Steering box removal

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:02 am

How does the steering gear box separate from the steering wheel shaft? Mine looks like it is rivited together. The are just the three long bolts holding the gear box to the frame right??

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:16 am

One bolt clamp to the steering boxes splined input shaft.
The rag joint can stay with the steering shaft.
Three mounting bolts sounds right. You will also need to separate the pitman arm ball joint from the intermediate/relay rod.
Pulling the pitman from the box cab be a bugger as they really get attached to each other.

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:35 am

Will I need a ball joint separator or will a nice wack with a heavy hammer get it apart? I do have a pitman arm puller though.

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:38 am

A separator will be the easiest. Don't hit the threaded portion of the ball joint. If you need to swat the side of the relay rod where the ball joint connects. Support the opposite side and swat it hard. This will sort of oval the hole and pop the tapered shaft loose. The same thing can be done to remove the pitman arm from the output shaft.
Use a BFH to swat with and a bigger BFH to hold the opposite side.

You may need to use a puller as well.

You can always heat as a last resort too. sometimes it takes all three to get them loose.

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:51 am

I've got everthing except the separator. Back to Autozone I guess. They have a "tool loaning program" If you keep it you pay for it. The pitman arm puller was only $13.00. Maybe a tie rod separator will be cheap too. Thank you.
Jeff

Post by **HenryJ** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:04 am

Not a bad thing to have in the box. Might come in handy later, you never know.