Oliver 88 widef ront end?

[Benelli]

We have a super 88 wide front end that we need to change tread distance on. The tubes have not been moved for a long time. They are grown together is there any other way to get them apart other than a torch. We have been soaking them for a while with PB blaster to try and get them loose.

 

[johns]

Would heating them up and immediately pouring cold water on it work?

 

[oliver_man]

heating them up might work but if you put water on them to cool them off the metal would be more prone to crack.

 

[Cas]

The only way we could ever break them loose was
with 2 large rose bud torches and a big sledge
hammer. One time I even burned the tubes off
and knipped out what was left in the center tube.
Replaced the spindle ends.
If anybody has a good idea, please post it.
As far as solvent, one time I applied it reguarly
for 4 months. No luck.

 

[Ron Grother]

try a disk cutting wheel. cut the outer tube to releave the pressure. get it apart then reweild it.?

 

[olrusty]

What we did on a JD 730 was we inserted a bolt in one of the hole on the inside tube only using a wedge drive it between the outer tube and the bolt. I know on the JD there was a lot of material to drive against. We may have to get creative and make up a bracket to contact the vertical spindle. Oliver man is correct heating the metal up and rapidly cooling it will change the metals grain structure making it more brittle. Good luck.

 

[oliverkid]

When we did the front axle on my 66, my dad unhooked the ball joint on the spindle, pulled the pin in the axle, released the clamp and took it off, then drove a chisel into the splits in the outer tube on both sides and left them in to spread it, and instead of trying to pull straight out on the inner tube we spun it around to break the rust loose and it came right apart. Then cleaned the inner and outer tube with a wire brush, put a thin layer of grease on it to prevent this from happening again, and put it back together.