I need to remove my spring perch bolts on my 36 Ford Axle I have tried heating, pressing, pounding in my limited capability shop, with no success so, I give up. Does anybody know of a place I can get this done in the D/FW area? Also need a little milling done.on a dropped axle
I ended up having to take mine to a machine shop that had a press. It was insane... he had a 20 ton press and the perches were in there so tight that the fluid was being pushed past the seals on the press before the bolt started budging. It still took a little while, and I can't imagine that they would have ever come out otherwise. I'd find someone with a bigass press.
I am sure it would be easier to pull them out rather than push them out. I am going to weld a ring on the top next time and try a slide hammer. If that does not work, I'm going to rig up a bottle jack to pull them out with the ring. They are really soft and hitting, pushing just expands them. IMHO
isnt there a trick with a crayon? heat it up and let the crayon melt on the threads...soaks down through and they pop out pretty easily? i havent had to take any apart since i heard this but i was planning to next time good luck Zach
someone here suggested drilling a small hole in the axle to get penetrant to penetrate from the inside out, I like Free All brand myself and drilling a small hole in the threaded end to put the air driven punch in with the idea that the air hammer shocks it loose better than the constant pressure of a hyd. press
Here's what I did on the last two. Since the perches were very rusty and would not budge... I cut the threads and the spring eye off flush with the wishbone with a torch. I then laid the axle on it's side (perches horizontal), and 'carefully' cut out the perch until I could get the wishbone out of the way. Then beat the rest of the perch out. One didn't, so I just cut right down through the perch with the torch. Sure it's messy, but if your careful, you won't 'knick' the axle hole and 'blow' out the remaining metal that 'was' the perch. I've done this ALOT on frozen pins on large constuction equipment.
i had to spray it down with penitrating oil and stick it in a press put pressure on it, and heat it up(the axle) red hot till it started making noises, then start putting more pressure on it. and slowly work it out, till finally it just went.
I've done a many a spring perch bolt myself. The only thing I can tell you is use a BIG ASS ROSEBUD.... It's only thing that works for me.
Thanks for all the ideas I have done most them except cutting the bolts or welding something to it to pull it out, Did the air hammer, that didn't work I really need a good machine shop any way but I don't know of one in the D/FW area that can do some general Machining that I trust., That's what I am lookinmg for a good machine shop in the D/FW area?
Don't take to my local shop...they bent the crap out of the axle and ruined the pins and then charged me $450 because it took 2 guys a few hours. Here's your shit, it's ruined and you owe us $450.....thanks. In hindsight, I should have took it to a shop that works on LARGE construction equipment. They have massive presses and are very used to dealin with stubborn things like this. Just tell them to be gentle if want to re-use the parts.
I had a pair of perch bolts on a 41 merc axle that broke my stones for about 3 hours. heating, hitting etc.. finally drilled them out a little smaller size drill till there was just a thin shell left in the axlle and they came out. real pain. good luck
The last two that I have done came apart with a cutting torch. I wanted to save the wish bone, so I cut away the axle and eventually the pins. What's left of the pins will hammer out fairly easily. You will probably want to use a dropped axle anyway. pigpen
I had a thread on this subject a few months ago. There is some good advice in it. I went thru the same game getting some out also. What worked is: First off, turn your perch nut over and put it back On. Dont run it down so far that the perch threads are exposed. This will help keep from swelling the perch bolt while striking it. Next put the axle on some jack stands so that the perch boss is straddling 2 stands. Next get the torch out and slowly heat the axle boss, and not the perch. Next, (this is the cool part) once the axle is dull red hot, put some candle wax around the perch bolt and let it sink in. Next take a BFH (large hammer) put on some safety glass for many reasons, but also because this candle wax lube is going to splatter, and hit the perch nut straight on and hard. It might take 2 or 3 whacks but it should move. Once you get the perch drove down to the nut against axle, the pull the nut off and use a long thin socket, or better a piece of ½ bar rod to drive the perch on out. After using our press and heat, and some foul langue it did not budged. This route worked for us. Good luck and do a thread searches for more knowledge.
Even better than the nut: Get a rear axle "bingo" or "knocker" type puller, which is just a closed end nut. Fit axles, steering, and perches (5/8-18) on Fords. Readily available for $5 from usual places, old ones from fleamarket will be better forged ones. If too deep for this, just grind a bit.
"Get a rear axle "bingo" or "knocker" type puller" Bruce, can you show me what one of these looks like? thx EDIT: NEVERMIND BRUCE, I JUST FOUND A POST FROM YOU IN '04 WHICH EXPLAINED HOW IT WORKS WITH THE BALL BEARING AND ALL. THX.
Used to have the same problem. Then I was told of an easier way. Heat the perch bolt only top and bottom get it as red as possible then quench it and hit it with the hammer. You might have to heat it more than once but this way does work. Some will come out easier than others.
Most basic model, sold by all the Model A places, is just a big enclosed nut threaded for the axle end (same as perch and steering shaft) and with a flat end for striking. Older ones are oft more grandiose, with a lot of extra mass. I've even got one in which the center is a loose piece that can move against axle when hit. It's important to have metal-to-metal contact between end of axle and striker, and some badly made ones don't fit that way and so put all load on the threads. A Model A Guru suggested putting a ball bearing into that kind to ensure solid contact. It would be good to buy several of the new ones, as they micht need to be ground down shallower for perch application, and extra ones would be good with a center drilling added as padding for axle puller rams against axle. Note that this one thread size covers all the parts on an early Ford that are reallydamnhard to take apart!
I just grind the ends of the perch off flush, then center punch a mark on one end and drill down through it (on a drill press, a hand drill is almost impossible). Drill bigger sizes until just a shell of the perch bolt is left and then you can knock the thin shell right out.
Here's a home-made perch puller that will save the perch bolts and not damage axle or wishbone. Needs a good penetrant, a not-too-big-hammer and sometimes a little heat. It works cuz the puller part puts a load on the perch bolt and hitting the striking part of the puller with the hammer shocks/vibrates things loose and then you take another bite with the four nuts to pull some more after the perch bolt moves. One caution with this is don't get carried away with the hammer or you'll strip the perch bolt threads. The pics should be self explanatory. You do need to chamfer - rounded - on the bottom edge of the main body cross bar so a sharp corner won't dent the wishbone.
I must still be sleepy, but I don't understand how this operates. It's a fixture that clamps on the radius rod, but with what and how do you apply pressure? Turn the four bolts? Beat on the round piece?? Does the round piece have a shoulder on it or does it float in the bottom plate? If it floats, I don't see how it works.
It clamps the axle and wishbone. The round striking piece goes into a bore w/shoulder and is welded in place. (Threaded to match the perch bolt.) The four bolts apply the pulling pressure. You load them up then hit the round striking piece with a hammer. Note that there is some clearance between lower part of the wishbone/axle and threaded striking piece plate to allow vertical movement. The pulling force is between upper plate and threaded striking piece. I've found with some axles that applying penetrant, loading up the four bolts and letting it sit overnight, in the morning you'll find the bolts have less torque indicating the perch bolt moved. Make sure to leave some clearance between the axle bottom and the lower plate/ striking piece. You'll also have to back off on the lower plate/striking piece once things start moving. Sometimes a few overnights is all it takes. Other times, it takes the hammer, some heat and many bad words. So far the few axles I've done have come apart. Only damage was to the threads on one perch bolt cuz I got a little overzealous with a big hammer. Anyhoo, the combination of steady pressure and the shock loads from hammer strikes does the job. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You'll note that the 'exploded' parts view pic prior to welding has the upper plate as two bars. I ended up welding in a couple of short cross bars to make the upper plate all one piece so as to keep the bolts straight and the two bars from spreading apart. I used a lathe for the striking piece and boring the lower plate, but all you really need is a drill press and welder . . . aside from cutting the upper and lower plates to size. You'll need a nut for the threaded part and then figure something to go over it for protection and hit that piece with the hammer.
Great stuff C9 I will be going to pick up some scraps to make one of these, this should be added to the tech pages. I sent you a PM cause I 'm a bone head still .
I'm thinking one way to improve that perch jig is to make the striking part of the jig (the nut) bolt down all the way onto the end of the perch bolt. This would make it act like the knocker nuts mentioned above and would take away the risk off wrecking the threads on the perch bolt.
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