ggdad1951 Posted December 23, 2020 Report Posted December 23, 2020 11 hours ago, Young Ed said: Haha I already bought the buckets too! I'm still liking these better. Will have to fab up a mount for the shoulder belts and seat mounts sending you a PM Quote
Young Ed Posted December 23, 2020 Author Report Posted December 23, 2020 14 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said: ..got a crumb cruncher looking on I see.....checking up on if you hiding Christmas gifts in the Turkey Truck.... Yes he helped me set the seat in. He's the one that named it turkey truck. Quote
Young Ed Posted January 15, 2021 Author Report Posted January 15, 2021 Pulled the steering gear a few days ago. Can't get the wheel off though! The truck never had a wheel when I got it so I stuck one on temporarily. Never put a nut on it. Now I go to pull it and the threads are buggered and that wheel is stuck tight! The steering gear doesn't have too much free play so I gotta get the wheel off without further damage. What about putting the column in the vice and wrapping a ratchet strap around it? Quote
keithb7 Posted January 15, 2021 Report Posted January 15, 2021 I have limited experience with getting the steering wheel off. My pulled easily with this contraption seen in the image. I'd be weary about tightening the steering shaft outer tube in a vice. Its hollow and not overly thick. Quote
Merle Coggins Posted January 15, 2021 Report Posted January 15, 2021 The problem with a puller is pressing on the end of the hollow shaft without a nut to support the end from mushrooming. I assume you’ve tried smacking the back side of the hub with a dead blow mallet? I don’t think you’d get enough force from a ratchet strap, even if you could hold it securely enough to pull on it. But maybe with some tension on it and some persuasion with a mallet it would pop loose? Once you do get it off maybe you can dress up the threads with a thread chase. I prefer this style over the basic stick type thread file for things like that. Quote
Young Ed Posted January 15, 2021 Author Report Posted January 15, 2021 Ya I've tried hitting it and pulling on it by hand. I honestly didn't think it would get this tight on there since I never cranked a nut on it. You are right about not using the puller without a nut. Way back I actually split the shaft of a car column by not having the nut on! I do realize the tube isn't that thick but it might come down to which piece becomes sacrificial. These truck boxes in decent shape are hard to find so I can't wreck that if I can help it Quote
JBNeal Posted January 15, 2021 Report Posted January 15, 2021 Ya might not be able to get the nut back on that shaft, but what about a tight fitting sleeve? Maybe wrap copper wire or aluminum foil on the threads then sleeve with a custom fit piece of steel, bored out to keep that tube from mushrooming while cranking on the puller ? Quote
Gaige Posted January 15, 2021 Report Posted January 15, 2021 My steering wheel would not come off easily either. Borrowed a wheel puller and I got a “split collar” for the wheel puller to pull on the bottom of the steering wheel. I used an extra nut on top of the shaft as to not mushroom it out and ruin the threads. Now, even with the wheel puller I needed to smack the split collar a few good times with a hammer. And then, “Bam” it popped off. Quote
ggdad1951 Posted January 15, 2021 Report Posted January 15, 2021 11 hours ago, Gaige said: My steering wheel would not come off easily either. Borrowed a wheel puller and I got a “split collar” for the wheel puller to pull on the bottom of the steering wheel. I used an extra nut on top of the shaft as to not mushroom it out and ruin the threads. Now, even with the wheel puller I needed to smack the split collar a few good times with a hammer. And then, “Bam” it popped off. I like this idea, put something sacrificial in betwixt the puller and shaft. Quote
Young Ed Posted January 15, 2021 Author Report Posted January 15, 2021 Kind of a combo idea here. Used a muffler clamp around the column as a sacrificial item. Hit it with the air hammer. That vibrated loose a small piece of the plastic exposing the backside of the metal core if the wheel. Hit that with a pinch while son pulled and it popped off. No further damage to column and only slight damage to an already pretty jacked wheel. Now onto try and fix some pretty bad threads. 1 Quote
Merle Coggins Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 (edited) Ooh... that looks ugly. Good luck. Edited January 16, 2021 by Merle Coggins Quote
Young Ed Posted January 16, 2021 Author Report Posted January 16, 2021 50 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said: Ooh... that looks ugly. Good luck. Ya with the wheel off it looks worse than it did. I don't think there is enough length to entertain trying to shorten so I've got to try and fix it. Going to try and go from the good threads backwards to the top Quote
billrigsby Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, Young Ed said: Ya with the wheel off it looks worse than it did. I don't think there is enough length to entertain trying to shorten so I've got to try and fix it. Going to try and go from the good threads backwards to the top You may be able to chase those threads or recut them, or just shorten it and turn it down from 3/4 to 5/8 and recut 5/8 18 threads. Of course you would lose your splines for the steering wheel but you may be able to key it. Just thinking out loud. Quote
billrigsby Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 Just now, billrigsby said: You may be able to chase those threads or recut them, or just shorten it and turn it down from 3/4 to 5/8 and recut 5/8 18 threads. Of course you would lose your splines for the steering wheel but you may be able to key it. Just thinking out loud. Sorry I just looked at your picture again that's different than a 48, there are no splines, is it already keyed? Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 as the tube should be hollow...split a nut, weld to pliers...heat the threaded section....align the nut on the threads and squeeze and compress the threads....you may need also to put a filler into the hollow section. Possible you can heat and shrink it slowly back into a shape you can chase the thread...another old trick is to also use the half nut and a hammer to bump it back against a piece of brass.......just don't get in a hurry....odds are you can save this shaft. 1 Quote
JBNeal Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 additional information - split die solution 1 Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 that is great tool but remember..it will only work after the mushroom is removed and the metal basically restored very close to original.. Quote
DJ194950 Posted January 16, 2021 Report Posted January 16, 2021 Heat the mushroomed end and put the split die on quickly and gently tap inward,or use c-clamp and move around a bit a repeat. Remove and repeat as necessary to get back very close, cool and then use the split die as intended?? Just a thought. DJ Quote
Young Ed Posted March 10, 2021 Author Report Posted March 10, 2021 Well it's close. Nut is still tight and won't thread by hand but it will go on with a socket or wrench. I split a nut both directions (2 actually the first time I got a coarse thread out of the fine thread bin at the hardware store) and with a combination of taping half of it on the threads to kinda push it back straight and then using both pieces as a die from the good threads to the top it's straightened up. 4 Quote
Young Ed Posted March 10, 2021 Author Report Posted March 10, 2021 Thought I posted this a couple hours ago but no idea where it went or what happened. Anyway now that the threads are decently fixed I can proceed to repairing the rest. There wasn't really any fluid in it so I'm assuming it's a leaker (aren't they all?). The brake clean I sprayed in to clean didn't leak out of the bottom where the horn wire comes through. Isn't that the most common leak area? Only other seals are between the 2 halves and another cork at the output. There were still 4 shims installed too. 1 Quote
Merle Coggins Posted March 10, 2021 Report Posted March 10, 2021 I would think the pitman shaft seal would be the leaker. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 10, 2021 Report Posted March 10, 2021 good save on the shaft Ed, evident you took your time here... Quote
ggdad1951 Posted March 10, 2021 Report Posted March 10, 2021 2 hours ago, Merle Coggins said: I would think the pitman shaft seal would be the leaker. agreed Quote
Young Ed Posted March 10, 2021 Author Report Posted March 10, 2021 Ok is there an actual seal in there? All I saw was a cork gasket between the 2 halves Quote
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