If you don't want to read this, please tell me the brand name of the harmonic balance puller set you used/bought to remove the hub off of your LT1 crank. I cannot find one that will work at Advanced Auto or Auto Zone!!!



I am trying to pull the crank hub off to get to the timing set. I have rented a hub puller from auto zone, it will not work because it only has the tipped end on the middle shaft that is supposed to push against the crank to get the hub off. The tipped end is aroun 5/8-3/4" diameter so it is just pushing agains the hub on the inside and not the crank. The harmonic balancer puller set for sale at advanced auto parts has the same problem.

I rented one from Advanced Auto parts and it has the thin inner rod that goes down into the hole on the inside of the hub/crank to push against the crank and get the hub off, BUT the 3 bolts that screw into the hub to pull on it are too small. I bought some extra bolts that are the correct size for the 3 that screw into the hub, but they are too large to fit through the puller itself!!!! I am stuck with no way around this. So please, give me the brand name and part number, or a place I can find a puller that will take off our crank hub.

 

I got mine from pepboys, i forget the brand name though . You need to put a long bolt inside the crank snout to push off of. Don't use one that screws in, but one that's slightly smaller otherwise the motor will turn over when you trying to pull the hub off. Also you need to use bolts that fit easily into the hub bolt holes and the puller bolt holes, then use washers and nuts and pull on it like that. It's a little difficult understanding how it works. I wish i took a picture of this, i just did it earlier today. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Get long small bolts (1/4-20 thread), and use washers and nuts on the back side of the hub

edit: Oh I forgot you wanted a brand name. Snap-On

 

Kent-Moore J 39046.

 

"i removed the crank hub today, not as difficult as i had read about. rented the harmonic balancer puller from autozone and got 3 grade 8 bolts from the hardware store (oh and a threaded rod). the holes in the hub were 7/16"-14, so i bought three 2" bolts that size. the threaded rod was 7/16"-20, it came in a 3ft piece and i cut about 5 or 6 inches and threaded it in. the threaded part of the bolts can be screwed in to the puller slots but the top non threaded portion needs to be grinded a bit to fit. the center puller bolt pushes against the threaded rod and off comes the hub. hope this helps"

i posted that on a thread back in february.

 

Doesnt sound too bad to take off huh ... I never took mine off. Only put it one as it was off when I bought the car totaled.

 

I just used a 6" long 1/4" ratchet extension and it worked like a dream. Getting it back on requires either heating up the hub in the oven or an installer with a 7/16-20 thread.

 

Thanks for the replies. I was getting ticked off last night when I couldn't get it to come off, so I just came in here and posted without searching. Then I found the thread from February about 10 minutes later , so i used the 1/4 bolts with nuts and washer method. I'm here at my parent's house doing the work with their nice garage space, but their computer is horrible, so I couldn't reply to tell y'all I had gotten it off. Thanks again.

P.S. Driver's side Pacesetter is on. When taking the passenger side manifold off, as I was backing out the 2nd bolt from the firewall I was using pneumatic tools and I backed the dang wrench off into the black A/C airbox. Not too deep, but enough to crack it a little. I'm gonna smooth it out, sand it, and throw some fiberglass over it and all should be well. Buddy of mine stopped by yesterday and said he did the same thing when he was taking the manifolds off of his... Go figure.

 

This tool is the boy. A fellow car club member has one that he found on Ebay and the damn thing is worth it's weight in gold.

 

I have the Kent Moore tool, and its the only way to go. You will wish you had it when you are trying to get the hub off, or you screwed up the threads in the crank, or trying to reinstall it.


Nick