Restoring Rusty

[Gregski]

but wait it gest worse, you know me and stickers right, so I go to peal off the REMANUFACTURED sticker off the back of this thing, and I pull a foot of paint off with it

heck this paint job makes mine look like Michelangelos'

[Gregski]

ok, third and final straw that broke the camel's back as I was still trying to make it work, by mounting on all the brackets, was this stupid key that would not fit in the groove to put the pulley back on

now, come on Greg just grind it flat a bit and it will slide right in, don't tell me I didn't consider that till I slid it in my pulley and it fit snug there, so if I were to grind it down it would wiggle in the pulley while fitting in the shaft, not gonna do it

[Gregski]

The Greg is off to NAPA for a new power steering pump... be right back

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by Gregski

The Greg is off to NAPA for a new power steering pump... be right back

uh oh... Reman was crap.

[enaberif]

**double post**

[greg64]

That's sad. What good is a reman no one can really use? Good luck, Gregski.

[rusty76]

Always fun.

[Gregski]

decided to take the steering gear box off, but cant get the pitman arm off the knuckle, can I use a pickle fork on it?

[Titomars]

That is just one of the many reasons I do NOT buy hard parts from O'Reilly's.

[Titomars]

Originally Posted by Gregski

decided to take the steering gear box off, but cant get the pitman arm off the knuckle, can I use a pickle fork on it?

I personally don't use pickle forks they tend to do more damage than help.
I remove my Pittman arms with a good 2 or 3 lb sledge hammer. A couple of good strikes will release it once the nut is off. Like tie rods ends the Pittman arm to shaft is a taper fit.

[Gregski]

ok, well lets get us up to speed on the damage that The Greg has done today, since NAPA had the same crudy pump as Oh Reallys, (they said it's made by BBB Enterprises, that don't sound shady at all) I ordered one from CarQuest (pronounced expensive)

so as I waited for the new(er) pump to arrive I decided to stay busy

what to do, what to do?

I know off with the inner fender

[Gregski]

those of you who have been with me and Rusty since day uno, know that The Greg likes his inner fenders not black but the color of the vehicle, so this one is going to get treated to a coat of green on it's back and some undercoating on it's belly, but first he'll need a bath, stay tuned

oh by the way, stripped/broken bolt count = 0

[Gregski]

now where were we, oh yes, trying to remove the steering gear box, so since The Greg is a one clown circus he has to improvise so he used his boy scout knot tying skills and fabed this Russian crane hoist

you twist the smaller 2x4 on top and it lifts the part you are trying to lift, genius I tell you

[Gregski]

with the steering box literally hanging in the balance I still could not get that darn pitman arm off, yes I tried using gentle persuasion aka my 3 lbs sledge, no go, tried PB Blaster, wedged and broke a large screw driver in there too

I felt as if it was me vs 40 years of stick-to-it-a-vness

[greg64]

Wow, you got all those bolts out without breaking any? I'm impressed.

Now, I have something else for you to do. In the picture that shows the master cylinder well, I can see some wires that have blue butt-splices. Those things suck for long term connection quality, but they are quick to put on. I'd take advantage of the great access you have to those wires right now to fix those.

In my experience, with automotive wiring, there's no substitute for soldered connections with heat shrink tubing over the joint. They last forever. Nothing is more frustrating than unreliable wiring.

[Gregski]

so off to AZ, to pick up some "specialty" tools

got a fork and a pitman arm puller, the actual pitman arm proved to be useless, LOL

the fork on the other hand got her done!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by greg64

...In the picture that shows the master cylinder well, I can see some wires that have blue butt-splices... I'd take advantage of the great access you have to those wires right now to fix those.

You are making it very difficult to procrastinate on those! LOL

[greg64]

Wait a minute on the steering box. It's far easier to release the tapered joint at the other end of the pitman arm with a pickle fork. Unless, of course, you're looking to replace the pitman arm.

The way to get the pitman arm off is with a puller. You apply a fair bit of tension with the puller, and the tap the pitman arm from the side with a hammer. The puller alone won't do it, at least in my experience.

[Gregski]

ok, so let's see that hunk of junk out in the open

FYI the only thing heavier than this steering box on the truck so far be the Muncie gear box, hee hee

[greg64]

Originally Posted by Gregski

You are making it very difficult to procrastinate on those! LOL

That's my job!

[Gregski]

then I spent the next two hours transferring the dirt, grime, grease, and rust off of the steering box and onto myself

she aint perfect, but definitely more better...

I would clean her some more [big lie] but I have to go pick up the new(er) pump from CarQuest

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by greg64

It's far easier to release the tapered joint at the other end of the pitman arm with a pickle fork.

Says the man who hasn't faced the wroth of the stupid nut that you have to git off first!!! Man not only was it one size bigger than the largest wrench I own, but not even tapping the tool with a sledge could loosen it up... stubborn little fella!

[Titomars]

the 3 lb sledge method only works if the box is still mounted to the frame. I highly doubt the arm will give it up on the floor. Just an observation but it looks like the nut is still on and tight. the nut has to be off or damn near off. The fun begins trying to hold that heavy box up and start a bolt or two.

[Gregski]

what gets me is how this massive 3 ton steering box connects to the steering shaft, via a rubber disc the size of your grandmas coffee table coasters, exactly three of them stacked together???

[Titomars]

Originally Posted by Gregski

what gets me is how this massive 3 ton steering box connects to the steering shaft, via a rubber disc the size of your grandmas coffee table coasters, exactly three of them stacked together???

Yeah I hear ya. I hate those "rag" joints. Cut from old tire carcasses. LOL