2wd idler arm, how did you guys remove yours?

[Swims350]

Well I was working on dad's 84 today, removing tie rods, and then the idler arm. I had never took one off before, I figured the pickle fork would do it, but didn't seem to work so great. I got it off, after working at it by hitting it on the side and front with the hammer, penetrating oil and the pickle fork. The old hayes book says only use a suitable puller lol.

So are you supposed to use a pitman arm puller or gear/bearing puller, like claw type or something on them?

Just wondered what everyone else done, or if there was a trick I missed to doing it lol.

Got one new control arm to do, ds upper had rust hole in it, lower ball joints and upper on the PS, all 4 tie rods ad sleeves, and idler arm. All this just because one tie rod was bad, figured we'd do it all new. The front rotors, calipers, bearings, pads are all new already, new shoes, wheel cylinders and drums turned out back. New shocks all around, swapped motors out from a 305 to a 350, swapped a short tail th350 in place of the long tail one, another driveshaft and TC, and going to rebuild the rearend, have 3.90 ghears to put in, going to do all new bearings at the same time. Have new gas tank brackets to go on too. The tank is already new, and sending unit. Also had new radiator, hoses, water pump, almost everything is new. it's been repainted and interior redone, minus the seat. All that has already been done except for the rear, the front steering stuff(going on now) and the tank brackets. The rest have been done over the past couple years.

 

[nxtlevl]

I've always used a "BFH".....if you tap on the sides/front long enough, it will actually "heat" it enough to allow it to be worked loose...........

 

[Swims350]

Yea I think hitting it with the hammer worked better then the pickle fork did.

Now we're on ball joints lol.

 

[HotRodPC]

Using the right size pickle fork also makes a hella differance getting those suspension parts apart. Of course it doesn't matter alot when you are replacing them, but it sure does matter if you intend to reuse them on whatever your project you're working on and what parts are being replaced. I have 3 differant size pickle forks and depending on what I'm working on, the 3 I have had fit everything I need them too on these SB's in 1/2, 3/4 and 1 tons.

 

[Swims350]

yea we got 2 one has kinda wide forks, the forks themselves are wide but they are closer together, the other the forks are thinner, and are further apart. Both have worked good for everything, my old man has had them forever.