I need to press a new worm gear on my steering shaft. To help things along, I've heard you can warm one part and throw the other part in the freezer and thay should slide right together. Sound right? Which part goes in the freezer?



Kevin Kessler
1953 Ford F-100

 

Freezing a part will shrink it, heat will expand it. Be quick you don't want to get stuck half way. I wouldn't use any lub. it'll only take up more tolerances. Hopes this helps.

 

Since heat expands, put the shaft in the freezer. Heat the gear. If you don't get it all the way on first crack, use a propane torch to heat the gear on the shaft, with masking tape over the exposed shaft. Works fine. Good luck.

 

Freezing works well, VERY WELL, I have see indusrtial applications where they emerse a part in liquid nitrogen before slipping it into an 3000 HP gas Compressor.

On the other hand, we have pruchased a specail oven to heat suff in.

Yes Heat and cold work. Your wife may not understand why you are in her oven and freezer.

56Jeff

 

hi guys, if u place a scrap peice of steel on the hot plate, u can heat the hell out of the part and your cook won't get cranky with grease on the stove. i also found that wrapping the part in glasd wrap or a plastic bag before putting the other bit in the freezer, stops the ice forming on the part.
cya...gary

 

On HorsepowerTV they did a segment on rebuilding rear ends. They used a George Foreman grill to heat the bearing before putting it on the pinion gear. Use oven mitts of course!

Sam

 

I was over at Dad’s Sunday afternoon to work on installing the new worm gear on my steering shaft. I had the shaft in our freezer before heading over. I packed the end in ice for the trip until I could get it in Mom’s freezer in the basement. It was like transporting an organ for transplant. Meanwhile, Dad had pulled out his old Coleman camp stove. He said I should boil the gear in oil. Umm, OK. Sounds a little medieval but what the heck. I was afraid the can would go up in flames since the stove had an open propane burner. Dad said it would burn but not like gas. I don't want to know how he knows that.

So, the oil was boiling and I ran inside to grab the shaft out of the freezer. We put the shaft in the vise and Dad grabbed the worm gear with some pliers. Well, the oil dripping off it caught fire so Dad started waving it around like a marshmallow that was left in the fire a bit too long. I told him to quit clowning around and bring me the gear. That’s when the can caught fire. So he pulled that off the stove and put it on the floor. Did I mention we were inside his pole barn? Dad didn’t want to kill the grass with the heat from the stove. I guess it’s OK if we suffocate as long as the grass stays green. So, Dad brought the gear over to the workbench and we get it started on the shaft. We needed more light to see what we were doing. Dad has a light over his workbench but you have to plug it in. So I grabbed the end of the cord and plugged it in. Only thing was, it wasn’t the lamp cord. It was a cord Dad had cut the other end off of and left hanging there for some unknown reason. Fortunately, he warned me before I got electrocuted by the bare wires. I asked him to please store that cord somewhere else.

Meanwhile, the can of oil is still burning and the smoke is starting to accumulate. Dad put a board on top of the can to snuff out the fire and we got back to driving the worm gear on the shaft. We started out using the five pound sledge but after Dad got tired and I gave it a few whacks, he got sledge’s big brother and the gear was on after a few more whacks. Woohoo!



Kevin Kessler
1953 Ford F-100

 

Thank you Kevin.
Finally we all have the definitive description of the freeze/heat technique.
(Of course that is when it is done in a barn with bad electrical, with things on fire, in chaos, on a Sunday).
You really ought to do some more writing. Very funny.

 

Kevin, this is why I keep popsicles in the freezer instead of gears and heat up my food instead of oil. LOL.. Kidding aside, I've heard a lot of guys use liquid nitrogen which comes in a little c02 cartridge similar the ones used with BB guns. There is a little gun looking tool which can purchased, the liquid nitrogen freezes the part making it easy to work with. Just a thought!

 

Kevin,

Great story (and I have no doubt it's all true). And my wife and neighbour (two people, not the same one) think I'm crazy......

 

The correct concept, However the excution seems to leave something to desire.
Now Kevin, you've learned a lesson, write it down ten times before you forget it.
Don't be like the rest of us and do the same thing ten times before you catch on.

PS RMF Thats 15 times using the metric system.

 

Yep, it's true. It would take quite an imagination to come up with some of the silly stuff we do. I'm sure I'm not alone in that boat!



Kevin Kessler
1953 Ford F-100

 

Great story Kevin, but I have a question. Why boil it in oil? Does the oil get the piece hotter? Could you do the same thing by putting the piece on an old cookie sheet and heating it in the oven? I know that it would not have made as good of a story, but ......... Thanks, John

 

i think that boiling it in oil is good because depending on how hot the piece got you may soften the teeth on the gear.
oil heats all at one time and isnt a fast heat which may cause issues but also would help prevent rust from getting in between the 2 because you have a nicely lubed piece and not one full of flash rust like it would if you directly flame heated it. also oil will hold a heat to a very very high temperature and oil bathing also may actually strengthen a part if done correctly

 

Hey Nixer that is how it is done in the aerospace / aviation industries as well. It is one of the best methods when working with hardened gears and such, nice idea to share. Note that extra care need to be taken as oil burns. PS: Lockheed uses fish oil.