Important Information About Tapered Inserts

[Moist Lightning]

Well the guy that made the samurai swords on the side must've forged my steering arms because I cant drill them and one machine shop has said they cant do it. Im taking them to another machine shop but I had no idea that this would be the hardest thing about this swap! I even got a cobalt drill bit and it did better but ultimately gave out!

 

You may already know but just incase it helps some others out i'll explain the best method to drill these out. Basically the larger the bit the slower you want to drill. this is because a larger bit spinning at the same rpm as a smaller bit is actually moving much faster. So to drill through these you need to go slow with A LOT of pressure. you'd be surprised how much more you can cut when you have speed and pressure right.

 

However, I think there probably is a variance in metal hardness as i've come across the odd bolt that was insanely strong. Hope the next shop is able to do if for ya.

[thisismatt]

Slow speed, rigidly held in place, anchorlube...

 

[MantisX620]

Got an old school machinist to help me out. 11/16" exactly! Now to move on to other parts of the project finally!

[Spawn]

On 7/6/2018 at 3:15 PM, MantisX620 said:

Got an old school machinist to help me out. 11/16" exactly! Now to move on to other parts of the project finally!

MantisX620, out of curiosity, how did you manage to get your Pitman arm off of the steering rack?  When we were trying to do it, my buddy only had a fork for an air hammer, so we tried using that but it wouldn't budge.  I'm thinking that maybe it was because it's going in at an angle and causing the splines to bind somewhat.  I would think some form of puller that would pull concentrically down the center of the shaft would be best, but I'm only familiar with one like that used for pulling steering wheels off (which are probably nowhere near as tightly held on as the Pitman arm is).

[]2eDeYe]

You need a puller designed for import pitman arms. Best to take some measurements and search for that size. 

 

Or heat and a BFH 

[Spawn]

13 minutes ago, ]2eDeYe said:

You need a puller designed for import pitman arms. Best to take some measurements and search for that size. 

 

Or heat and a BFH 

Actually, we tried the heat and BFH with the fork spreader (or whatever it's called).  That wasn't getting the job done.  So you're saying that if I just search Google online for something like "import pitman arm puller" it may actually find something?  I'm on the hunt now!

 

I can't believe I never thought of searching specifically for "Pitman arm puller"... here's a couple that I found.  Which style would be best to use?  I'm thinking the solid shaped one versus a hinged/expanding one.

https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Tool-W142-Pitman-Puller/dp/B0002KO0PO

https://www.amazon.com/PITMAN-PULLER-CARS-TRUCKS-HEAVY/dp/B00OJNUYLY

Edited November 15, 2018 by Spawn

[datzenmike]

I call it a 'pickle fork'. I jam mine in and hammer it tight. Then strike outside where the spline would be on the arm. And it pops off. I think a puller is a much better idea as when you wedge a fork in there you are pulling down on the sector shaft which is supported by???? that lash adjustment nut??

[]2eDeYe]

You want to make sure the fingers fit the gap between the box and the arm as well as close enough together to engage the arm. 

 

The solid style is best if you can get it in the size you need

 

[MantisX620]

On 11/14/2018 at 2:26 PM, Spawn said:

MantisX620, out of curiosity, how did you manage to get your Pitman arm off of the steering rack?  When we were trying to do it, my buddy only had a fork for an air hammer, so we tried using that but it wouldn't budge.  I'm thinking that maybe it was because it's going in at an angle and causing the splines to bind somewhat.  I would think some form of puller that would pull concentrically down the center of the shaft would be best, but I'm only familiar with one like that used for pulling steering wheels off (which are probably nowhere near as tightly held on as the Pitman arm is).

 

I used a pittman arm puller from Autozone along with my air impact wrench. I got it hand tight onto the arm first and then I blasted it with my air impact. Came right off. Probably not the safest way to do it, but...... Drilling those damn holes were the hardest part for me. That is some tough metal! Make sure you get a solid one that fits right. The ones that pivot slip off for this job.

 

MantisX

Edited November 20, 2018 by MantisX620

[5t341tH]

I’ve done this job as well. Took a long time to drill to the metal but it eventually went through. I used a drill hogs brand drill bit and it stayed sharp through both sides. I had to widen the slots by two cutting wheel width but it slid in