I have thought of a few more things that makes me feel stupid. I bought a Jeep Wagoneer from my cousin. Well, one day before I bought it, he had the rear axle come out of it going down the road. It ended up spearing itself into the wheel well. But it was fixed when I got it. But one day I noticed the wheel had lots of end play. Well since I had already seen the damage the axle could do, I sure didnt want for it to end up in my leg lol. So I started tearing it apart. Turns out the inside of the axle tube had a few marks and scars on it. No big deal really, but it also had the wrong bearings in it. So I go to the parts store, and they have 2 listed. To make a long story short, it took about a week, and a couple different parts stores to get the right bearings.
When I finally got the right ones I went to work on it. Well, the side with all the end play had a bearing race stuck in it. It was behind the incorrect bearings that was in it. I figured my cousin just left that in there, because he couldnt find the right bearings for it, and leaving that in there would cut out some of the end play lol. So here I go beating and banging on it. It wouldnt budge, it appeared to have welded itself in there. Figured it happened bout the time the bearing failed and the axle came out. So, anyway I dont have much time to work on it and this spreads out over a few days. So I finally start getting serious. I weld a bead around the race, wont budge. I make a home made puller, wont budge. I take a carbide bur and cut it into 3 or 4 pieces, sliced from the side. Doesnt budge, and Im starting to get ignorant with the die grinder. My dad and brother is out there, one a machinist, the other a tractor mechanic. They dont get it either. They take a turn at it, no luck. Finally Im setting there in the floor and Im so mad I cant hardly see straight. Dad goes to the other side, I hear him messing around, pecking and tapping with a hammer. Im wondering wtf he is doing, as Im bout to make the final push to get this race out. He comes around the jeep, calm and straight face as everything and says "You know something?" and said I no, what. Thats not a bearing race. Yep, turns out this whole time it was just a shiny spot where the seal sets ( it didnt have one in it) that had the right kind of step to look just like a bearing race. I dont know what I was thinking, I guess it was just all the confusion with the wrong bearings I somehow got it in my head it was a race. But also I had a machinist and a tractor mechanic that thought it was one to, of course I had already beat, cut and welded on it to .
So theres me being a *******, luckly I have mad die grinder skills to make up for it, and got the seal in there pretty good lol.
That was challenging to say the least.