My Crimson Cruiser - 1996 GMC 1500 Project

[aldang25879]

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Look what arrived today

 

[aldang25879]

Take a bungee cord or something and tie your steering wheel in it’s centered and straight position to the seat before you start taking the steering shafts out. There is a clock spring in the steering wheel and you can break it by spinning the wheel to far one way or the other.

Definitely will do I was hearing something about it but it was really vague. I saw someone on here use their seatbelt to hold it in place before.

 

[fancyTBI]

Yo that stainless trim - while that’s off clean the paint and the lip extremely well. Then wax it. Do that annually if you want it to last a long time.

Keep it up. It’s just practice for when you do the drop.

 

[aldang25879]

Damn y’all, this rag joint is terrible. Check this out:

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[aldang25879]

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I took this bolt off the intermediate shaft-it’s pretty much at the top of what’s visible of the shaft under the hood. Top of the boot. It’s a 15mm.

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My wheel wasn’t straight which probably ****** my alignment up having to turn my truck on and straighten it out.

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This is how I set it up beforehand. Bungee going from shift lever to wheel, and the seatbelt through the wheel and clicked in. Had to undo it and put the bolt back in to straighten my wheel but I put it back this way afterwards.

Once both bolts are out, I used a really long flathead screwdriver and pried the steering shaft off the box. I kept getting stuck on different stuff so It only came off a little. I went to the top and pulled the intermediate shaft off of the upper shaft. Then I pulled the whole shaft off of the box which was really easy.

 

[aldang25879]

Make sure you keep the boots. I’m cleaning mine with brake cleaner until they’re good and they have to go back on the new shaft.

 

[aldang25879]

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I had to take the chrome bumper off to continue with the steering linkage.

The idler arm to steering link is a 22mm. For the idler arm itself i used a 1” socket and breaker bar.

Pitman arm to steering linkage is the same 22mm. Pitman arm itself is a massive 34mm, I had to go purchase one.

It took forever with the pickle fork, if you find more than a one time use of it please invest in a better method. It took me forever and a lot of penetrating oil.

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Here is my steering link. I still gotta get the idler arm off and then wire brush it and paint it up.

I’ll be working on the steering box next so I can start cleaning everything and putting my first new parts in!

 

[aldang25879]

Dropped my control arms off this morning, should be done today. Bushings arrive on Tuesday.

 

[aldang25879]

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Make sure you have a catch tray below your steering box cause fluid is gonna come out. was told these were 18 mm nuts on the power steering lines. I went and bought a crows foot and it didn’t fit it. I used a 3/4 wrench I had and they came right off.

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These three bolts with washers go through the frame. 21 mm. I gave the lines like 5 minutes to drain out and then took these bolts off. I had my grandpa hold it while I took them off, be careful cause that thing fell and it’s heavy. He smashed his finger between it and the sway bar.

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Here is the unit. I’m gonna pull the pitman arm off of it and get it ready to return for my core charge.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

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I had to take the chrome bumper off to continue with the steering linkage.

The idler arm to steering link is a 22mm. For the idler arm itself i used a 1” socket and breaker bar.

Pitman arm to steering linkage is the same 22mm. Pitman arm itself is a massive 34mm, I had to go purchase one.

It took forever with the pickle fork, if you find more than a one time use of it please invest in a better method. It took me forever and a lot of penetrating oil.

You must be registered for see images attach

Here is my steering link. I still gotta get the idler arm off and then wire brush it and paint it up.

I’ll be working on the steering box next so I can start cleaning everything and putting my first new parts in!

I think (I was at work when he changed them) that Dad used a pitman arm puller on our '90 and '99 Burbs. He had to replace the pitman arm twice on the '90, once after we had just gotten it and again the year before it quit running, several years later. Looks like a C shape with a big bolt in the center; you turn that and it's supposed to pop the PA off the steering box shaft.