tool and would love to a picture. Or, if anyone else has some pictures or any advice.
 

LookingUp

New Member
Aug 2, 2018
7
1
3
I got the job done over the weekend. I fashioned a press tool out of plywood. It is not pretty but it got the job done. The driver's side took me a few hours but I got the passenger side done about an hour and a half. My HF 20 ton press seemed more than adequate.