Spindle pins - pain in the nuts!!

[Sailor Bob]

Just spent the afternoon trying to remove these babies, got one out and ended up up removing the entire control arm on the passenger side to get at the other. I have also invested several half hour periods with penetrating oil and a couple of taps here and few bangs there with a ball peen hammer (On a nut covering the ends of course). In the end I am giving up - the bushings look fine enough for now and I can get the shocks in as is.

The point I wanted to make is that my old bomb is in pretty good condition no rusted parts (other than a little beneath the battery and the exhaust system), not a single seized screw, bolt or nut, but those g-d d--m spindle pins are pretty near impossible to get out. After destroying the threads (by banging on the nutted ends) it finally popped out with a 3/8 drive extention to push it through and behold "A perfect pin" no rust - not a spot, but close inspection (by a mechanical freind of mine reveiled that the offensive part was a shoulder where the lock pin passes through. It looks as if the lock pin pushed up a small shoulder on one side making the spindle virtually impossible to move. The spindle pin easily (but tightly) slides in and out of all parts until it meets the shoulder.

Anyway that's my contribution, not sure how it can help anyone but if you wish to see a picture - let me know and I'll post one.

One step closer to the road - yee ha.

Later

[beandip]

My spindle pin puller would have made this a easy job with out any hammering. The mistake most make is to over tighten the lock pin . They are only there to keep the spindle pin to rotating while you tighten the end nuts. When re-tightening the lock pin , take it down until the lock washer is collapsed and no more . The puller is out on loan at present , but I have it to loan if any member needs it. Gary

[Fun_in_my_z]

Yeah but us simple minded peaple dont always think of everything...

[Darrel]

Spending 45 mins to pound one pin out was long enough for me to make my own puller. That and reading all the horror stories of the pins in the archives.

[Sailor Bob]

Any chance of seeing a picture of this puller?

[Carl Beck]

Any chance of seeing a picture of this puller?

See the Z Car Home Page of course:

<a href=http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/SpindlePinTool.htm TARGET=NEW>http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/SpindlePinTool.htm</a>

FWIW

Carl

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

http://ZHome.com

[V8-240Z]

I am the one that makes the puller that Gary (beandip) loans out. I have more information on the puller at the link below. That is a nice drawing and explanation about how to make and use the tool on zhome.com

http://www.s94643514.onlinehome.us/SpindlePinPuller/

[Darrel]

Any chance of seeing a picture of this puller?

You have a PM with a link to a pic and parts list to make your own.

Another couple of pics in the Winter 2006 issue of Sportz magazine page 22.

[ZCCOR#109]

Well.....

Now that it is out, be sure to put Neverseize (sp) on it when it goes back in.

Mine were difficult to remove in 1973-4 after just two years of residence down on the road. But in 94 they came out like a champ because of the neverseize.

[ncz]

Hey Bob, at least you didn't add fire to the ordeal as I did. A few minutes with the blue torch, all kinds of fire and smoke, roasted the oil in my shock, and then watched a highly frustrated guy pound the bejesus out of that pin. Highly entertaining but relatively expensive. Puller is a much better idea!!