The front wheel bearings on a Ford Thunderbird are in a sealed hub configuration with a built-in wheel sensor in the rear part of the hub. The wheel sensor is an integral part of the hub and is used for the ABS braking system. There is one sensor on each of the four wheels. The hub is mounted on a thick metal plate with four bolt holes used to mount the hub to the spindle.
Raise and support the car on jack stands. Remove the front wheels using the ½-inch drive ratchet and the appropriate socket.
Remove the brake caliper using the 3/8-inch drive ratchet and appropriate sockets. Remove the two bolts holding the caliper to the caliper support bracket. Hang the caliper up so that it does not hang by its hose.
Remove the caliper support bracket using the ½-inch drive ratchet and the appropriate socket. Do this by removing the two large bolts behind the bracket. Remove the rotor by pulling it off by hand.
Disconnect the wheel sensor electrical connector which is located at the top of the frame. Just pull it apart by hand. Remove the wire from the support located on the strut. It is just held in with a squeeze fit into the support bracket. There is a rubber bushing located on the wire that gets pushed into the support.
Remove the hub bearing using the ½-inch drive ratchet and socket. Two large holes can be seen in the hub. The ½-inch drive socket will fit through this hole in order to reach the bolts holding the hub to the spindle. Remove these four bolts and the hub can be pulled off. Replace the new hub bearing and all parts in reverse order of removal.
