I loosened the castellated nut of the pitman arm at the center link, flipped the nut upside down, and reinstalled it. Now I'm whacking the hell outta the nut with a hammer- even deforming the nut- and the joint isn't separating. Any ideas on getting it out? I'm going to head out to see if I can get a smaller pickle fork (the one I have is for balljoints; I think the gap is too big) or that "special" tie rod end puller.

And it's the last thing I need out so I can put my suspension back together!

 

You can use your ball joint pickle fork. It is too big but it'll work jsut fine. I use mine for that purpose all the time.

 

You might also try a cheap propane torch. Just heat it & let cool, sometimes just a simple thermo cycle will allow removal.

Ron

 

use a pitman arm puller. You can rent cheap ones from AutoZone. Put alot of pressure on the arm with the puller, then beat the snot out of it with the hammer. Works every time...

A pickle fork will work, but is going to put alot of stress on the bearings and seals.

 

Well, I struck out on the smaller pickle fork; they didn't have any. They didn't have the tie rod separator I've seen that looks like a gear puller, either. I did see that pitman arm puller; it looked huge though- isn't it meant for pulling the pitman arm off of the steering box? Either way; dammit, I shoulda rented it.

I'll try going back to smacking it with a hammer, I guess. If that doesn't work I'll head out for the pitman arm puller. I had tried my balljoint fork already and it didn't budge. And using a torch just sounds a bit scary; never used a propane torch before. 'Fact, I don't even know what my dad did with ours.

I'm changing out the whole suspension (except for the pitman arm itself, haha), so if I ruin the joint/seal on the center link, I won't be upset.

Thanks guys!

 

Remove the nut. Get a diamond grit or high-quality bimetal hacksaw blade (or SawZall blade) and cut most of the way through the joint on the drag link. It will split off the Pitman arm stud with just a little persuasion.

 

Bitchin!! That's what I'm talking about!! Just slice into the joint off the side of the pitman arm? That I can do! Think a cut-off wheel will work?

I went back to it with the hammer method... yeah, that got me nowhere. I even removed the nut (with difficulty since I flattened the hell outta it) and tried using the sledge directly on the stud; no good. I even tried using the balljoint pickle fork again- The damn thing didn't budge, and the fork end spread open!! Looked more like a "Y" then a fork!! I hammered it back into a fork-shape and put it away.

This does seem like a damn good time to install that quick ratio steering box (cast #26000525 Z, 2.25 turns lock-to-lock) that's been in my basement for a few years, though. Plans were originally to rebuild the suspension as I'm doing (replacing everything, including bushings), and then do the quick-ratio box and rag joint later. But hell, if I'm this far into it... plus, what the hell happens if I come back a week later to do this box, and find out the same thing happened? I'll be much less likely to go pounding the hell out of my New center link...

Haha, let see if Pep Boys carries that HELP! package with the replacement rag joint ( https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=185491 ). I betchya they don't. (sigh)

 

Well I'll be damned. They had the rag joint. They also had a tie rod pickle fork for me. The fork did it. Man, if only I had that smaller one yesterday.

So here's the deal: The car goes back together with the old rag joint and "normal" steering box. Next weekend I put on the new rag joint and quick ratio box.

All I need to know is what side I should put a stronger inner tie rod end onto (please see https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=186800 and vote on my poll), and I have no more questions to ask.

Well, at least, I think I won't hit any more strange problems. LOL! Okay, back into the garage I go.

 

ok, yeah i'm bringing this up from the dead, but just in case does anyone know where I can purchase, online, of a specific screw type ball joint separator that won't slip off the pitman arm when your tightening it? I have 2 and I bought the smallest one I could find locally slips off the pitman arm when it gets tight. I've done this job a couple of time and both times it was basically take off the tierods and the idler arm and then attack the centerlink at the pitman arm progressively with a picklefork, tierod separater all differently until the sucker finally comes out.