69 Camaro Wheel Bearing Adjustment

[John 69 Camaro]

Does anyone know the proper wheel bearing adjustment on a 69 Camaro with Disc Brakes? The manual says to torque the castle nut to 12 ft. lbs. and back the castle nut one flat until the cotter pin aligns with one of the holes in the spindle. What is meant by one flat? I backed the nut until it fit into the first hole, which was less than a quarter inch away from lining up. At that adjustment I felt no lateral movement when I installed the wheel. If I backed the castle nut further to align with the second hole, which was about a half inch, I noticed lateral movement, so I opted for the first hole. Is my adjustment good or is it too tight?

[reschke18]

I believe the one flat means one of the "flat" sides of the nut. I usually tighten until the nut is just more than snug, probably about 12 foot pounds, and then tighten just a hair so I can get the cotter pin in. If you think about it, 12 foot pounds is not much of a preload. My $0.02

[John 69 Camaro]

Thanks. Appears I should be fine.

[David Pozzi]

Tapered wheel bearings require .001" clearance. The manual says the right way to do it. Wheel bearings should not be preloaded!

Here is a video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FVtU6Q2-Z4g
The 12 foot pound tightening insures the new outer races are seated & provides a slight clearence when the nut is backed off to the nearest notch to insert the cotter pin.