Can I change Alpha1 Gen1 lower gimbal swivel pin needle bearing to later Alpha1 bush?

[Johnlink]

Hi All
Have an 86 Alpha1 Gen1 outdrive and the lower gimbal steering pin needle bearing is shot. Mechanic says engine needs to come out and take off transom assembly to restore. Retired on meagre resources so am looking for a cheaper quicker way to get around the problem. Eg can I access the lower swivel pin and bearing from below (the bell housing is off). I would like to get rid of the needle bearing and put in the later Alpha1 nylon bush seems simpler. Anyone had experiences with this?

 

[dave8311]

You can get the gimbal ring out without pulling the motor.

There are two kits available for this.

One of them is https://www.jrmarine.com/videos.htm

I'm not sure if you can convert from needle bearing to bushing, but it would be easier to get repaired if you remove the ring.