with Bill Johnston Next, we concentrate on the pinion flange. This will either be easy or very hard depending on how ‘weathered’ the components are. On the right you will notice a stock pinion flange in the foreground and the machined flange from earlier in the background. To remove the pinion flange, you must first remove the nut. Clean off the nut so you will be able to see where it was ‘notched’ to keep it from backing off. I used a small flat tipped screwdriver pounded into the notch on the pinion to push out the notched material. Next, remove the nut. If it won’t budge, try a cheater pipe on the end of a breaker bar. An air impact driver only cracked the socket when I tried the first time… the cheater bar was much more effective. Use a gear puller to remove the flange. Carefully replace it with the newly machined component. Tom can do the machining for you, so when you arrange for your new driveshaft mention it and he will take care of you.
Replace the nut, torque to factory specs and notch it with a cold chisel. This is for safety. After complete reassembly you won’t be able to check the nut because it will be covered. You don’t want the flange to let go at the most inappropriate time.
08/11/10 15:11
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