Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Suspension/Steering => Topic started by: booksix on September 21, 2007, 10:42:37 PM

Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: booksix on September 21, 2007, 10:42:37 PM
Ok, so, 4 hours after pulling my steering column..., I just spent 15 minutes putting it in and taking it back out repeatedly trying to figure out why it's about three to four inches to short all of a sudden!  If it's pushed all the way as far it'll go its about an inch or two short (but no where near lining up with the bolts that hold it up) and if I bolt it in place it's about three or four inches short...  I thought I was going insane but then had a flashback; I used a metal bar and a hammer to get the steering column to break free of the joint just on the other side of the firewall.  Is it possible that this action pushed the end of the steering column up into the shaft?
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: JeremyB on September 21, 2007, 10:50:13 PM
Yer darn tootin'.

I put the shaft in a vise and put a bolt through the hole at the end. I then beat on the bolt with a hammer like a Mongoloid until it was as long as before. I used the witness marks from the rubber grommet to gauge when the shaft was as long as it needed to be. There is probably an easier way, but I didn't know of one.
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: booksix on September 21, 2007, 11:16:00 PM
Hahaha, nice, I'll try it.  I did just get it to pop about an inch but needs to go some more...  I sprayed some pb, gonna finish it up in the AM.  thanks
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: Cougar5.0 on September 21, 2007, 11:37:38 PM
Mongo angry now!

:D
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on September 25, 2007, 07:21:07 AM
Quote from: Cougar5.0;177779
Mongo angry now!

:D


:beatyoass:
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: Thunder Chicken on September 25, 2007, 08:41:38 AM
Quote from: JeremyB;177769
Yer darn tootin'.

I put the shaft in a vise and put a bolt through the hole at the end. I then beat on the bolt with a hammer like a Mongoloid until it was as long as before. I used the witness marks from the rubber grommet to gauge when the shaft was as long as it needed to be. There is probably an easier way, but I didn't know of one.

I did mine in-car. I used a slide hammer puller - it was actually quite easy
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: JeremyB on September 25, 2007, 09:22:12 AM
Yet another tool I need to buy...
Title: Did my hammer shrink my steering column?
Post by: booksix on September 25, 2007, 09:37:07 AM
yeah, me too... needed it about 3 times last week. 

By the way, another method:  Put the end of the steering shaft in a vice (with a 'round' jaw) and pull on the wheel... slid right out!