With all due respects the heating of steering components above their lower
critical temperature in not recommended.
May be hard to visualize but the annular ring of the steering arm, where it
is pressed onto the tapered shaft is under considerable tension. Heating it
can cause a crack to form in the area which first reaches the lower critical
temperature of the steel because that area is the first to suddenly weaken
and yield to relieve the tension.
You may get away with it for years and many do...but one day......
I gave up heating any steering component after seeing the results.
Michael Salter
www.precisionsportscar.com
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-healeys@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-healeys@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of John Snyder
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 9:31 PM
To: Alan; 'Michael Salter'
Cc: 'healeys'
Subject: Re: Tools - was rear end growl
Just put some heat on it. Sure, you will ruin the seal, but you need to
replace it anyway. I use a torch to get it hot, then put pressure from a
puller on it, one wack w/ a hammer, and it pops loose.
John Snyder
> Would you, or anyone on the list, know of quality pitman arm puller that
> would fit/work on Big Healeys? To preserve the peg on my BN4 steering box
> I resorted to slitting the drop-arm with a disc cutter to release it.
> Everything else had failed. I am now putting off the moment when I tackle
> the same job on the idler!
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