Thanks to the list's advice last week about getting the bolts loose on the universal to shaft coupling, I got them all out with an impact wrench. Worked beautifully. But now I am stuck again getting the shaft coupling off the prop shaft. Removed the bolts that grip the coupling to the shaft and also a square-headed bolt in the coupling that probably fits into a keyway in the shaft, but I can't break the shaft loose from the coupling. I tried holding the coupling from turning with a pipe wrench and trying to turn the prop shaft (by gripping the sacrificial zinc on the shaft with a big vice grips so as not to damage the shaft itself), but it didn't budge. And of course I don't want to damage anything.
One possibility would be to slide the shaft as far aft as possible (since it is disconnected from the universal and the SS PYI piece (that acts as the bearing up against the bellows) that is on the shaft slides forward on the shaft) and then get a small wheel puller on the coupling so it would push the shaft out of the coupling. I have no experience with wheel pullers but it seems that it might work. But I would really value input from the list about how to proceed. Apparently the salt water leaking around the bellows this summer rusted the coupler sufficiently that it is really stuck. Eric Frank Cat's Paw C&C 35 Mk II Mattapoisett, MA _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
