i need some help

[meathead95]

i cant get the steering arm off of my k20 do any of you have a special trick to remove it or is there a tool i can buy?

[Chris27]

I used a BFH and a whole lotta swearin' to remove mine.

[johnnywagon]

Originally Posted by Chris27

I used a BFH and a whole lotta swearin' to remove mine.

[Blue_71]

if your talking about the pitman arm that goes on the steering gear, they make a pitman arm puller

[kwmech]

Obviously, the hardest part is getting the cones to come loose. Soak liberaly with some PB Blaster. BFH helps. Hit the sides, put the nuts back on the studs, then hit the top of the nuts. The idea is to get the cones to pop. You will need new nuts. Just gotta work it.

[Zoomad75]

Do a little searching on here. Many techniques. Do it right and it will be off in under 20 minutes or less. Do it wrong and your hammer at it like a blacksmith for two days and it still wont come off.

What worked for me was liberal doses of WD-40 days before removal. every day for a week. Then, remove the nuts and swing the BFH DOWN on the curved part of the arm. Few hits and the back cone pops up enough to twist it out. Repeat process for the next two cones. Mine, which was the original stuck in place for 30+ years popped off in 10 minutes. Rust and all.

The key is to shock the cones. Hitting the studs performs a similar trait, but at the cost of the nuts and possibly the stud bending if you hit it at an angle. Trust me, if you bend the stud, the cone ISN'T coming off. Hitting the arm down provides extra leverage and a rocking action as the opposite end of the arm is trying to come up. Thats why the back cone comes out first this way.

SOAK SOAK SOAK!

[meathead95]

yeah thats how i got my last one off (5 years ago) was soaking it and beating the crap out of it lol.................... but this sucker, i beat on it last night with a 10lb sledge until my arms felt like they where the size of telephone poles and i bent the end of the arm down so i gave up. i guess ill go back at it today.

[OLDCHEV4X4]

I took a big socket that fit the cone washer inside, put it over the stud and cone washer, and smacked it with a BFH. The shock on the stearing arm jarred the cone washer loose. BINGO!

[meathead95]

so the socket was bigger then the cone washer or it fit on the cone washer?

[gyjackson]

Try smacking it on the side. I know it doesn't sound like it will work, but I did it to mine Saturday. about 10 solid licks and off it came.

[meathead95]

man this sucks i still cant get it off

[OLDCHEV4X4]

The socket was bigger that the cone washer.

[meathead95]

yeah i figured so but i just wanted to make sure. i couldnt get it to work either

[kevinr1970]

If we are talking about the same thing, on my '86 my buddy turned the wheel back and forth while I put a pry bar beween the arm and the steering box or what ever was above it.
But with the mention of cones either the '86 is totally different or I am talking about something totally different?

[Yukon Jack]

I feel for ya, I had to beat for ever to get the steering arm off of the donor axle that is going in my K5. I ended up with two bent studs too - so that sucked shelling out money for new studs, they aren't cheap!

[RShaips]

I am putting a 6" lift on my 72 K10 and I had a hell of a time getting mine off, just got it off tonight! I soaked it for days and beat the hell out of it with no luck. Today I went to Sears and bought an air hammer with a chisel and tried to get under it and hammered away in the front and back. It came loose! I wanted an air hammer anyway, only $40.00, I used it on something else already! Good Luck

[Chevy Fleetside]

soaked mine with some penetrating oil and it poped right off with a few swings of a 3lb sledge.. 28 years old ...

[qksilver]

If you have a torch you can gently heat the arm, that will usually break the cones free

[wanted]

The cones have a split in them you can see it from the top. So I usually bang on the arm and heat the arm around the studs to break things loose then take a narrow thin chisel and tap it into the split in the cone. as you widen the split it naturally comes out.
The large socket over the studs and beating works well too but if the axle is in a vehicle it's tough to get good swings.

[meathead95]

well ive done everything mentioned including the air chisel and to no luck lol. im going to try the chisel into the split that is a new one and a guy at work told me to melt some wax down around the cones and it will help free them up at this point who knows

[Zoomad75]

That's one stuck arm for sure! I feel for you. I watched my nieghbors back in Michigan beat the snot out of one all weekend long. Heat and lots of whacks with a large sledge.

Thats why I was worried when I did mine. I'd bet the melted wax might help. When chisiling the cones, you might try to hit them at an angle so you end up spinning them like a nut on a bolt. When we did mine, once the cone was up high enough to expose the slot we just turned it left to unscrew it the rest of the way out.

keep fighting it! You'll get it off. I know taking the entire axle out from under the truck is a tempting thought so you can really swing at it, but don't. how would you keep the axle from moving when you whack at it if it was loose on the floor? Keep the wieght of the truck on the axle so it don't move and no energy is wasted.

[meathead95]

i finally got it. i ended up taking the fender, inner fender, and hood off so i could get a good wood chopin swing. after about 40 of those it was off. im as tickled as a pig in **** right now lol.............

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by meathead95

i finally got it. i ended up taking the fender, inner fender, and hood off so i could get a good wood chopin swing. after about 40 of those it was off. im as tickled as a pig in **** right now lol.............

now you just have to put it all back together...

[meathead95]

yeah i know fun fun. and i had all my body lines perfect.

[Zoomad75]

Whatever it takes! now you know what being a blacksmith is like from pounding on that arm for so long.