Pitman Puller Fail

Dylan Galvin

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Spent too many hours grinding up a crap pitman puller from autozone to make it fit the large pitman arm on the 66 Monaco only for it to end up like this when using it. I’m putting in a new steering box, so I don’t mind damaging the splines/gears on the end of the box that go into the pitman arm. Any unorthodox methods you guys could suggest for forcing this arm out? I could also just remove them together or grind it out and buy a new arm, but those are $$$.

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IF you have a 2 or 3 arm bearing puller that can work too, just torque it up as much as you can, until you feel that the fingers might pop off, then hit it with more heat and the give the back side of the pitman arm a big whack with a big hammer, or a steel bar and hammer.
 
Pickle fork ain’t wide enough to get around the gear coming out the box, getting pretty close to grinding this arm in half. I’ll try banging it around with some heavy stuff first
 
I have put tension on the puller in the past and then hit the pitman arm with a BFH(Big F'in' hammer)
 
IF you have a 2 or 3 arm bearing puller that can work too, just torque it up as much as you can, until you feel that the fingers might pop off, then hit it with more heat and the give the back side of the pitman arm a big whack with a big hammer, or a steel bar and hammer.


Unless your planning on doing a complete seal /bearing job on the box, I'd avoid heat as much as possible. Heat and steering boxes aren't a good combo, just sayin'.
If the box is out, I'd take it to a machine shop and get it pressed off, to me out would be worth the $20.00
 
Some NAPA stores have tools that you can rent. Might be worth exploring.
 
The pitman arm sure likes to get stuck after 50 some odd years. The factory tool is four times the size of the junk ones out there.
 
Speaking of Auto Zone and Advance Auto Parts. Available from either store. the pic below is of a fairly bullet proof puller. Just upgrade the pinch bolts to grade 8 quality. Works well on most auto pitman arms.

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Interested in what new steering box your using. I took my wagon in today for alignment and was told my original box was junk. So i am researching my options now.
 
I rented a valve spring puller once, you should've seen it when I got home. You'd think they used it to pull a suspension spring on a semi it was so trashed and bent up. I don't know how people screw up semi decent tools?
Pickle fork ain’t wide enough to get around the gear coming out the box
Is this one of those one piece forks or the kind that you can screw different size forks to it? I find it hard to believe that you can't find a fork to fit to do the job? Good Luck
 
Is this one of those one piece forks or the kind that you can screw different size forks to it? I find it hard to believe that you can't find a fork to fit to do the job? Good Luck
I have two fixed pickle forks that are intended for suspension work, neither fit around the output of the steering box
 
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