hey guys, I picked up this 1979 4wd wagon from Sandy,Or about a month ago. the interior is amazing! some rust one the bottom of each door.

anyways i digress...  the issues :

 

   front driver wheel bearing is grinding, how hard is it to replace?

  and second is the car hesitates when i step on the gas hard, if i ease into it, its fine.

  thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated 

front wheel bearingS are easy to deal with as long as you have any mechanical skill at all the hesitation comes from the stock hitachi having crappy accel pumps these arent race carbs there economy carbs 

I've heard an ea81 carb swap is recommended. That or a Weber, if you really want to do it right.

weber is by far superior even is you swap to a ea81 carb its still a hitachi hitachi cant make a good down draft carb to save there life

Or just get the accelerator pump for starters and see if that helps the hesitation. You only need to lift the top plate of the carb. off to do it (float chamber). Easy , cheap enough. You could score a whole carb. kit off eBay for like $24 or so ,just saw one , and the accelerator pump will be in there. Also a factory service manual - same deal on eBay for like $15 or so. You can use any of 1977 blue cover thru 1979 model year. It's all right about the same.

 

Wheel bearings aren't hard but know not to set the new one in by striking the inner ring. Always best to send it in with a press and proper install tool BUT - Most of us have "walked" it in being very careful not to hit any area of the OUTER RING in too much at a time. Sorry if you know what you are doing already. I'm assuming you've not done one before. What this means is only hit the outer ring on the bearing and do not hit the inner ring. Line it up flush and use something that fits the outer ring if you can't score the correct tool. Plenty of way to accomplish this.

 

Back to the hesitation - check all vacuum lines too. Some may be cracking and allowing a loss of pressure etc.

 

We'll be there for ya ....that's what we do here. Enjoy !!!

I think a set of front bearings may be in my future...I need to listen to my car a little more. Could just be the old heat shielding from the old exhaust I hear rattling around in the back. Do they still make the press in tool, or is there a generic style one that is still available?

 

Thanks!

i thank all your guys for your input! whats sad is i work at autozone and i can't use my discount on any parts for my brat or my wagon. oh well.

 i had one more question might have to make another post for it, but here it goes...

 

 how hard would it be to swap the running gear from a 1981 ea81 brat into my 1979 dl wagon?  the brat was rear ended and i can't repair it any further

I'm probably going to get flamed for this but... For the wheel bearing, get the new part and get the hub off your car. Take them to a shop with a press and have them press the old one out/new one in. You will eliminate a lot of frustration and time on your part. That's just my opinion.