Steering Coupler

[john108]

I took apart the steering shaft coupler ready to put the refurb kit into it.
I looked at the support/bearing and it is damaged on the external surface.  
Everything fits good but looks ugly.  
That support slides up into the steering column, just above it, and held in place with 2 screws.
To be able to remove the bearing I would have to remove the PIN near the end of the shaft.
The PIN won't budge!!!! I am able to rebuild the coupling without removing the PIN.
Any Suggestions:   Leave the old bearing/support to avoid buggering up the shaft??
OR

Also, what is the purpose of that brownish 1 1/2 inch wide snap-ring to the right on the column?

Thank you.
John

[Nacho-RT74]

I couldn't remove the pin either, so just used everything from the kit but the new pin. Installed with the old one. Of course I didn't made any bigger effort to remove since I could live with it. Maybe if I was need to remove the bearing like you was made bigger efforts to remove. Maybe on a press or heating... whatever I need to make it.

Can't tell about the rest

[histoy]

The pin is a press fit, so you will have to remove the steering column from the car to replace the white plastic bearing.  I used a vice to remove the pin, because I don't have a press.   I put a socket larger than the pin diameter against the shaft on the fixed side of the vice, then closed the vice to push the pin even with the shaft.  I then opened the vice and used a 1/4" drive socket smaller than the pin to finish pushing it through the shaft.  Having a second person to help you makes the job much easier.

[john108]

I do have the steering column out of the car.
The bearing feels functionally good and I expect that I would do more harm than good if I tried to remove the pin.
I was told that if I totally disassembled the steering column, the Bearing slides off the other end.
I don't have readily available help and uncomfortable with the complete disassembly.
I am leaning towards just leaving the bearing in place???
Thank you for your comments.
John

[igozumn]

You've answered your own question.  There's not much that scares me working on stuff, but even I know my limits.  Listen to your gut and the voices (the good ones) in your head.

feels functionally good
I would do more harm than good
don't have readily available help
uncomfortable with the complete disassembly.

[gtx6970]

Without taking the whole column out of the car your not going to get the lower bearing support out of it.

Unless the pin has wear ( not likely ) slide the new white bearing/support on from the top and slide the whole shaft up into the column jacket. I just did a 68 column last week .
Pull the column from the car and lay it flat on a bench. Just take the turn signal switch out . remove the snap ring, then the upper bearing and rubber isolater, the  lower snap ring and slide the shaft out from the bottom .

That said, unless your restoring the column and the bearing support doesn't have any slop in it,,,,,leave it as is.

[john108]

It looks like I took the consensus advice.
I rebuilt the coupler and left the Bearing alone.
Thank You all,
John

P.S.
What does that brown clamp, in the picture, do???
It has a hole that lines up with the column, near it.