I've replaced both front wheel bearings on my 76 Kombi after trashing the old ones on some long haul drives. Now the rear ones are set for replacement. I've been unable to find much on the web and the cautionary notes in this writeup http://type2.com/library/suspens/rearbear.htm  (especially in regards to inaccurate manuals) have me worried. Is the procedure the same for all beetles and Kombis?

Would someone be able to give me a bit of a writeup and things to watch for with my van?

How about taking the hubs off the swing arm? The procedure I linked to above recommends it yet this forum discussion doesn't mention doing so: http://www.aussieveedubbers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=32286&page=1#pid272426 

And finally I was just going to go into AutoPro (since they found the front wheel bearings for $6.80 each) and ask for new ones. Any comments on this plan?

Thanks for the help folks!

Well it wasn't too hard in the end. Just followed the instructions for the '71 van above.

The massive circlip was tricky, but it's big enough to use regular needle nose pliers (as opposed to circlip pliers) on!

Drifting out the old bearings is a bit tricky using lights and enjoying a cool Canberra evening, but I've no choice as I want to have this van back on the road ASAP.

I was also able to remove all the old bearings without taking the axel hub off the swing arm, and, without removing the brake assembly. Obviously I'm being very careful not to do something stupid with all these hammers and levers I'm using but I think it'll work out fine.

Now, where's my spare 46mm (eek!) socket for doing up the castle nut?

I did mine the same way, did not see the point in removing the swing arm. As you say just do it slowly and don't damage the hub. The circlips occasionally get stuck but a few firm jabs with a hammer can free them up.
Just be carefull when re-installing to not let them go crooked and only hit on the race of the bearing that mates with the housing.
It's always a good idea to torque up the nut and drive for a few hunderd klms and re-tension also.
:bounce

I've got this to look forward to soon....

I did a write up on what I did and have some photos as well. It's all posted on my kombi website: http://ash.anu.edu.au/kombi/ 

Nice! Very helpful... :thumb:

Thanks for the heads up on the cylinder! The moisture around the bottom of the drum (is the one at the bottom the slave? I don't know much about brakes) is either petrol or degreaser that I was using to clean out the hub with.

I've only needed to add 5-10ml of fluid in the past 3 months and have never had a problem with the brakes. If there is a leak then it's only a very small one, but probably still bad?

The bad news is, ANY evidence of a leak makes a car unroadworthy, in Victoria at least. The good news is, the slave cylinders are the cheap bit!