W210 rear wheel bearing change pt 1

[ROLLGUY]

My friend's E300 was making a grinding sound from the rear, and I determined a new rear wheel bearing was needed. I ordered a bearing kit from our sponsor, and put the bearing in the freezer as soon as it arrived. Later I put the car on the lift and started the job. The first step was to remove the wheel, caliper, and rotor. I then had to remove the two rear most exhaust hangers to gain enough room to get the axle out from between the pipe and differential. The next step was to remove the axle. Getting the six E12 inboard joint bolts was not too hard, but the hub end was a chore. I first tried a drift punch and a hand sledge, but it just laughed at me. I rigged up a railroad spike with the end ground to a point (biggest facsimile to a drift punch I could find) being held by wires so I could whack it with the full swing of a sledge hammer. I got the axle out, and now for the hub. The only thing I found for use as a "washer" (OD just smaller than the ID of the bearing, and a hole in the middle for the slide hammer shaft) was my 3/4 drive 46mm socket. I had to grind it down a bit, so it would fit inside the bearing. About ten minutes of sliding the weight with all I had, the hub was liberated from the bearing. I then removed the race from the hub using a chisel. Next= Part 2