k5 12bolt inner bearings blew up - what can I savage?

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by 73kay

Thanks for the input. After cleaning up everything the side of the carrier that blew up also ground into the carrier housing. Not sure what happened first but that’s how I think the bearing were able to come apart.

I’ll do some more research but is the axle housing still ok if the bearing race spun?

When a bearing spins in an engine block, the block can be align honed along with other machining operations. This relocates the crankshaft a minute (a couple thousands) closer to the cam shaft but doesn't present any problems. Not so with axle housings. the carrier bearings and axle bearings are all on the same exact center line. The carrier bearing bores are machined to a precise diameter before the tubes are attached. Align boring would require the tubes to be removed. Relocating the carrier bores presents alignment problems with the axle bearings.. It's not an impossible task, but all this machining is labor intensive and terribly expensive.. Your best bet is another complete rearend of the proper gear ratio..