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Lower steering shaft pin removal

hunt2elk

hunt2elk

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So I got my steering box rebuilt and ordered a new coupling kit so everything is new. I can't seem to get the pin that holds the metal shoes out of the shaft in order to replace the top coupling seal. Anybody else have this problem or ideas to remove the pin? The car is a 69 RR with manual steering.
 
press it out with a bench vice. slip a socket over one end so the pin has somewhere to go (in side of the socket) as you close the vice, when it's even with the shaft open up the vice and use a pin drift to finish pushing it out. Same way to put it back on but in reverse.
 
moperformance said:
press it out with a bench vice. slip a socket over one end so the pin has somewhere to go (in side of the socket) as you close the vice, when it's even with the shaft open up the vice and use a pin drift to finish pushing it out. Same way to put it back on but in reverse.
Click to expand...

That's the same way I did mine a couple of years ago.
 
Thanks guys. I thought maybe I could remove it without taking out the steering column - but thats not going to happen. After looking at it, I don't think the pin is wore at all. I think I am going to try to slip the new seal over the pin and replace everything else in the kit.
 
I very recently rebuilt mine, did not need to replace any parts except top seal, all parts were still tight. Just clean and repack. Good luck!
 
The seal will stretch enough to go on without removing the pin.
 
Thanks guys, it was no problem getting the seal over the pin.
 
Worked like a charm

moperformance said:
press it out with a bench vice. slip a socket over one end so the pin has somewhere to go (in side of the socket) as you close the vice, when it's even with the shaft open up the vice and use a pin drift to finish pushing it out. Same way to put it back on but in reverse.
Click to expand...

Wow, Thanks for the Idea, had mine out in 10 minutes, most of that was gathering the stuff to do it. lol,,,,, the picture is pushing it the rest of the way out after I got it flush on one side with the shaft. used a bolt with tape for protection.
I also replaced the steering column seal I got from RT specialties #2266738 so My pin needed to come out to slide that on.
 

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snakeoil24 said:
I would replace the pin. After 45 years would you like to trust your life on a .10 pin? Use your brain man!
Click to expand...

Oh, I did buy the rebuild kit with seal and new pin, After $50k resto, an extra $14 was easy to part with.......lol

The tape was to protect the inside of the shaft not the old pin....."-)
 

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moperformance said:
press it out with a bench vice. slip a socket over one end so the pin has somewhere to go (in side of the socket) as you close the vice, when it's even with the shaft open up the vice and use a pin drift to finish pushing it out. Same way to put it back on but in reverse.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I beat the hell out of mine with a drift punch and a hammer. Pin never moved. So I gave up on it. Hopefully I didn't f. anything up in the gear box. Wanted to remove the column shift column for a floor shift column. How hard is it to rebuild a column? It came from Stevenson and it probably sat in the yard for a decade or two. And I'm considering a firm feel gearbox. Any thoughts?
 
I realize this post is really old but I wanted others to know there are other "hillbilly" ways to do this. I was able to remove the steering rod pin (small case hardened steel pin) from the steering shaft while in the engine bay. Here's how:

I used a 3 1/2 vise
I cut a couple of small 2x4's so that the vise could clap onto it on one of the sides.
I drilled a hole in the center of the 2x4's to allow the steel pin to travel through the 2x4 while I pressed it out without it hitting the other side of the vise.
The vise only gets the pin flush with the steering rod on one side. Do not over press or you risk scuffing or crushing the steering rod.
Then I rented the double flaring tool from O'reilly's
I had a thin piece of metal lying around and I drilled a hole in the center of it to allow the flaring tool clamp to clamp the backside of the rod while the flare pushed the steel pin through the metal.
I was able to push the pin almost halfway through the steering rod, but no more, because the flare will begin to smash the steering rod. Make sure you watch this with each turn.
I then took the vise and a 2x4 for the back side. I cut another 2x4 in half so it was twice as thick an placed that on the backside as well, because the pin is just about the same size as a 2x4 is wide, bu the wood will compress a little when using the vise. This allows the pin to fully come out and not hit the vise.
I pressed a small drill bit; square or round bit from the tool box that is close to the hole size. This was pressed all the way through until it came out.
You may need to use a breaker bar when using the vise, like the top section bar from a floor jack to apply more torque if the pin is in there very good.
Of course there are other ways of getting this pin out but I didn't want to remove my steering from the car etc.
Just tossing this out there.
 
Lol...my pin would not come out with the vice. Ended up being a nightmare. Ended up drilling it out with a drill press.
 
Bigal,
Yeah, I had to use the breaker bar initially in order to get the pin to move. BUT, once it moved 1 mm it began to continue to move. No doubt a breaker bar was needed for my application. Nearly 50 years in the same position made it feel like it was welded there.
 
You guys absolutely rock out. I just got my 6th & last " B " body 2 weeks ago. This will be my last 1, yet first 1 start to finish. I've had to search, find , locate, modify alot with the steering being 1st. I wondered about the steering shaft pin. I went from power steering to manual steering. Go figure, the shaft's short so now I'm gonna build 1. I'm gonna have to drill that hole. Since it's a machined tight fit. Does anyone know what size it is?
 
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