Rear Axles….Wheel bearing housing support blocks
R-R Silver Dawn, Silver Wraith. BENTLEY MKVI, R type.
N.W.Geeson ver 1. 2007

Wheel bearing housing support blocks

Anyone considering changing their own rear wheel bearings will need to obtain or make a set of support blocks. This is necessary to prevent damage to the bearing housing whilst the half shaft is being pressed out of the wheel bearing.

Fig 1 shows the dimensions of one such set of support blocks. This illustration shows one half of the support block arrangement, the blocks are made in one piece and then sawn in half to produce the two identical blocks. Fig 2, Fig 3 and Fig 4 show general views of these blocks.

Fig 5 shows how the blocks are fitted around the bearing housing for support. This view also shows the necessity to produce the blocks with a sufficient diameter to be larger than the half shaft flange. If the blocks are too small there is insufficient overhang to contact the cross beams of a hollow press bed. Reference back to Fig 1 will show the blocks need to be in the region of 8.75 inch diameter to achieve the required overhang. The tonnage required for bearing removal, sometimes in excess of 15 tons, is also the reason why the blocks are very thick, at 1.330 inch.