My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor....rear spindle puller....pics...
 

I have noticed a lot of discussion on the topics of steering columns and rear wheel bearings lately so I decided I would post some pics of a couple of tools I made for each job. The spindle puller is a giant homemade slidehammer that I made out of 3/4" plate with holes for the lug studs, a piece of one inch rod, threaded on each end, and a 12-14 inch circle of 1 inch steel plate for a weight. The flange that bolts to the spindle has a hole cut in the center to go around the part that fits inside the wheel, then a piece of 1/2" plate welded over that so that there is a spot in the center to weld the nut to that the rod threads into. The weight goes on the rod, then another nut is threaded on the other end, then welded on. I am guessing the weight to be 40-50 pounds. Bolt it onto the spindle while the t-arm is still on the car and knock the spindle right out. Works like a dream.

The other one is a steering column lock plate compressor. It's just a piece of bar stock that is bent with a threaded rod going through the center. You could use just one long quarter inch rod, but I went with the bigger one because it's all I had at the time. (I built this stuff out of scrap iron :yesnod: ) Screw the rod into the shaft in the column until the telescoping shaft is locked in place, then tighten the nut until the lock plate is compressed. Nothing to it. Just thought I would share.

-Justin

[img]www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dalannex/slidehammer[/img]
[img]www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dalannex/slidehammer2.jpg[/img]
[img]www.corvetteforum.net/c3.dalannex/slidehammer1.jpg[/img]
[img]www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dalannex/lockplatecompressor1.jpg[/img]
[img]www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dalannex/lockplatecompressor2.jpg[/img]
[img]www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dalannex/lockplatecompressor3.jpg[/img]


For some reason i can't see my pics. If they don't work they should show up as red X's or links or something but I'm getting nothing. When I edit my message they're there though?????? I'll have to look at it later.

-Justin





[Modified by Dalannex, 2:26 PM 5/5/2003]

Re: My homemade tools
 

Justin, sorry couldn't the pictures either.
Gary

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor....
 

Ditto :nonod:

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (ROD NOCK)
 

I had the prob w/ the pics too. Somehow, when you initially submit the post and the pics are either not there or not reachable they are not displayed. You can edit your post, post a new post.. go stand on your head,.. they dwon't appear. Plesae just post the url to the pics, it's some kind of shortcoming/bug in the resize thing. When you edit the message theu're there because yoiur browser pulls them from the cache, same happens w/ files that are not allowed to be viewed from outside (pics on angelfire for isntance), once you have opened them in a new window they will appear in the topic, simply because they are pulled from cache.


Let's see if I can make your pics appear:

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dala...lidehammer.jpg

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dala...idehammer2.jpg

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dala...idehammer1.jpg

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dala...ompressor1.jpg

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dala...ompressor2.jpg

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dala...ompressor3.jpg



[Modified by Twin_Turbo, 11:20 AM 5/4/2003]

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Twin_Turbo)
 

I love making tools - and parts for the vette, too.
Those look pretty handy. I've had a steering lock plate up
for months now. Sure could use one of those compressors.
Someday I'll make one.

:cheers: :thumbs: :seeya

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Twin_Turbo)
 

Thanks Twin Turbo. :D This forum just doesn't seem to like me posting pics. :crazy: I guess that's why I don't do it very often.

-Justin

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Dalannex)
 

One time Lars did a pic topic w/ no pics. Someone said something like they were hoping for some words of wisdom.

I post:
Ya can't expect a Hot Rodder to post pics.!

:cool:

Lars did get his pics up shortly after in 2nd pic. topic.

I was on a long time before posting a pic.

Good job on the tools.
:cheers:

The first axle I removed was w/ some guy's homemade axle puller which used a large ID pipe as the weight!

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Ganey)
 

Ganey, I think the pic thing for me is that I don't spend all that much time on the computer. I'm just too busy. I use a lot of Rockwell Software at work to work on PLC's and just am not in the mood to spend too much time playing on the computer when I get home. :crazy: I'd rather go work in the shop. :D

So there are other people who use the slidehammer method to remove these axles then. :yesnod: I heard about that method from the owner of Corvette Center of Colorado Springs. Then I just had to fabricate my own puller. It really does work slick. It'll make a man out a guy just picking it up to get it bolted on, but it does work good. :lol:

-Justin

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Dalannex)
 

actually, the first pic you meant to post doesn't exists and one of the URL's had a . instead of a / in it :)

... now I can feel the enxt question coming, how do you know that since you can't edit someojne else's post... well view > source and it's all right in there :D

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Twin_Turbo)
 

So then, how did you get the pics to post? Did you just repost them in a reply the same way as I posted them the first time or what????? I did that View>Source thing. I'm pretty sure that the content in there wasn't meant for people like me. :lol: :lol:

-Justin

Re: My homemade tools...steering column lock plate compressor.... (Dalannex)
 

I viewed the source to find the URL's of the pics you wanted to post, then I just posted those pictures here :)

The view source content is just a bunch of HTML yadda yadda, if you know what to look for it's there.

wow this forum is old , and the pics are gone, you should def update this, i wrecked my 73 because i didn't have the c-clip placed in properly nor did the internet have the information back then, im a welder and could easily make this please,please repost the pics
thanks
-steve zemo