prop shaft sliding spline stuck in tailpiece
Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:30 am
I did a quick search, to see if this issue has been addressed before, and didn't come up with anything, so here goes..
A lifetime ago, when I bought my Elan (actually June 1982), I learned very quickly that it was undriveable as-is, and started dismantling it for restoration.
I bought a few books (not a lot available back then, and certainly nothing like this Forum, pre-internet), and then tackled pulling the engine. Per the books, I was going to pull the engine and gearbox together, after pulling the sliding-spline of the prop shaft out, except... it didn't, and wouldn't come out. After various tapping, and gentle pulling, then more aggressive tapping and pulling, my semi-trusty assistant and I pulled the whole train out (engine, trans and propshaft) together. We thought that, once it was out of the car, with more access we'd be able to get it apart, but we never did; I did separate the engine and transmission, but the propshaft is still stuck! Any ideas on how to get them apart- a few times I've been tempted to make another attempt at it, but have always been worried that I'll break something.
If I separate the tailpiece from the trans. case, would there be room through the tailpiece for me to use a drift of some sort to try and apply pressure from that direction, to push the splined end out?
A lifetime ago, when I bought my Elan (actually June 1982), I learned very quickly that it was undriveable as-is, and started dismantling it for restoration.
I bought a few books (not a lot available back then, and certainly nothing like this Forum, pre-internet), and then tackled pulling the engine. Per the books, I was going to pull the engine and gearbox together, after pulling the sliding-spline of the prop shaft out, except... it didn't, and wouldn't come out. After various tapping, and gentle pulling, then more aggressive tapping and pulling, my semi-trusty assistant and I pulled the whole train out (engine, trans and propshaft) together. We thought that, once it was out of the car, with more access we'd be able to get it apart, but we never did; I did separate the engine and transmission, but the propshaft is still stuck! Any ideas on how to get them apart- a few times I've been tempted to make another attempt at it, but have always been worried that I'll break something.
If I separate the tailpiece from the trans. case, would there be room through the tailpiece for me to use a drift of some sort to try and apply pressure from that direction, to push the splined end out?