I'm looking to get some new front end parts (steering stem, trees, bearings, and races) and as I understand it, the races can be hammered in (and out) with a block of wood. I recently heard that this is incorrect and that new ones need to be pressed in. Is this the case?

Is any stem & tree set-up (manufacturer) better than the next? When I took the front end apart I found that there was a difference in diameter of 0.003" between the stem and the bearings and so I'm replacing everything.

 

Please discribe the bearings you are using. Are they ball bearings or cone bearings? Different years and builders use different styles. A block of wood or brass punch can be used for removal but re-installing should be done with better tools. Timken cone bearings can be put in with a bearing seal/race driver which is inexpensive.

 

They are Timken cone bearings. Thanks for the inforamtion. I'll get a bearing seal/race driver.

 

Installing races... put them on deep froze -10F ?? or/and use some spray (PRF 101 cold spray) to cool them down.
After they are cooled ( below zero) they are easy to install, just dropping them, without force.
I prefer cone bearings