I would not want to be a mechanic in the north east, when i see a car that came from up there I do the "finger X" and avoid it like the Plague..

Southern Cars are so nice to work on and last sooooo long.....

 

I don’t remember seeing anyone mention a torque wrench that can do 340 ft-lbs, but you’ll need that too I believe.

 

Or, for the DIY method, weigh yourself and calculate how far out you need to stand on a breaker bar. It'll be really close.
I used a jack stand to support the socket extension perfectly parallel to the ground while on the axle nut, stood on a stool, and gently applied my weight until it was fully on the breaker bar. No bouncing. Had to get off and reset the socket several times in order to keep the bar as parallel to the ground as possible. Keep your foot centered on the tape, and have something to hold for balance (but don't support weight with arms).
e.g. if you weigh 200lbs, then put some tape on a breaker bar at 20.4 inches from the center of the head. (340ft-lb/200lb = 1.7ft *12in/ft = 20.4inches)

 

True.

 

In order for you old folks to avoid breaking a hip using this method, I recommend renting a proper torque wrench that can handle high torque values. 👍🏼😎

 

Have you priced a 400ft lb torque wrench lately, 250 is a cheap one.. and I need it once a decade..

Bugs and Jeeps have been done with breaker bars since the 50's its why I own a 36" long 3/4 breaker bar.
I ground marks in it for where to put my foot for each torque value.. Wrapping the handle with anti skid tape doesn't hurt..

 

That's why he suggested renting as opposed to buying.
I find both your 'live torque wrench' and the heads-up suggestion equally helpful and valuable!

 

I understand the math about standing on the breaker bar but I did this when I replaced my wheel bearings. I wasn't confident so I went to my local Ford Truck dealer and asked if I could rent a torque wrench or pay them to check the torque. They loaned me their mega torque wrench to use in the parking lot. At 340 ft-lbs I got about another 30 degrees of rotation from where I "thought" was 340. Just my experience and solution to the torque wrench issue.

 

This is all good. So how did you know your bearings were toast?

 

I my case it was the pop i heard leaving the track at watkins glen. I got real lucky because the shaft snaped too. Only real good way to tell is to spread the pads and spin the hub by hand. It should be very smooth. Also grab the wheel and rock it left to right and up and down. It should have zero play. If it does its either the bearing or a suspension part.

Obviously the spindle was toast.

 

Actually, I thought the rears were bad but turned out to be the tires making the rumble. On the front, I didn't know they were bad but I spun the wheel and heard a rumble.

 

LOL. I'm back.

Thanks for the host of replies! I'll read through them all properly and see what's best for me. Appreciate the replies (not the Volvo hub pics )

 

Lots of road noise, but when I spin the hub, you can hear the bearing grumble. It sounds very dry.

 

I just replaced a front bearing and it was not too difficult. I spent maybe 4 hours or so. The video in post #3 is great - you dont have to remove the carrier unless you want to. I will note that I used a chain to hold the spring as opposed to a nylon strap though. I used the Astro Pneumatic Kit 78825 to press the bearing which worked flawlessly. I froze the bearing and got the carrier up to about 130 degrees with a space heater. Appreciate the insight here.

 

It looks like that spindle was cracked for quite awhile (as indicated by rusted cracked area at bottom). You’re lucky it didn’t let go on the track/at high speed…! Disaster averted 😃👍🙏