81 pickup 2wd ...having a hard time busting loose my pitman arm from the relay rod..I have a wedge driven in as far as it goes and wont pop out.. so I tried the service manual tool that grips behind and screws down on top of ball bolt.. it keeps leaning and has boogered up my threads.. am I just using "cheap" tools.. ? at this point I am ready to remove the pitman arm and idle arm and try removing once out from under vehicle..also it is up on ramps and I dont have clearance to remove the inner tie rods.. maybe I should have used a jack n stands.. dunno any ideas?

 

got a torch ?


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I wish..and the more I look at it I think it is original ..so it is on there good..I have both inner tie rods loose and the damper loose.. just the ball end from the idle bar is too wide for the wedge tool and the one on the pitman arm isn't popping out.. broke my 5lb hammer.smh

 

penetrant wouldn't help would it hurt ? I guess it couldn't hurt

 

Yeah, the torch is a time-honored shadetree trick to loosening those things, less damaging than a pickle fork.

 

if you use a torch then what do you use instead of the fork?

 

well at 400 bucks for the cheapest complete torck rig I think I will have to find a different route

 

Try the single bottle MAP gas...It gets pretty hot...Usually does the trick for me when I need heat and is pretty cheap.

 

found proper sized tool and popped out but not before I got impatient and removed pitman arm and idler arm.. bought new tie rod inner and outs, lifetime warranty and cheap enough so why not right. figured might as well do it all at once.. should I consider doing the steering damper or the idle arm? ....I mean these parts lart awhile appearently

 

so at any rate.. when you guys do this type of work do you use jacks or ramps..? I know when I do the inner tie rods I will have it on jack stands..it looks like it would help

 

I definitely prefer jacks and jack stands. Ramps are a bit cumbersome and stupid things can happen in the absence of a spotter. Plus with jacks and stands you can get the truck much higher up, or adjust the height as you need it.

 

I'd use jack stands. If I didn't have a 4WD.... Unless I am taking the tires off, I don't need to jack the truck up.

 

ROFL definitely jacks.. okI had it on ramps but when I tried to turn the wheels the ramps spun too.. uneven ground.. so I jacked it up and now everything is back together.. however I think I might have not put the pitman back on steering shaft in exactly the same spot.. I scribed it but couldn't get steering wheel to stay in one spot ..gonna test drive in a few mins.. .. but have new relay rod new tie rods inner and outers.. and everything torqued and waiting..
I was not sure my jack could handle the weight.. 2 ton jack 4 ton vehicle..it is an RV with dually on the rear..
well besides the steering wheel being offcenter that worked out..new issue tho and wonder if I should post to a new thread.. but now (and this is a 20' RV) if I move the steering wheel just more than slightly it get a "rocking" as if I had a tank of water on top of truck.. would that be a stabilizer or springs or shocks ?.. it was not like that before.. it rode smooth and handled well ..it has bags in the rear.. and I aired them up before I left to test..like I always do and it rocks freely from one side to the other ..kinda freaky.. 'fraid I might roll it over if I have to aviod the other dinglings on the road doing dumb things..any thoughts?