Steering column intermediate shaft boot replacement?

So what’s the secret to remove this rubber boot and install a new on. I see a clamp of some sort holding the boot on but don’t know how to get it off. How does that come off? And Does the pin need to come out? And how? Or do I keep the old boot, regrease, repaint and go?

Thanks!

 

The pin came out of mine.

 

How about the clamp? Doesn’t look like anywhere to grab on it.

 

I'll check. Thought it was like a bastard clamp without the ears
to grab..thought I just grabbed behind the clamp and slid it off, or maybe used a set or 2 of needle nose Pliers and some help. It's been a few years. If that dont work, theres experts that have done it more than 1 time here.. Does your pin slide out ? On a small block shaft the other end is welded on so the pin has to come out. The boots are the same bb shaft and sb shaft. I swapped one.

 

One side of the shaft opening the pin has a cutout, so I’m guessing it’s gotta come out that side and be pushed from the other side.

The shaft is from a BBB so the other end comes of, but don’t know how the boot will go over the shaft lip in the middle.

But I still have to deal with the clamp with no ears.

 

If the pin is the same diameter on each end it mostly likely can come out either side. That recess was likely to make a flat surface when they drilled the original hole in the shaft.

 

I made a special pair of pliers just to remove that band clamp. I got a cheap pair of pliers and ground them down so they would engage the 3 fingers of the band clamp. The grips on the pliers hold the clamp, and it works perfectly. Then I painted them green so I would not use them for anything else.

Below are pics of the tool I made.
Duane

 

That's masterful, Duane!

 

Great idea. Thanks I’ll have to try that. I don’t have a press and can’t get pin out and was hoping the boot would slide the other way since it’s a BBB shaft and the other end comes off.

 

Frank,
I have all kinds of crazy tools like that, that I made for specific uses.

I have a Snap-on deep impact socket with a slot cut into it that I use to take off and install the Buick Vacuum trees that go into the intakes for the 70-72 cars. The slot in the socket is made so the 3 vacuum ports stick thru the socket and are not damaged. I have sent that socket to Calif and Texas at least twice, and one time I sent it to Texas but it came back from Washington state, as someone else needed to borrow it before it came home.
Duane

 

PS. You don't need a press, I drove the pin out with a brass punch and a ball peen hammer. It came out pretty easily and nothing was damaged.

Just be careful of one thing, when you put the shaft back together make sure you align the top piece with the bottom piece correctly. Otherwise you will have the two pieces 180 degrees off from where they need to be.
Duane

 

Those are brilliant, Duane.. Luckey I did it without mangling mine. I'm betting you have worked on a few of there shafts in your life. I was lucky to have a rubber boot like new. It had been painted, so I think it saved it? DO they make a repo boot? I'm guessing yes, I'll google it just to know.
As for pin removal. Same here, taped right out.

 

I only had to do one, and had one NOS boot I got from someone, so I had to get it right the first time.

My original boot was a "crispy critter" and I went thru hell trying to get if off. By the time I did the clamp was bent so badly it was not usable. I had some regular shafts from other parts cars and figured out the pliers trick on them before I started on the NOS piece.
Duane

 

Duane, I have one of those homemade vacuum tree sockets, too. I don't know...I could not tap out that pin and I've got some really big hammers and punches here. I get twitchy when I'm beating on stuff hard. I couldn't get it out with a vise and a deep socket. The boots are definitely repro'ed now, I think at least Inline has them. They are good, too...one of the few repro items I've ever bought that fit AND looked right.

 

I "tickled" it a few times and then got impatient and gave it a good wack, and it came right out. I have also used vises like that, ie put the part into the vise with a socket behind it, so the part is under pressure and then haul off and hit the vise with a hammer. Often the "shock" from the strike will pop the pieces apart.
Duane

 

I used a clamp and a vise with a deep socket and it wouldn’t budge. I might be leaving the 50year old rubber boot on and calling it.

 

Just for the heck of it, did you try pushing it out the other way?

 

Yep, both ways. Won’t budge. Don’t want to wrench to hard with bench vise and socket.

 

Well, it looks like I've been dragging my feet since Dec 2019 on this project. Finally got the new boot on and the old boot off. The pin still never came out of the shaft. Neither torch, brass hammer, punch, vise in a socket. Nothing worked.

I measured the inside of the boot seal at 0.75" and the back diameter of the shaft at an 1". Since it was a two piece shaft, I removed the back coupler and tried to slip it on the back way. Let the boot sit in the sun for an hour and lubed it up with dish soap. Slowly but surely it went on and the seal flipped over correctly once on. Cutting the old one off was a PIA. Guess it has a metal ring in it.

And Thanks to @Duane for handy pliers idea to remove the clamp...I made my own from a cheap pair I bought. All that's left is to finish cleaning it up and repack with grease and put back together. And add a coat of clear to it.

Thanks All!

 

ttt