wishbone bolt removal

phat rat · April 13, 2006, 10:06:15 PM

OK anyone have a secret way of getting this done at home without a press? All I can think of is heat, PB blaster and a BFH. By the way the axle is off the car. I want to use these bones so I don't want to wreck them.

enjenjo · April 13, 2006, 10:15:41 PM

I heat the axle, not the bolt, it will usually come out. If that don't work, I drill the bolt down the center from the bottom, 1/2" or bigger, and use a long thin punch in the hole to get it out, that does it.

phat rat · April 13, 2006, 11:00:30 PM

Thanks Frank, I'll give your way a try. This is the axle I had in the back of the truck Mon.

unklian · April 13, 2006, 11:39:11 PM

I ended up building a press just to take mine apart,
and it still took a LOT of heat AND pressure.

If you are not worried about saving the axle,it will be much easier.

donsrods · April 13, 2006, 11:56:37 PM

When you put the new one in, pack it with lots of good waterproof wheel bearing grease. 5 years from now you will be happy you did.

Don

zzebby · April 15, 2006, 01:32:36 PM

I have a 38 ford 1 1/2 ton truck so you know the front axle is BIG. Some 25 yrs ago I wanted to knock out those pins and replace them with longer machined stainless ones to attach a sway bar. I took it in to the tool room at my work as they had a big rosebud tip. Well to give you a bit of background, this was in Toronto and the company had about 15 oldtimer toolmakers all born in central and eastern Europe. These guys all had really thick accents and if you could understand them they were a wealth of knowledge. They were all true toolmakers, a product of the apprentice program in the old country. (other stories here). I was all of maybe 27 or 28 years old and so as I was dragging in this huge axle and bones assy, a crusty old Russian guy, probably mid sixties asked what I was doing. I said I was hoping they had two torches and two rosebuds and that I wanted to heat up the axle around the pin and then pound it with their biggest sledge while it was hot. In his broken English he told me I was backwards and to go and get a pail of water. When I returned he had the axle wishbone right side up sitting on the floor. He fired up the rosebud to its max and applied all the heat to just the pin. It took maybe five minutes and the pin was cherry and the axle not. He shut off the torch and immediately poured the pail of water on it, then told me to come back in an hour and walked back to what he was doing.

? An hour later he was waiting for me with a 5 pound ball peen in his hand. He put the axle on the floor with the bones pointed up in the air and holding the bones with one hand swung the hammer on the threaded pin end. The pin skittered 10 feet across the shop. Same with the other pin. One blow each. He explained that getting the pin hotter than the axle and then rapid cooling causes the pin to shrink smaller than it was and also breaks the bond between it and the axle.
I worked there about 5 yrs and those old timers never ceased to surprise me. They never openly mocked my engineering degree, but they sure made it clear that I was a novice and they were masters of real world manufacturing.

phat rat · April 15, 2006, 03:20:14 PM

That's what I like about this forum, some really good ideas and different ways of doing things come to light. Thanks.

Bib_Overalls · April 15, 2006, 04:10:54 PM

So, I guess we can assume you got the perch bolts out.

phat rat · April 15, 2006, 04:28:37 PM

Quote from: "Bib_Overalls"So, I guess we can assume you got the perch bolts out.

Not yet, got busy doing things around the yard and haven't had time. I'll let you know when their out.

Charlie Chops 1940 · April 15, 2006, 06:21:15 PM

The heat and rapid cooling works good to remove oil galley plugs from engine blocks prior to hot tanking. Most of the kids in the auto machine shops today haven't a clue on how to get them out.

Charlie

phat rat · April 20, 2006, 07:08:42 PM

The answer to how zzebbys idea worked is, it did. Not one blow and across the floor but it did loosen things up enough that the first blow on the side showed it was working. The other side was harder but I got it. Thanks zzebby

GPster · April 20, 2006, 07:52:31 PM

Quote from: "phat rat"The answer to how zzebbys idea worked is, it did. Not one blow and across the floor but it did loosen things up enough that the first blow on the side showed it was working. The other side was harder but I got it. Thanks zzebby

I'm glad you got done with your yard work. Maybe if you did your mowing like Enjenjo people would be glad to do your mowing too. GPster

phat rat · April 20, 2006, 08:20:01 PM

No way am I done with yard work yet. We live on 15 acres of woods and I'm cleaning up blow downs, snags, fallen limbs and dead trees still standing that are between the house and the road (500 ft X 575 Ft). Didn't get it done last year as I was working 6 days a week. Had some rain early this morning so I put the time too good use instead of being on the putor. Back to the yard tomorrow plus getting the leaves picked up that weren't down yet when winter came. Good thing I have a wife who pitches in also.

abonecoupe31 · June 01, 2006, 09:38:43 PM

I learned this trick late in life. On my last job, before I hit my thumb and had a left brain stem stroke and had to retire. I also spent my life, 30 years, in the tool and diemaking trade.

I repaired a lot of molds that were in production. The secret to removing a stuck part, or a hard to remove core, was to heat it up and apply beeswax.

I was just like everyone else out there, heat it up, apply a blast of Pb or any of the other penetrants. But the wax didn't boil off...it soaked into the joint and the part worked right out, without galling or tearing up threads.

You are so right about heating up the bolt and expanding the joint. That works the best.