Fecking track rod ends... argh!!! Help?!

[clivehorridge]

 

[frank rabbets]

Out but not down. Good job.

 

[IRLGW]

Heat. Its that simple. If you are not intending to re-use the part the get it red hot if possible. Honestly and I would only use the gas torch not the Oxy anyhow. If you jack up the axle and then lower it down onto a heavy piece of steel so that the Ball joint Pin is taking all the weight, then strike the hub downwards. If you might need another solid bar/tube to hit in case the head of the lump hammer doesn't fit, shouldn't take more than 10min if your kettle is 3kw

 

[StarCruiser]

Success! New splitter applied (after leaving the old one on over night and under pressure) and a couple of sharp taps and "bang", taper shot out like a bullet. Thanks for the advice all.

And there was great rejoicing…

Glad it’s over and you can get on with the rest of your 5 minute job.

 

[StarCruiser]

Heat. Its that simple. If you are not intending to re-use the part the get it red hot if possible. Honestly and I would only use the gas torch not the Oxy anyhow. If you jack up the axle and then lower it down onto a heavy piece of steel so that the Ball joint Pin is taking all the weight, then strike the hub downwards. If you might need another solid bar/tube to hit in case the head of the lump hammer doesn't fit, shouldn't take more than 10min if your kettle is 3kw

And if one wants to reuse the part, ie the steering arm…?

 

[frank rabbets]

Almost as good a feeling as winning the World Cup.

 

[Towpack]

And if one wants to reuse the part, ie the steering arm…?

That’s why I was cautious with the amount of heat I used. Red heat might well be OK but I didn’t want to risk it on something as important as a steering
component. JMO

 

[Richard Turner]

You have to be careful using heat as the ballpoint can explode, the plastic and grease in the bearing can heat up and burn and it fires the cup and ball apart. If you are heating it drill a hole in the centre of the cup to release any pressure,

 

[clivehorridge]

I’m not keen on using heat on tapers, I always think it can distort the tapered holevprofile, and do goodness knows what to the tempering of the arms. JMHO.

 

[Dave2000]

Almost as good a feeling as winning the World Cup.

You remember that Frank?

I have been invited to go and watch the match at a friends this pm, unfortunately I have painted a door and need to watch it dry.

Regards

Dave

 

[chapel gate]

You remember that Frank?

I have been invited to go and watch the match at a friends this pm, unfortunately I have painted a door and need to watch it dry.

Regards

Dave

Oh come on dave!

i find watching paint dry a bit too boring.
I prefere to watch my logs dry, you can even hear them splitting in the heat for that added bit of excitement...

 

[StarCruiser]

Glad it’s not just me then…

 

[chapel gate]

No, no. Theres at least you and, and erm, me, and...hmm.

 

[chapel gate]

Right, daves at the door and football's just about to start..

 

[Dave2000]

Right, daves at the door and football's just about to start..

Middle name Pinocchio by any chance?

Regards

Dave

 

[IRLGW]

If you heat it with the pin inside then it cannot distort. Just don't hit it until it has cooled a bit. I think Castings are done at around 1200-1400c so its unlikely a small plumbers torch will get the components anywhere near that. the fact that the Pin and the Arm are different compositions means they will have different thermal coefficients and thus will expand and contract at different rates which is what helps break the bind. The arm is a giant heat sink so less likely to be affected than the concentrated heat to the pin. It will do much less damage than excessive battering with a blunt instrument or the strain from splitters etc.

 

[frank rabbets]

The steering arm is most likely low carbon steel and therefore would not harden nor temper with heat treatment especially as it would be cooling in air only.