bellow replacement tools??

[Chaparralboater]

I am attempting the replacement of my bellows and gibal bearing..I will be doing this at my beach house that is on an island so what I am saying is I would like to find out what tools to get because access to a tool store will be a no no..I have all the regular tools that any guy would have just nothing special like pullers ect..

1991 3.0 LX alpha 1 gen 2 I believe....

I ordered the transom kit

Thanks for anyone that spends the time to explain things to me..

 

[Alpheus]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

Ask your butler to tell the maid to do a search...


http://forums.iboats.com/search.php?searchid=8364159

http://forums.iboats.com/search.php?searchid=8364180

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

thanks. I tried to search and couldnt find anything. But you must have found what I did not..thank you

 

[sea flower]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

1 -Hinge pin tool would be a help
2 -Bellows stretch pliers
3 -bellows adhesive or as I just found out, 3M weatherstrip adhesive
4 -long extension,a 1/4" socket universal for the hose clamps 5/16 socket normally.
5 -long straight blade screwdriver
6 -shifter cable socket tool
7 -bearing removal puller/hammer
the manual would be a good idea too.

Good luck

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

thank you..

the hinge pin tool is the one that goes into the electric rounder things on the side that limit tilt too far up right?

 

[Brewman61]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

the hinge pin tool is the one that goes into the electric rounder things on the side that limit tilt too far up right?

Sort of. The electric rounder things have to come off, and the pins are under neath. The hinge pin tool can also be a 1/2" Allen wrench socket. And only one of the electric rounder things is for tilt limit, the other one is a sender for the trim/tilt gauge.

 

[cannonford57]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

well said sea flower.....and even though the manual was last on your list it should be first on chappys list.....so many questions are answered and with pictures......and if its a gen 2 lets not forget the u-joint bellows install tool......yeah ,the manual would be good

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

Well I have been watching the youtube videos which are really nice to be able to access. They just show the removal not the replacing of the bellows, gimbal ect..and of course all there gimbal bearing came out with ease. So I know I will have to rent a slide hammer from a store..

 

[BF]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

a 20lb slide hammer/puller that was a loaner from an autoparts store worked for removal of my gimbal bearing. I don't imagine a 5 lb'er would've done it very easily. Add the correct gasket kit, a tin of merc "perfect seal", and of course a grease gun and the correct grease for the U-joints and gimbal bearing to your list. You may consider changing the U-joints while you're at it, unless they've recently been done. Ditto for the lower shift cable.

An alignment tool, or a bodged together reasonable facsimili would be handy too to center the new bearing, and verify correct alignment of the coupler before reinstalling the leg.
I borrowed a "bearing installer kit" from an auto parts place, and it was very slick for seating the new gimbal bearing... you may be able to make do without it and tap it in with wood or something.

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

1/2 allen socket was WAYYYY too small. Drove around for about 30 miles back and forth to boat stores and no one had a hinge pin tool or any other socket allens bigger than 1/2..I gues thats the life of being on an island. I am mad because Now I can't drop her in the water.

 

[hooks1]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

When I don't have the proper tool and it is midnight on Saturday I back up and consider my options: 1. go to bed; 2. look for other parts of the job that I can do to speed up the process when I DO find the tool; or 3. try to make the tool. In this case you might have a round bar you could grind to fit or a bolt with about the right size head. Then a pipe wrench or good vise grips might get you through. Good luck.

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

thanks, I have been trying to find everything. I just dont want to strip the thing ya know !..I went and got a t60 allen socket which landed up being too small. The went and got a t70 which landed up being too big...I dont knwo if they make a medium Tnumber but couldnt find one. I will have to order a hinge pin tool If I cant get it done this weekend

 

[fraannk]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

I was able to get one out by using a 1/2 inch coupler for threaded rods. It worked on one side but twisted in half on the other. I wound up getting the hinge pin tool for the side that didn't work.

 

[Jim Marshall]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

Sea Flower

Where does one find "Bellows Stretch Pliers"?

Jim

 

[Simoniz]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

When I don't have the proper tool and it is midnight on Saturday I back up and consider my options: 1. go to bed; 2. look for other parts of the job that I can do to speed up the process when I DO find the tool; or 3. try to make the tool. In this case you might have a round bar you could grind to fit or a bolt with about the right size head. Then a pipe wrench or good vise grips might get you through. Good luck.

Never in a million years!

Those hinge pins are torqued to 100 ft lbs plus threadlock. In my view you'd be mad to use any kind of bar with hexagon flats ground on it, or even a 6 sided allen wrench.

When you've rounded the hinge pins off, then lots of luck getting them out - you'll need it.

Get the correct tool. Its only about 15 dollars and it has 12 points and is a tap in fit, therefore ensuring that you have the maximum possible amount of contact through which to transmit the 100+ ft lbs necessary to release them.

 

[hooks1]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

Pretty dogmatic there! Is the hinge pin a torx pattern? Sounded like from discussion it is a hex pattern in which case a million years would be on the upper tail of the distribution. 100 ft lbs is not really an issue with a pipe wrench (yeah, the vice grips wouldn't handle that). Kind of hard to recreate a torx tool outside a machine shop. The proper tool is always the way to go but Chappy wants an option and I told him what has worked for me numerous times although it was with hex pattern challenges. I don't need to replace my boots yet but, when I do, I will see if I can make a tool that will work - I'll pm you with the results.

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

Thanks guys. i sounded like I am in a rush because I got the boat at a beach house we have. I usually keep it at a larger lake about 2 hours form our beach house. So I wanted to fix the bellows on thursday and be on the sound for the weekend. But Now that I think I should take my time and do it right, I will get the special tool. Thanks guys

 

[Brentathon]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

I just ordered a hinge pin tool, as well as the bellows tool, Perfect Seal, a seal driver, shift cable tool, and even the RESIWELD! That's right, I actually ordered the Resiweld......ha!
I'm done with messing around without the proper tools, and/or things not done right.........especially with boating.
Maybe I'll have extra Resiweld left over, and sell it on eBay....

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

whats the trick to getting the shift cable to come out? I unbolted it from the engine. But it wont pull out of the back? Do I have to take apart the part of the cable that was bolted to the engine area?

 

[Simoniz]

Re: bellow replacement tools??

Pretty dogmatic there! Is the hinge pin a torx pattern? Sounded like from discussion it is a hex pattern in which case a million years would be on the upper tail of the distribution. 100 ft lbs is not really an issue with a pipe wrench (yeah, the vice grips wouldn't handle that). Kind of hard to recreate a torx tool outside a machine shop. The proper tool is always the way to go but Chappy wants an option and I told him what has worked for me numerous times although it was with hex pattern challenges. I don't need to replace my boots yet but, when I do, I will see if I can make a tool that will work - I'll pm you with the results.

Hinge pin is not a torx pattern, its a 12 point double hexagon.

The 100 ft lbs is not an issue for the pipe wrench. either it'll turn or it will slip. Its an issue though for the relatively small hinge pin on which the bodged up tool will have to bear.

If you want to risk rounding off the inside of the hinge pins on your boat using a made up tool - that's your affair. I just don't think you should advise others to do it though. Im all for making up tools if you havn't got the right thing handy but you have to be aware of the damage you can do if the made up tool doesn't do its job properly.