Dualin'7 Gets Shaft Jacked Off!

[RichSJ@aol.com]

Hi to everyone,

I got tired of waiting for a friend to take my car to his shop to replace the 
drive shaft and install new gears so I started the job myself.  The first 
thing was to remove the drive shaft and have a new on made.

I have direct drive...drive shaft hooked right to the motor shaft via a keyed 
collar-u- joint and slide tube arrangement.  A splined shaft was welded to 
the drive shaft and that fits into the slide tube.  Go to the bottom of this 
web page for a picture: http://members.xoom.com/rich2u/specs.html

I jacked the car up and slid underneath with my tools.  I snipped the safety 
wire on the set screw and removed the set screw...hmmm so far so good.  I 
removed the 5/16 bolt from the motor shaft that helps to hold the shaft on.  
This is kind of a hard bolt to remove, because I have to reach inside the big 
u-joint.  Alright, time to remove the shaft...pull...uuuhhh. @#$%! Where's my 
pry bar?  Uuuhhhh! @#$%!!  Forgot, I put #271 Lock Tite on the shaft!  I 
didn't want this baby coming off!  I got the heat gun and blasted it...is it 
hot yet?...feel...OUCH! CLUNK! @#$%!! Where's my pry bar? Uuuuh! 
@#$%!...hmph!  (Sit on the concrete with sweat pouring down my forehead.)  
We're having a heatwave in San Jose and it's about 95 degrees in my garage 
and this has been augmented by the liberal use of a 1200W heat gun.

Ahhh! a brilliant idea! (OK, so all of you would have though of it first 
thing.)  I put the 5/16 inch bolt back in the end of the motor shaft.  I 
wedged some 3/16 x 1 1/2" steel in between the top of the bolt head and the 
u-joint yoke.  After the proper application of heat from the heat gun, I 
started to unscrew the bolt and jack the shaft off!  I worked like a charm 
and I was able to take the shaft in to get a new one made.

More progress reports later,

Rich Brown
San Jose
Dualin'7
http://members.xoom.com/rich2u/rx7ev.html