Steering Rack Disassembly and Refurb

[Namerow]

16 hours ago, zKars said:

Any ideas on pushing that knubbn back in? Rack ain't going back in with that thing sticking out like that....

Maybe rig up some kind of lever-fulcrum arrangement inside the bore?  1/2"-dia hardened-steel bar stock for the lever.  A shaped piece of hardwood might get the job done as a fulcrum.  Alternatively, a piece of aluminum bar stock.

I like the expanding collet idea, but not sure if you'll find a suitable item.  The same principle (wedge-and-ramp) might be put in play if you can come up with a hardened-steel wedge that could be hammered in, riding on a hardwood (or metal) 'floor' inserted into the bore.  I have a long (9") tapered punch in my toolbox that would be the first thing I'd try.

Another idea:  Thread a stud of appropriate length (equal to the inside dia. of the rack bore) and dia. (about the same as the dia. of the protruding pin) into a nut until the end of the stud reaches the opposite side of the nut.  Now thread a couple of additional nuts onto the stud.  Position them at the middle of the stud and jam them together.  Insert into the bore, with the free end of the stud riding against the end of the pin.  Now use a wrench on the jam nuts to back the stud out of the nut at the base.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Namerow
added another idea

[240260280]

Fashion a small crowbar like piece of metal with flat blade end ground narrow to push pin.

 

[240260280]

Or drive it out then re-insert

Edited January 20, 2018 by 240260280

[Patcon]

1 hour ago, 240260280 said:

Or drive it out then re-insert

That may be the easiest idea

[Captain Obvious]

On ‎1‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 4:47 PM, zKars said:

I found a few spare minutes to indulge the OCD in all of us.

Thanks for the work to satisfy the OCD. I've got some questions...

So, the gear box portion of the early steering racks are cast aluminum? I don't know when they changed it (suspect 74?), but by the time they got to 77, they were cast iron, not aluminum.

Also, were there holes drilled all the way through the tube into the interior? Or were they blind drilled? Or maybe no drilling at all? It would be difficult to align pre-drilled holes in those two parts... If those are in pins pressed in, I would think they would assemble first and then drill.

As for getting things back to where they started.... I agree with the suggestion about pushing them all the way through and starting over. If it took non-trivial hammer pounding to get the thing to protrude that much into the interior, I think you're going to have a very hard time getting in there and pushing it back out of the way again. I don't think using a tapered mandrel is going to work because of the geometry and the fact that the ID of the bushings is the smallest dimension.

Man, I'm surprised you took a hammer to a unit you intend to use again...  Brave man!   

[zKars]

3 minutes ago, Captain Obvious said:

Thanks for the work to satisfy the OCD. I've got some questions...

So, the gear box portion of the early steering racks are cast aluminum? I don't know when they changed it (suspect 74?), but by the time they got to 77, they were cast iron, not aluminum.

Also, were there holes drilled all the way through the tube into the interior? Or were they blind drilled? Or maybe no drilling at all? It would be difficult to align pre-drilled holes in those two parts... If those are in pins pressed in, I would think they would assemble first and then drill.

As for getting things back to where they started.... I agree with the suggestion about pushing them all the way through and starting over. If it took non-trivial hammer pounding to get the thing to protrude that much into the interior, I think you're going to have a very hard time getting in there and pushing it back out of the way again. I don't think using a tapered mandrel is going to work because of the geometry and the fact that the ID of the bushings is the smallest dimension.

Man, I'm surprised you took a hammer to a unit you intend to use again...  Brave man!   

Yes, the 240 racks I have are aluminum. Later ones are steel, the ones with the bearing in the end of the pinion. 

I don't think it's a pin. Given the bulge I see on the inside I'm guessing some kind of maybe hot rivet that is soft when inserted? I have not had the time to look further at this, got other irons in the fire.

That housing was a spare I had scavenged some inner tie rods from. I was about to band saw the thing in half just in front of those pins so I could see in there better.  Usec racks I am not short of, and now that we've got a supplier of new racks, their value has fallen some. Anybody need a spare?

[Captain Obvious]

I was going to suggest that about the bulge on the inside. I was wondering if you were just creating a dent by pounding with the drift punch.

Band saw!
Band saw!
Band saw!

[zKars]

3 minutes ago, Captain Obvious said:

I was going to suggest that about the bulge on the inside. I was wondering if you were just creating a dent by pounding with the drift punch.

Band saw!
Band saw!
Band saw!

 

First thing tomorrow I'll open that sucker up like a cod fish. All in the name of science, right?

And I'll keep pounding one of the holes and see what I get out. 

[siteunseen]

1 hour ago, zKars said:

And I'll keep pounding one of the holes and see what I get out. 

Oh lord!

[Captain Obvious]

Hahaha!!! So what's the result? WE WANT PICS!!!   

[zKars]

What time do you people get up in the morning?  Just had coffee, have to go grocery shopping, then we'll see what happens with the bandsaw. Hopefully the rack is all that gets cuts off.....

[Captain Obvious]

I'm in the east coast time zone, so my morning is a couple hours before your morning.

So take your time... I won't be back until some time tonight probably.

Drink the coffee before you step in front of the bandsaw. Don't need no mishaps!