so i removed the outter bearings off my d44 axle shafts with a cut off tool..now to put the new ones on...being that i dont have a press, and a local shop wants 37.50 per shaft to press on the new ones, i didn't think there were any other alternatives...well i was talking to my dad about the prediciment, and this is what he came up with....back in the day he built a ford 9" for a 62' impala SS, and he said that rather than pressing the bearings on to the shafts, they would freeze the axle shaft, and put the bearings/collars in a toaster oven and heat them up, then just drop them on, all the way down to the seat...this doesn't sound GOOD, for the bearing OR the axle, but is it bad? the specs on the bearings say there should be a MINIMUM .001" interferance fit on the collar, and .004" interferance fit on the bearing...i measured everything and it's all good at this point....also, i saw on another website where these guys were doing an ARB install, and they dropped the ARB into liquid nitrogen, so the the ring gear would slide right on! now, it seems that if you can do that to an ARB, and everything still work fine afterwords, then an axle would be no prob.....it still sounds evil...maybe i'll shop around a little more and find who's the cheapest...but lemme know what you guys think...

regards,
Nathan Hamler.

Nathan----the press is not a must.....a shop does not have to do it....just find a 3 foot long piece of tubing of the right diameter and beat it hard with a 3 pound hammer....my bud changed both of his 44 bearings that way in a total of 20 minutes(removal and install).

or get yourself a MAPP gas torch and warm the bearing evenly then drop it on.

I am in Ocoee/Winter Garder. I have several pieces of pipr that can be used to drive the bearings on the shafts.

email me at cdaspit@cfl.rr.com and I will be more than happy to help.

I've done quite a few with the heat and chillin method, have done the same with the pipe method never had a problem with the bearings. You don't have to put alot of heat to the bearings I use a small toaster type oven I picked up from a vendor at the grocery store chain I used to work for.

every bearing thats needed to be pressed on.. in the past 10 years.. i have done this way.. freeze the piece it goes on.. set the oven to 400 degrees.. takes about 15-20 minutes.. they just drop on.. some may require a slight tap..

im not a big fan of the beat on method..

Take a waffle iron or a george forman (sp) grill let it heat up and lay the bearing inside, close for 7-8 min and they will slide right on no hitting/tapping/freezing required.