Spindle trouble

[Walter Moore]

Gosh! Has it really been four months since I started on the rear spindle pin project?

I still haven't gotten the rear suspension back together, but that is because I have been working too much.

I just wanted to post this "for the record".

It turns out that the reason I could not get the spindle pins out of my struts was that somehow the pins had become swagged in place right where the lock bolts went through. They were not rusted in place as I suspected...

I ended up cutting the pins with a sawsall, and taking the whole mess to a machine shop. The owner, a former co-worker who I trust, told me that he had to use a 30 ton press to get the old pins out of each strut, and it was a hard press at that.

When it was done, you could see where the metal had sheared off of the old pin right at the lock bolt. (couldn't have been my fault on the right side, since I never even removed the outer nuts on that one.) Must have been a screw-up by a previous owner, or an inexperienced mechanic.

[Bambikiller240]

I ended up cutting the pins with a sawsall, and taking the whole mess to a machine shop. The owner, a former co-worker who I trust, told me that he had to use a 30 ton press to get the old pins out of each strut, and it was a hard press at that.

When it was done, you could see where the metal had sheared off of the old pin right at the lock bolt. (couldn't have been my fault on the right side, since I never even removed the outer nuts on that one.) Must have been a screw-up by a previous owner, or an inexperienced mechanic.

I had this same problem a couple of years ago when i did my spindle pin project. My Machinest also had to use a 30 ton press (and a torch) to get things apart.

Recently, I have been trying to borrow the "Spindle Pin Puller" that was donated to our club (from the person who offered to manage the tool) in order to help a friend out with this job, but it looks like we will be going the Machine shop route since he asked me to wait upon my first request and now will not respond at all to my requests to borrow it. Guess he got a freebie, and the rest of us lose out.

[beandip]

I have a pin puller for loan ! all I ask is that it be returned to me and that the bower pay the shipping both ways. If interested contact me and include the zip and I will find out the cost of shipping . I am thinking it would be about $6.00 each way. This makes the job a 30 min. on each side and you can do it on the car. It also presses the new bushings in. Gary P. S . this is for members only please.

[Bambikiller240]

PM on the way to you, Gary.

[cj71z]

Hey everyone... I'm new here, but been cruising around learning alot.

I just finished my teardown on the rear and my pass. side came out easy.

Drivers side was harder, this is what I did. I took the B.F.H and pounded one side with the nut on to protect the threads. While pounding "like a maniac" I wrenched the pin around and around with the ratchet like I was tightening it.

Finally it popped out. Just thought I'd share my experience as my first post.

[beandip]

I have a tool to loan that makes it a easy job. send me a pm and I will set it up. makes it a easy 30min job . You just pay the shipping cost both ways for the tool and return it to me clean and complete. please for members only. Gary By the way you can reuse the old pins which are $25.00 ea. So the shipping will be less than half of that.

[ezzzzzzz]

Made my spindle pin removal tool and got to work today. Things are nice and clean under my Z...no rust or corrosion. I decided to drop both sides complete. Pulling the driveshafts took less than 30 minutes. Every bolt came out without a hitch. In 20 minutes I had both strut/control arms assemblies on the ground. I quickly ground out the flats on the stub axles and spun the nuts off. A few mild hammer blows with a bar of aluminum and the stub axles were out (swapping for the 280Z stub axles). One spindle pin came right out with no fuss. Damn, things were really looking good. The other spindle pin was completely frozen in place. I sheared the threaded end off in my tool...double damn! I used a cutoff wheel to sever the pin on either side of the stub axle housing. Clamped in a vice, I put serious heat using an acetylene/oxygen torch on the housing. No matter how I pounded the pin remnant it will not come out. I pose three questions here, will a northern tool or harbor freight press do the job (because I'm willing to buy one?, will a shop be able to press this out without damaging the housing? Does anyone have a good PS rear housing in case I'm totally screwed? Any input will be appreciated.

[jmortensen]

I pose three questions here, will a northern tool or harbor freight press do the job (because I'm willing to buy one?, will a shop be able to press this out without damaging the housing? Does anyone have a good PS rear housing in case I'm totally screwed? Any input will be appreciated.

A 12 ton HF press IS NOT BIG ENOUGH. Personal experience here. The 20 should do it (no personal experience here, but I think it should work). I called all the shops around this area, everyone knew about the spindle pins which surprised me, and nobody wanted to touch it, which didn't surprise me.

BTW, in case you do decide to buy a 20 ton or larger press, I'll give you a $25 discount... http://classifieds.hybridz.org/showproduct.php?product=1467&sort=1&cat=21&page=1

[Walter Moore]

The machine shop that I used in Indianapolis said that it was a hard job with a 30 ton press, but he got both of my pins out of their housings without any damage to the strut body.

So I know that it can be done.

[mdbrandy]

A 12 ton HF press IS NOT BIG ENOUGH. Personal experience here. The 20 should do it (no personal experience here, but I think it should work). I called all the shops around this area, everyone knew about the spindle pins which surprised me, and nobody wanted to touch it, which didn't surprise me.

BTW, in case you do decide to buy a 20 ton or larger press, I'll give you a $25 discount... http://classifieds.hybridz.org/showproduct.php?product=1467&sort=1&cat=21&page=1

I'll second that. I acutally bent the press shaft on my HF 12 ton trying to press out one spindle pin. Then I got a pin-puller, and so far I've done 4 with no problems, including the one that wouldn't come out with the 12-ton press.

[First Gen Z]

I have a couple of spindle pin pullers for sale. They are the allthread and tube type. They take all of the misery out of removing the pins. The price is $35.00 plus $9.00 shipping. You can email me at skipzcar@aol.com.

[ezzzzzzz]

First of all, I sheared the threaded portion off in my pin puller. It can be repaired and will remove all but the most stubborn pins. Now the good news, the pin is OUT!!! I brought the assembly into work and went to see my good friend in the machine shop. The housing was sprayed with Aero Kroil. This stuff is amazing. I've used every nut buster out there and this stuff outshines them all! We turned down several grade 8 9/16" bolts in various lengths without the threads. I drilled a 11/16" hole through a 1/2" plate to support the housing 360 degrees. We used a 15 ton press and used a 1/2" long bolt to start. This minimized the risk of it being shot out under tremendous load (Warning: this operation can easily maim or kill you...Safety First!). at 3,000 PSI the pin started to move. It became progressively easier and finally dropped out. There was no rust, in this case, to sieze the pin. What had happened was an overzealous PO or tech had driven the lock pin in so tightly that it distorted the spindle pin and caused the ensuing mayhem. The pin was actually deformed on top from hammer blows! Apparently, they didn't understand the purpose of that lock pin. It is ONLY there to stop the pin from rotating when installing/removing the nuts. Only enough force is required to snug up the lock washer against the housing and NO MORE! I plan on using a Nylock for that purpose on reinstallation.