Gimbal Bearing not Seating

[Fireman78]

We installed the new oil seal the the open side facing the bearing per instructions. Then started with a greased bearing.(we don’t have the installer tool but we’re using a punch and something with a similar diam of the outer race) it went in nicely about an inch and then it started getting very crooked and we finally got it evened up with a little heat on the outside of the housing. We managed to get the bearing all the way to about 1/8 or 4 cm shy of fully seating.
With a feeler it seems even on all sides. Our outer race is getting marred a bit by the punch. Any ideas on how to move further(if we would have known it would be this tough we would have thrown the bearing in the freezer).
Can we leave it where it is, it is very tight.
anything will help
we have he housing off of the boat due to engine replacement

 

[Bt Doctur]

If you dont have the driver tool or have not made something like this



all you have done is destroy the gimbal bearings outer tolerance ring

 

[Fireman78]

Yeah I had something like that, it was just getting stuck