I am sure there are plenty of times in a girls life when she hears a her car making a funny noise so she pulls it into a garage for repairs. Sure, that is what I did last weekend, but unlike most gals I was actually the one doing the diagnosis and repairs in the garage myself! I am Becky Sue and this a story of another day in the life of a hot rod pinup such as myself.
So I was cruising down the road on my way to work last week and I heard my baby making a different sound. Something was definitely not right. She was trying to tell me something, but what was it? This was a new noise for me. She began to speak up around 30-40 miles an hour. I listened closely and I was able to determine that it was coming from the passenger rear wheel. I pulled off did a visual inspection and checked the tire pressure. All was well.
Now I have replaced the bearings in the front end of the Comet when it had it’s original drums. As I recalled the noise of a bearing going out is kind of like rolling a metal ball in sand. This didn’t sound like that so I wasn’t quite sure what it was but at least I knew where my problem was coming from.
As I drove home from work I was now hearing a little bit of a screechy squeal and my rear end began locking up on me as if I were depressing the brakes while driving down the road! Very bizarre! Luckily I had the next day off, so I knew I would be able to repair her.
That night I reviewed my owner’s manual focusing on the rear suspension, drive-line, axle section. I wanted to familiarize myself with what I would be working with before I just started taking things apart. This is a crucial step to automotive success! Always read the repair manual. 
The next afternoon I took a tire iron to the to the problem wheel. After I loosed the lug nuts I jacked up the car from the pumpkin and placed her on jack stands (making sure to chalk the front tires) and wedged out the massive rear tire. I had to dig a little deeper to see my problem. After removing four bolts and yanking the axle free, I was able to pull the axle out and take a good look at the bearings. Right away I could see how mangled they were. I knew they would need to be replaced so I took my axle down to the friendly fellas at Tops Auto, in Anaheim, CA and they were able to press me a new set of bearings within the hour.
After that it was just a matter of reassembling my rear end. Plenty of jokes were made as I lubed the tip, inserted the axle shaft, and began pushing deeper and deeper! Once it was in place I bolted everything back together and was burning out into the sunset!
Girls, you can do it! Don’t be afraid to get in the garage and get greasy! With a little bit of education and a lot of determination you too can be like Becky Sue! ;)
(To see the full album of photos from this wrench day visit my Facebook page!)