1955-1959 Chevy Truck CPP Six Lug Brake Kit - Start Stopping!

The wheel lug studs also need to come out since they are holding the inner shell on, too. Same rules apply here as with the rivet removal.

Separating the two parts reveals the backside of the hub, which will later be mated to the new disc brake rotor. We can also get a good look at the inner wheel bearing and the ancient grease seal that's made from felt. We obviously have better seals these days than the ones the big automakers used over 50 years ago, so this seal will be changed to a modern rubber lip seal (a CPP exclusive) upon reassembly.

Most often, the pressed-in tin felt seal retainer will need to be pried out of the hub and is usually rendered useless in doing so. Sometimes a sharp punch driven into it at an angle is a good way to get a stubborn one out. With that out of the way, the inner wheel bearing can come out and the hub can be degreased and cleaned up.

With the hub now clean and void of wheel bearings, the bearing races need to come out. I believe there are tools to do this, but most of us don't have them, so we do it the old-fashioned/precarious way-with a hammer and punch...

...From the backside of each race, CAREFULLY drive out the races while taping around the circumference of it as you go.

Once the old wheel bearing races are out, the hub needs to be thoroughly cleaned before the new races are pressed in. This should be done with as close to the right tools as possible and slowly to avoid cocking the race in the hub. If you don't have the tools or know-how to remove and replace the races, a good automotive machine shop should be able to do it for you.

The reason we are replacing the OE wheel bearings (in addition to the fact that they are over 50 years old and not in the best shape anymore) is that CPP offers a modern tapered roller bearing upgrade designed to handle the increased stress that radial tires put on wheel bearings versus bias-ply tires. Plus, most trucks with upgraded drivetrains and/or suspensions are driven harder and faster than they were originally designed for-a smart choice indeed.

Here is the new rubber lip seal going on after the new inner wheel bearing was greased and installed. The new seal gets tapped into place. CPP saw the need for this modern seal and had it made to include in the wheel bearing upgrade kit. Make sure to put a small amount of grease on the seal lip before installing it on the spindle.

Next, carefully open up the rivet holes with a drill. This will allow the rotor mounting hardware to pass through the hub.

After double-checking that both sides of the flange on the hub were free of dirt, dings, burrs, rust, or anything else that would make it not flat, it gets sandwiched between the new CPP 12-inch rotor and the outside retainer plate. The tapered Allen bolts will hold it all together along with the new wheel lug studs.

The new wheel lug studs are installed in the reverse manner in which they were removed...

...Don't forget to support the rotor/hub assembly when driving them home!