Front beam removal - esp gear rod

[Justin & Muttley]

I'm taking the front beam off to replace it, I've disconnected everything apart from the shift rod that goes through the beam tubes and I'm stuck!

Where do I disconnect it? And how? I've got a central bellypan on so can't see much after it disappears through the chassis etc.

Any help (with pics) gratefully received, I'm so nearly there...

 

[Loxy]

There's a collar with a bolt through it just between the beam & the chassis cross member that disconnects the front from the back half.
IIRC the bolt may well be on top but you can't miss the collar if you follow the gear rod back.
& dont forget to take the gear stick off otherwise it makes removing the gear rod a lot harder (Haveacamper )

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Cheers Matt,
I'll take another look tomorrow - does this collar have a split pin through it?

 

[bluelighttaxidriver]

Ah....!! Now this is something I do know about....!! :lol:
Just done it on my earlybay.
As said before, there is a joint on the gear rod, just behind the beam. Square headed bolt, think 9mm off the top of my head. Undo it & it should seperate. Remember to put it in gear first though, as you will have to disconnect the handbrake cables as well, and it was a bit tense underneath with just bricks against the wheels.... Then undo the two bolts holding the gearstick on the cab floor.
Disconnect the steering arm from the pivot on the beam, and at the box end too. Much easier to work without anything in the way. Don't forget the track rods as well.
Take as much as you can off of each spindle end before you try to remove the beam, ie discs etc. Heavy enough as it is....
Then swear a lot as you undo the four big bolts each side, support the beam with a jack or something, and lower it clear. I had to use a fair bit of err.. persuasion to move it though..
Hope that helps.

 

[Loxy]

^^^WHS^^^

 

[Justin & Muttley]

OK guys, the shift rod lock nut came off easily enough, I've removed the gear lever from the cab floor - but I can't get the rod off, it moves freely back and forwards but there isn't enough room to get it past the guide rod!

I'm obviously missing something bloody obvious here, please help me before I get the angle grinder and cutting wheel out to 'help' it free!

 

[Loxy]

OK guys, the shift rod lock nut came off easily enough, I've removed the gear lever from the cab floor - but I can't get the rod off, it moves freely back and forwards but there isn't enough room to get it past the guide rod!

I'm obviously missing something bloody obvious here, please help me before I get the angle grinder and cutting wheel out to 'help' it free!

I cant actually remember how it came out now - it doesn't slide forwards does it?

 

[Justin & Muttley]

OK guys, the shift rod lock nut came off easily enough, I've removed the gear lever from the cab floor - but I can't get the rod off, it moves freely back and forwards but there isn't enough room to get it past the guide rod!

I'm obviously missing something bloody obvious here, please help me before I get the angle grinder and cutting wheel out to 'help' it free!

I cant actually remember how it came out now - it doesn't slide forwards does it?

After much swearing and lots of jiggling, wobbling, shaking, pushing and other things ending in 'ing' it just, sort of, came free!!

I put a jack under the beam and removed the eight bolts holding the beam in position - with a little persuasion from my largest lump hammer (favourite tool?) it started to drop; I then realised that the clutch cable was still attached :evil: , needless to say, it would have been very easy to remove without any tension on it and was very, very difficult to undo with the weight of the beam resting on it (the beam had shifted and I couldn't put it back to it's starting position). Eventually got it off (need to get a new clip thingy for it now) and dropped the old beam down

While I realise that for many this would have been a straightforward job, it's taken me ages to get it sorted - hampered by the fact that the van is virtually at stock height (albeit on axle stands) as I can't jack it up higher because of the garage roof being so low!

All in all, very pleased to have completed the job, I've got a late bay beam ready to go on once I've figured out the steering idler pin removal issue!! :lol:

How some of you guys do this stuff and have a camera handy to log it all is beyond me - I just wanted to get it done ASAP!!

 

[bluelighttaxidriver]

Sounds like your old beam came off a damn sight easier than mine....! :lol:
I didn't have the clutch cable running through the beam though, mine is above it. If you mean the steering bar that is on the beam, undo the bolt & it just lifts off. Will be easier if you seperate the balljoints off it first. The pin will push out, if you need to transfer that over as well, just note where the spacers go.

 

[dubdubz]

a bit late - but I keep the rod bolted - engage into 1st or 2nd ie gear lever forwards [shift rod goes back towards the box]

I then wedge/immobilize the long main rod that the front rod [the bit you struggled with ] is attached to,
then undo the square grub bolt from the collar,
then get someone to select 3rd or 4th - this normally pulls the front shift rod from the end of the main rod

then wiggle it out

I made it sound easy! my 68 was a pita and took an hour of wiggling to get anything moving.


on the steering idler I assume you swapping due to LHD - RHD? if so and the one that needs to come off is stuck just carefully cut it off, I spent ages trying to remove one and in the end I did cut it off [and wasted 2 hours in the meantime!]

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Yeah, it's the idler pin and 'L' shaped bar I need to get off - trouble is that I can't get my puller in there!

 

[dubdubz]

one that I referred to was an outside beam and had rusted- if you remove the pinch bolt and use penetrating fluid it should pop off!

 

[Justin & Muttley]

one that I referred to was an outside beam and had rusted- if you remove the pinch bolt and use penetrating fluid it should pop off!

I put some penetrating oil on it yesterday and will put some more on today - whether it will pop off I don't know!

 

[dubdubz]

one that I referred to was an outside beam and had rusted- if you remove the pinch bolt and use penetrating fluid it should pop off!

I put some penetrating oil on it yesterday and will put some more on today - whether it will pop off I don't know!

sure I used a crow bar on the last normal one ! a bit of heat also helps to break the seal/bond..........good luck