Consider drilling with a reverse twist drill bit available from MSC. Knock the head of the bolt off with a 1/2" reverse twist drill bit and if it doesn't come out by then continue drilling through with a 1/4" reverse twist. If that doesn't spin it out you will have a nice hole for an easy out. Go straight.

I still say drill.....:)

I'd drill, and do not waste time with anything but a high-cobalt drill, and a drill at no more than 600 RPM. You can bet that is a grade 8 bolt.

Okay, Got the gearbox out, changed the coupling and got it stuck back in. Had to unbolt the crosspipe, the manifold clamp, and remove one set of rubber donuts on the exhaust, but I got the mother back in.

When I got to the coupler, my extractor was broken off right flush with the socket of the bolt. I ended taking a hacksaw and cutting through the boss where the bolt was stuck. When I first tried to get on the head with vise-grips, I couldn't get it to move, but by cutting through the threaded area of the coupler, along the axis of the bolt, I was able to get it to pop loose and unscrew.

Then there was the adventure of putting it back in.:eek: That thing weighs about 25 to 30 pounds, and I'm flat on my back, trying to work it into position, with the exhaust pipe in the way. It's one of those situations that needs four arms to do.

The next step is to get the Cotter pins for the castle nuts, find the torque values for the new mounting bolts, and get everything back together, including the steering shaft.

The rubber bushings in the coupler were completely gone, just a few crumbs still sticking to the inside. The steering damper was also completely shot, so a new one is going in at reassembly. This thing will drive much different now.

Thanks for all the ideas, they were helpful. :beer:

Scott

ah , great that you got it done! We were worried about you!. Mine drives like new now, really unbelievable, mine was shot likes yours

All Finished Now
 

OK, all finished now with the Steering Coupler Replacement From Hell !!!!!!

Installed new drag link and steering damper while in the neighborhood. Would have done the tie rods, except I have nothing large enough and precise enough to have a reasonable expectation of keeping the alignment the same.

Once I got the damn thing back up in place, the next chore was to get the lines from / to the P/S pump back on. The return line went OK, but I couldn't get the pressure line to go on the fitting, I twouldn't line up. Finally, since I hadn't torqued down the new bolts, I loosened them all and removed two so it would rotate enough to let me line it up. took about 1 minutes after that. Including getting out from underneath the car and going for the crow's foot flare wrench that I forgot in the toolbox.

With the steering shaft loose, all I had to do was align it to the proper position and tighten it down. That went nicely, an hour later, and I had the pump bled, everything back together in the cockpit and a nice little drive to test it out. It feels much more responsive now, none of the 'sloppiness' in steering that it had before.

All thing being equal, it would not take me as long to do another one, but I would just as soon not. :eek:

No wonder the indy referred to the job as PITA.