Steering Gear Removal

[HawkRod]

Hi Guys,

Need some help. Yesterday we started working on my Son's 73 Road Runner daily driver - the job was to remove and replace the steering gear.

We drove out the spring steel pin and have loosened the steering column. The problem is that I can't seem to pop the steering column (rag joint) off of the splined input to the steering gear. Again, the spring steel pin has been driven out, but it won't seem to budge.

Any suggestions for getting this thing loose would be appreciated!

Hawk

Here is a picture: Right off the splines where the rag joint(?) connects. You can see the pin is out, but these are the two pieces I can't seem to separate...

 

[Sixpactogo]

I have had the same trouble many times. I suppose there are better ways but what I did was took a 3" square piece of 1/4" flat bar and drilled a 3/4" hole about 1 1/2 " from one side. Then made two cuts from the edge of the plate into the 3/4" hole making a U opening. Then I drop the plate over the shaft to protect the aluminum on the steering gear.
I then drive a big screw driver in or use a pry bar to force the joint off of the spline. They can be a pain to get off and there is probably a tool out there for the job but I haven't found it. Good luck!

 

[HawkRod]

I have had the same trouble many times. I suppose there are better ways but what I did was took a 3" square piece of 1/4" flat bar and drilled a 3/4" hole about 1 1/2 " from one side. Then made two cuts from the edge of the plate into the 3/4" hole making a U opening. Then I drop the plate over the shaft to protect the aluminum on the steering gear.
I then drive a big screw driver in or use a pry bar to force the joint off of the spline. They can be a pain to get off and there is probably a tool out there for the job but I haven't found it. Good luck!

Thanks SixPack! I already started buggering up the aluminum on the steering gear - the metal plate sounds like a great idea. I'll give that a try. The good thing is that it will also narrow the space between the two and give more force to pry it off...

 

[coloradodave]

Go to NAPA and get a can of 'fluid film'. It's a nasty, smelly spray-on penetrating lubricant that WORKS. Spray it on and tap on the sleeve with a small hammer to set up a vibration. Give it about 10 minutes to do its job. A little heat from a micro butane or propane torch will help. Good luck to you.

 

[HawkRod]

Thanks Coloradodave, just saw this now, but I am happy to announce that we got the old steering box fully disconnected and out of the car. The new box has been put in place but not yet installed (time now for a mother's day dinner).

We used Sixpactogo's idea but instead ended up making TWO plates with a U shape in them. I slipped one next to the steering box and one next to the rag joint. This left just a little space in between them and I then hammered a large screwdriver to pry them apart. It worked, but I will tell you, that was a stubborn SOB!

Taking it out was also tough, as there is not enough room, especially with headers. We had to lift up one side of the engine to work the steering box out. But, now the new box is sitting in place and over the next couple of days my son should be able to put it together.

Thanks for the help!

Hawk

 

[HawkRod]

OK, back at this again. This steering box is a major pain in the arse!

We are now trying to get the rag joint connection back ON the worm gear (opposite of my original question above). The FSM is no help: "engage coupling with worm shaft". Yeah right, but how? I know the master/index splines have to line up. We have cleaned the splines. The male worm gear on the steering box is easy, while we have had more limited success with the female end on the rag joint.

There is nothing you can really tap on the get the two back together. Any tricks of the trade or suggestions would be appreciated...

 

[mrsnicks]

I'll be tackling this shortly. Did you ever get them mated up? How did you do it?

Patrick

 

[HawkRod]

Hi Patrick,

Sorry, I forgot to update my latest post on this. Yes, we did get it all back together. I had my son gently file the rag joint connection with a small triangular file - every single spline. He did the same on the worm gear. Once it slid in with minimal effort, we put it all back together. We ended up taking out the steering column because that made it easier to work on - you may not need to...

Best of luck to you! I found the job to be a pain in the arse, mostly due to the stubborn joint. Of course, headers made everything tight too, so if you have those expect extra problems.