Our '57 Chevy 1/2-ton, Project Yard Truck, has been doing general hauling and transportation duty for several months, and is to be commended on its usefulness, dependability, and thumbs-up-generating good looks. We've gone to events where it has been well accepted (for a daily driven truck) and have put on a bunch of freeway miles with no problems other than its repeated refusals to shift into Fifth gear (it's only a four-speed, with too low of a rearend gear ratio).

Our effort to keep this truck simple and fun is going well, with no major body or chassis alterations planned. but it's time to take a look at some safety aspects. After we purchased the '57, we had the brakes serviced professionally, and were told that "running deep reversed rims is extra-hard on the original wheel bearings." So we whipped out the good ol' Brothers catalog to check it out. Sure enough, a roller bearing conversion kit is offered for a '47 to '59 Chevy/GMC trucks.

In terms of driving safety, original ball-type bearings performed just fine in 1957. but roads and speeds have changed greatly since then. One new enemy beats on the bearings every time we drive.

This new enemy is called side-load. It's generated primarily by today's radial tires, roads with rain grooves and banked freeway on-and-off ramps. Additionally, higher speeds put greater side-loads on vintage ball bearings that were never designed to endure it. The bottom line is that original-style ball bearings can't be expected to perform at full capacity for much more than 10,000 miles. Obviously, worn wheel bearings make noise, wear out your tires, and when one fails, you'll likely be in touch with your insurance agent. Properly installed and lubricated tapered roller bearing are good for more than 100,000 miles. Well, that makes it a no-brainer.

We performed a full step-by-step installatin here in case some of our younger readers haven't done a basic wheel bearing replacement, and for the older readers who haven't done one in 20 years. We fall into the latter category, so we took the truck to a friend's shop, where he was available to look over our shoulder and provide a bearing insertion tool, an inexpensive and handy tool to have. However, it's not an absolute necessity for this job. All you'll need are your basic tools, a can of bearing grease, and a pair of latex gloves (unless you really like grease on your hands). The job is really quite simple, and well worth the peace of mind it'll give you while winding your way through picturesque mountain passes heading for a fun day with the gang. Follow along as we revisit Auto Shop 101.