wheel bearing question

[rcbildr]

Yesterday I had to replace my driverside outer front wheel bearing on my 85 Burb. I was amazed at how loose it was without melting down...my friend had a bearing fail on his K5 and had to use a cutting torch to get it out. Anyways, after seeing what my friend went thru with his rig I've always been leery about getting things set right.

I follow the procedure in the haynes manual, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks to get things right...like do you remove the wheel and caliper? Is it better to have the bearing set a little on the tight side? How often do you repack the bearings?

One problem I've had when I've done mine is when I torque the outer spindle nut, the bearing preload changes. I've bought new spindle nuts and the same thing happens. Any ideas????

Any help will be gratly appreciated.