Topic: Powdercoating Hubs - remove wheel bearings?

[.RJ]

I'm debating between powdercoat and paint for the hubs... if I go the powdercoat option, will I need to remove the wheel bearings or will they be damaged/cooked when the parts are baked after powdercoating?

Thanks all

[pddpimp]

Yes, you must remove the bearings and degrease the hubs. The heat will ruin the bearing seals and will cause the grease to run out.

[736cc]

Powdercoat can be cured w/o heat by using UV lights (right?)

[.RJ]

Whether I powdercoat or not, I've ordered new wheel bearings and I'm pulling the old ones out - I've got the bearing retainers off but the bearings seem to be stuck in the hubs - do I need to heat up the hub to persuade them out, or do they need to be pressed out?

Edit: The shop manuals (clymer and haynes) both say to drive them out with a drift... I've tried that, and they aint moving

[pddpimp]

You can try and heat them up a bit, just don't heat them too hot. Too much heat on aluminum can effect the condition of the metal and make it soft. Meaning it'll bend or dent a whole lot easier. I wouldn't go over 500*F.

Everytime I've had to replace bearings I've had to beat them out pretty hard. I've also sprayed penetrating oil in the hub and let it soak overnight before I started hitting them.

Good luck.

They can be a bastard....oops.

[.RJ]

The fronts are out with some heat and hammering.... the rears are stuck in there.  I'll soak them in some penetrating oil for a few hours and see how that goes.

Surely the new ones will go in easier than these came out?

[.RJ]

Looking at the parts diagram....

http://houseofmotorcycles.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/assets/schematics/Honda/HJ0906W0065041.gif

Looks like there is another threaded bearing retainer between the two bearings - so beating on the inner bearing wont break them free.

Will the sprocket carrier/cush drive lift off of the hub with the bearings in place?  I couldnt get it to move, but I wasnt really trying that hard either.

[pddpimp]

Yes, the sprocket carrier should come out. Its just held in by and o ring (#30 in the drawing) that fits around the snout of the hub, and into the bore of the carrier. The threaded bearing retainers can give you a bit of a problem while taking them out. Becareful not to damage them too much, if you do, you can always buy them new from Honda. Many people use a flat blade screwdriver and a hammer, and tap them counter clockwise. I use a $9, V-shaped, adjustable pin type spanner wrench. I've found that it works the best, with the least amount of damage.

Best of luck.

[.RJ]

I got the sprocket carrier off - with the brake drum out, I could get it started by tapping it out from the inside, and the bearings came out with quite a bit more pounding.

The bearing retainers werent much of a problem - I made a "tool" out of 1" steel flat stock and some M6 bolts with the ends ground flat for better bite on the retainers - worked great.

Next question - can I leave the cush drive rubbers in place during powdercoating?  I'd hate to tear the little rubber tabs trying to get them out.

[snyquist53]

it depends on the powder you are using.  i have done some powder coating on some bmx parts i have and i always left the bearrings and seals in.  i did some forks legs and left the seals in and they work fine.  most good powders only take 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.   that's not enough to melt them, but it might make the cush drives dry out.  since they are under such high stress, i wouldn't risk it.  having a cush drive blow up and possibly lock the rear wheel is not the best situation( i've seen it happen).  better safe than sorry.

[.RJ]

Well the rubber seems a little brittle now, but its not too bad... I guess I can leave them in, and if they seem worse off after time in the oven then I can replace them.

[brandon]

.RJ this is Brandon from HT.

When my wheels were powder coated, the guy doing the job wouldn't touch them until the bearings, spacers and all relative parts were removed from the hubs. I'm not sure if this was a personal preference or not. I think it had to do with the possibility of expanding parts leading to possible damage to the hub or something else. He also didn't want to risk getting any melting greese or rubber on the powder as it was being baked.

DO NOT have the inner hubs powder coated as this will throw the specifications off and you may have a really really hard time pressing in the new bearings and what not. Powder coat will also jam up any threaded areas such as the locking spacers that go on after the dust covers. I included this picture of my rear wheel as a reference. The powder coater will use a special heat resistant tape to cover any part that should not be powder coated. What color are you going with?

[.RJ]

What color are you going with?

Hey man

The rims and frame have already been powdercoated red, I think I'm going to paint the tank white with red stripes, and powdercoat the spokes/hubs white as well.