To make your day, I've got a proper VL Churchill bearing race puller (as linked) and it's not worth a w***.
I've tried multiple times and it's just rubbish.  I use a Churchill blind bearing puller from a LandRover gearbox instead.

Congrats, you're $290 up on the day !

thanks, Dan.  I really appreciate our hosts at MM who are keeping the wee beasties going.  Maybe I will pick a winning PowerBall ticket soon, but in the meantime $290 for this https://www.minimania.com/part/18G617C/Austin-Mini-1st-Motion-Bearing-Puller aint happening, I have to get creative.  Somebody out there smarter than me will take my idea and improve on it, when they do I hope they will post it here.

I hope it will never be useful for me... but it certainly is entertaining!
Great photos too!
Nice going!

revisiting this old thread as I am refurbing 5 timing covers for old engines with 3-synchro gearboxes. Getting bearings out with the hydraulic push does work but it is messy, and its a PITA to plug up the oil feed hole to get the grease to stay in there.  Zapping with a welder works but as it happens today I was out of gas.   So I looked at the cool internal puller sold here but being a cheapskate, decided to make my own.  I looked through my pile and found a patio sliding glass door concave roller wheel about the same OD as the 1st motion shaft bearing outer race.  Light bulb...



I used a bench grinder to grind off one of the concave groove outer edges until one side would drop inside the bearing race.  I used the Deathwheel 2000 to slice the caster in half, and then sliced/ground a bevel on the halves so that they could be dropped down inside the race, then when pressed flat the un-ground larger flange would begin to sneak in under the race.





I used a 1/4-20 carriage bolt as my puller.  Place a thin washer on the bolt first, set it inside the race, drop in the puller halves, and then put a Mini thick manifold washer on top.  Squeeze the puller pieces together by tightening a nut down on the washer, the halves will get pushed down but cant fully get their big flanges under the race yet.  Use a piece of pipe or a big socket (bigger than the race OD) against the case, a big washer on the bolt over the pipe/socket top, then tighten the nut to start pulling the race up.  It usually starts the race up, gets it about even with the face of the recess, then it starts to slip.  But that is enough to make room for the flanges to get a more secure purchase under the race.  Take off the socket, undo everything, the halves will drop a bit and this time add an old Mini valve spring top cap under the thick manifold washer. The top cap has a cone shape which helps to force the puller halves outward during the second pull.




Repeat the pulling process after repositioning and tightening the washer/top cap.  With the puller halves now fully engaged, the race pulls out easily.



Wow, it actually works.

I had a bunch of those pulleys left over from being a FIRST mentor years ago,  probably got them at Home Depot or Lowe's or Ace for a couple bucks each.  The bolt and nuts and washers came from a junk drawer, the valve spring top cap and manifold were leftovers from other Mini jobs.  



Hope someone finds this useful.

Nearly perfect timing on this thread. I need to remove my outer race in the next week or so. I have done this in the past by the heating method. I really can't remember but it actually worked for me. Lucky I guess.

Why I said this was nearly perfect timing was I busted the bearing cage trying to remove the bearing...of course. I was using the hard chisel pry method (not idea) with great success...and then my concentration...and hand slipped and I cracked the cage. Oh well, I'm this far into the rebuild, why not replace everything

Yes, I did remove the snapring.

Unfortunately I am not into welding.

Thanks

You did remove the locking snapring right?

Was with Coopertune earlier this year... His way is the cleanest way


Put a thick weld on the inside of the race .  = and yesit should drop out of the housing.  (the weld shrinks the race) 
The idler bearing = Used a bolt.. Welded to the race =  then a plate and nut to pull and extract....

I have also used a blind bearing puller but they do still require a good bit of banging.

Sad to report that heating the housing to 300 degrees for 10 minutes and slamming on wood did not work!
It sounded so easy!

I was able to get the housing fitted.  Apparently the bearing was not fitting into the race properly.
after some wriggling all is well.

so... I am able to continue with the “test” fitting of the engine/gearbox.

I will sort this all out when the engine is put together (by a local mini guy).

thanks for all the suggestions.

Removing the rollers is exactly what Scooperman said to do in both his previous posts.

The way I removed the bearing race is not for everyone.  I did this years ago before I took full advantage of help that was available on this board.  What I did was to start from the "other side" of the clutch cover.  I marked out where the race would be and drilled two equally spaced pilot holes for a 10-32 (or was it 8-32?) tap, then I bottom tapped those holes.  I ran socket cap head cap screws into those tapped holes and tightened them evenly to slowly press the race out.  When I was done I closed those tapped holes with set screws coated in gasket sealer.  It certainly worked but I would have tried the heat method first if I had known about it.  If for some reason you want to try this remember you'll need a bottoming tap... not a plug or tappered tap.

At work I used to use the grease method to remove drill bushings from aluminum plates.  It works great.  However, the method requires minimal clearance between the ram and the bore of the race/bushing.  The bore below and behind the race/bushing has to be packed with heavy, thick grease without any air pockets.  Strike the ram firmly with a heavy hammer and the pressure introduced to the grease will push the bushing/race out.  Make sure you support the far side of the clutch cover on a wooden block so you don't drive a hole right through the clutch housing.  

I use my 110 Mig and run a bead around the bore of the outer race flip it over and drop on welding table and the ring falls out.
I pull the rollers and use a Blue Point battery cable puller on the inner. The only one I ever wanted to save was for my Turbo
housing. That one is $65. Steve (CTR)

PS anyone have a short side pot type axle?

just purchased a bearing / battery terminal removal tool from Eastwood (retail store is near me) for
under $10.  Looks similar to the tool on the host site.   Unfortunately I could not move the bearing.
It still sits behind the c-clip groove (yes I did remove the c-clip).

Also tried scooperman’s suggestion re: the outer race (push out with grease).  This did not worked either.

I am reluctant to attempt the dremel suggestion.

Possibly I am being too gentle on both the bearings and the race!

how about my other question re: the dry fit of the housing?  What is the most likely hang up preventing me
from fitting the housing against the engine/gearbox?   I have a 1/4” x 1/2” gap when I encounter resistance.

His point is a 1 1/8" socket won't go over the 1 1/4" bearing.  I have done it with the nut but remember having a problem but of course now can't remember the details, maybe it was getting the lock tab bent back far enough with the whole bearing in my way.  Pull the individual rollers out of the cage, take off the cage, then you can use a puller, or you can walk it off with the nut now that the socket will go over the bearing hub there is room to get to the nut.  If you have some old truck front end shims, after the nut moves the bearing hub out a ways run the nut back and use the C-shaped shims as spacers between the nut and the bearing hub, repeat.

I don't think you are missing anything. 

Your initial post inquired about removing the race from the housing and several methods were suggested by you and others.  Alex was talking about how to get the bearing off the input shaft. 

In the past I have removed the bearing from the input shaft the way Scooperman suggested.  I wish I had known or inquired about this the last time I worked on my Mini's gearbox as would have tried Alex's method.

The bearing diameter is slightly over 1-1/4”.
what am I missing?

A blind bearing puller will hoick the outer race out of the casing nicely, even easier if you give it a bit of warmth before pulling.

The inner race can be tricky to get a puller onto, so just undo the nut with a 1-1/8" deep socket and it'll wind the race off the shaft.  It won't come all the way off as you run out of thread, but it comes off enough to get a puller behind it.

If you need to remove the outer race, turn a piece of stock to slip fit into race.  FIll cavity with grease.  Push the tool in.  Grease pushes race out.

To get the bearing off the FMS.  Use a pair of pliers, grab a roller on the ends, pull it out of the cage.  Don't squirm it around, just pull.  Then do the next one, then the next, until you have them all out.  Then the cage comes off.  Then you can use a regular puller.  

I've cut races out carefully with a Dremel. Yes, the bearing and race are matched. I once assembled an engine with parts from 2 engines. Unfortunately I got parts with a mismatched set. I tightened the casing nuts one flat too much and cracked he casing.   

Suggestions on removing this bearing.
Seems there is little space behind the bearing to use a bearing puller.
can this be removed without purchasing a special tool?

I found a NOS bearing in my parts without the race but it is too large for the existing race.
I know they should be matched but I was surprised it did not come close to fitting.  Thoughts?

Several sites suggest placing the housing in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes then slam 
on a piece of wood to remove the race. Other options?

also having some trouble dry fitting the housing onto the engine/trans.  I do not have
the studs or bolts on, just the alignment dowels.  The housing sticks with about 3/8 to 1/2 inches to go.
Thoughts as as to what is preventing the housing from fitting properly.  I did not want to force anything.

input is appreciated.