Today was the big day that HD called and said that my swing arm bearings had arrived. After talking with my friend Marshall via telephone, we agreed that with a “proper” bearing press tool and some heat/cold applied on the appropriate parts and I should be able to save myself the $100 + bucks the pro’s wanted to get the things installed. So I eagerly arrive home from the HD dealer and promptly package my bearings in a zip lock bag and into the freezer they go.
Next was the heat….Hmmmm how about using the oven? Perfect! Out come the oven racks and in goes the swing arm, sort of. It never dawned on me that the swing arm might not fit in the oven. So, I did the next best thing and turned on the broiler. I waited as long as humanly possible for an impatient man, and then started to press using the new fangled press I bought. After 12 attempts and some very hot tools, I was in the same spot as before, I could not get the bearing started straight. Now this is becoming a bone of contention with me and it’s time to get serious. Out comes the die grinder fitted with a sanding drum. I made about 6 light passes on the swing arm and wallah! The darn bearing dropped half way in!! With some help from a large mallet the first bearing was seated. I repeated the process and I was done within 10 minutes. Lesson learned here…..do it yourself and get it done right.
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