Help getting driveshaft yoke off

[Metalaroundstone]

I am having trouble getting my two-peice drive shaft yoke off. The bearing is okay but the rubber was shot and I was able to get replacement rubber from Orielly of like $5. Anyway, as you can see in the pictures, there is a metal dust shield in the way of getting a puller on this yoke. How does one get this yoke off? It is a hard press fit? I don't want to take it to a drive shaft shop. I like to do it myself.

[62 Barnfind]

You need a claw gear puller. You can rent one at any auto parts store.

[Metalaroundstone]

Originally Posted by 62 Barnfind

You need a claw gear puller. You can rent one at any auto parts store.

I have a claw gear puller, but because the the dust shield is in the way, there isn't a place to hook the puller on to.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

a bearing separator would probably fit in there & grab it with your puller. It is a slip fit but is rusted on. Put some solvent on it & maybe if a helper held on to the yoke you could hammer on a bolt screwed in.

[Tazimafied]

I would start with some penetrating oil then slide a heat treated rod through the holes. Back the bolt out until it binds in to the rod then whack it with a dead blow. Should get it to pop off pretty easy and no tools to buy.

[padresag]

it is just a splined fit. thread the bolt in further put thee yoke in a vise and give the bolt head a whack
ron

[Metalaroundstone]

Originally Posted by Tazimafied

I would start with some penetrating oil then slide a heat treated rod through the holes. Back the bolt out until it binds in to the rod then whack it with a dead blow. Should get it to pop off pretty easy and no tools to buy.

This is basically what I did. There just wasn't enough room to get any kind of puller behind the yoke. I did not use a hammer however and the steel bar I used was not heat treated, but was 3/4" in diameter. It had plenty of strength. After sliding the bar into the u-joint holes, I sandwiched a nut between the head of the yoke bolt and the bar. I then just backed out the yoke nut with a wrench. This required a lot of torque, but the yoke finally broke free. Even so, it fought me to the bitter end and I had to use a longer 1/2" -20 nut so I would not back out OE yoke nut so far that I would risk damaging its threads. Here are some pics. The first one shows the setup. The second is the completed job.

[Tazimafied]

Looks good. Sounds like it was on there pretty tight. A little heat on the yoke from a propane torch may have helped things along. Sorry I didn't think about that until now.

[Metalaroundstone]

Originally Posted by Tazimafied

Looks good. Sounds like it was on there pretty tight. A little heat on the yoke from a propane torch may have helped things along. Sorry I didn't think about that until now.

I did heat it up a bit with an oxy-acetylene torch, but I really couldn't heat it up enough to help break it loose because I did not want to fry the bearing, which was in very good shape. Only the rubber cushion around the bearing was bad. I was able to get a new carrier bracket complete with new rubber at Orielly for less than 6 bucks. Thanks again for your help.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

You used some good mechanical logic.

[Metalaroundstone]

One last note about replacing the center bearing bracket. As I said, I got this bracket, complete with new rubber for less than $5.00 from Orielly. It had "Made in USA" stamped on it, so I figured it was made well. As such, I ignored the advice from other posts to reinforce the welds on it. Well, the center bearing bracket made it about 2 miles before the spot welds on it started to fail. Another 2 miles and my driveshaft would have been flailing around completely unsupported. Consequently, I had to take the drive shaft out again and drill out the old crappy factory welds and weld it up myself. This was particularly agrivating when the whole time I could see the "Made in USA" stamp. Argh!

[padresag]

Originally Posted by Metalaroundstone

One last note about replacing the center bearing bracket. As I said, I got this bracket, complete with new rubber for less than $5.00 from Orielly. It had "Made in USA" stamped on it, so I figured it was made well. As such, I ignored the advice from other posts to reinforce the welds on it. Well, the center bearing bracket made it about 2 miles before the spot welds on it started to fail. Another 2 miles and my driveshaft would have been flailing around completely unsupported. Consequently, I had to take the drive shaft out again and drill out the old crappy factory welds and weld it up myself. This was particularly agrivating when the whole time I could see the "Made in USA" stamp. Argh!

at one time there was an island off Japan called USA; years before China ever got in the game
ron

[jtrichard]

That style of center carrier bearing as always been crap That is why a lot of guys switch over to the Horseshoe style bearing

[60chevyjim]

they make a aftermarket cast aluminum one with a urethane insert instead of rubber .
they are around a hundred bucks and come with the bearing .
I like to use them as they are pretty much bulletproof .
I put them in all the 59 and 60 impalas that I build .
there great for stick shift cars and trucks if you like to drive your stuff hard .
I have had the cheap factory kind lay over on there side from dumping the clutch and shreding the cheap hollow factory type rubber insert also ..