Dolomite 1850 Prop Shaft Centre Carrier

[GaryR22]

I'm new to the forum so many thanks admin for letting me on.

I'm trying to spilt down a late prop shaft on an 1850 to replace the centre carrier. I have removed the universal joint and released the bolt that locks the spline together but I can't get the universal joint yoke to come off the spline. The Haynes manual simply says withdraw the yoke but it's clearly not that simple! I've soaked the spline with plus gas and tried tapping the yoke at its base. I've also put the bolt back in without the U washer and tried hitting that, but to no avail. I'm worried about applying to much welly and damaging something. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Also once I've managed to get the yoke off do I need a puller to remove the centre carrier?

[MIG Wielder]

Hi Gary, Welcome to the forum. Another 1850 ! That's good !. I did my centre bearing a couple of years back and there are a couple of extra points. Its a good idea to mark the relative orientation of the centre yoke and the prop; That yoke can be very tight I'm afraid. Warming it up with a gas torch helps as does whacking it with a copper hammer. It can be released with a steel bar through the yoke and a 2-legged puller. The bearing is the same where the centre of the bearing runs on the prop; You may have to destroy the old rubber bearing to get it out. You may have to re-use the tab washer as when I did mine it was NLA. And the lock washer bit has a specific orientaion as well. Here re some piccys.
Good Luck with it.
Tony.

[GaryR22]

Very many thanks for the prompt reply Tony, and photos - much appreciated. Can you elaborate a bit on the bar and puller arrangement please I'm struggling a little to see how I would attach the puller? I did think about putting a bar through the yoke before I posted here, but then couldn't fathom how to get a puller on. Yes I've marked the relationship of the yoke so no worries there.

I will be joining the club, and no doubt there will be many more queries in the future! The Dolomite was my first car and has sat in a barn for the past 25 odd years. Fetched it home 18months ago and well into the strip down phase.

[sprint95m]

Like you, I also have struggled with removing the yoke .


Heat is your friend.
I fitted a longer bolt to the prop (so the head is proud), then suspended the prop using a bar through the eyes of the yoke
(the bar being a long extension from a socket set, said bar having one end clamped in a large bench vice).
Heat was applied (via an oxyacetylene torch) to the yoke and then the bolt was hit using a hammer and drift.
It took a while, but the yoke did eventually surrender.


I did wonder if I could have made a tool for this job (using a tube and threaded bar) but concluded that it wouldn't be sufficiently strong?






Ian.

[MIG Wielder]

Hi Gary, Yes, sorry about that, a slight correction. I should have said a couple of bits of steel bar through the yoke and the 2-legged puller goes round them. A rather longer bolt is needed to fit the thread in the prop-shaft so the threaded bit of the puller can pull against it. Here is the lump of steel bar I cut the bar from.
Fit the steel in the yokes, tighten the puller and then warm it up with the gas torch. Once its started to move a copper hammer will see it off the rest of the way.
Tony.

[GaryR22]

Chaps pleased to report I had a short length of bar made up threaded for a centre bolt. Fitted the bar through the yoke and then simply tightened the bolt to push out the spline. Came out without any hassle whatsoever, didn't even need to apply any heat. Feeling chuffed

[Carledo]

That is a superior special tool, Congratulations!

Steve

[Jon Tilson]

Agreed...
Some sort of tip of the month award needed for this one....

Brilliant.

Jonners

[Robert 352]

I like these sort of ideas! This is what this forum is all about. Folk like Gary coming up with a clever way of overcoming a particular problem. And then graciously sharing the solution with us.

How do we link this idea and Gary’s photo’s to the thread, Clever tools which help with maintenance and restoration. Someone smarter than me must have an answer.

This idea, like those that are scattered through the forum for the tools and methods of; removing such items as the slant 4 water pump, should in my view, all be grouped together or linked in some way so that those contemplating carrying out a particular task can find how others have completed the task previously.

Definitely the tip of the month.

Well done. And thank you for sharing it with us.

Robert