Removing aluminum bushing on chain plate rods

jacksonlord · September 27, 2011, 10:05:42 PM

I'm rebedding my chain plates for the shrouds. After I remove everything and do all the work to get it ready to be re-inserted in the deck with caulk, I realize that the aluminum bushing around the stainless steel rod under the settee (which distributes some of the load to the hull) will not come off the rod. It's corroded very tightly together. WD-40 and hammering don't work. This causes problems for re-installation as I cannot get the chain plates rebedded with the rod in place since the angled aluminum bushing won't seat properly to the surface above it. Any ideas? (see attached photo in case my helpless explanation confused you).

Gary · September 28, 2011, 03:54:58 AM

Try some PB Blaster instead of WD-40. It seems to work a bit better in some situations. Also, a heat gun with heat directed at the bushing. Using a block of wood against the bushing allows for "tapping" more aggressively without damage to the soft aluminum. There are some cavities between the hull and liner that are really inaccessible in that area (lesson learned the hard way) so be careful when the bushing comes loose that it does not disappear. In my case it was an adjustable wrench that a long mechanics magnet was able to reach. For the bushing and stainless steel nuts and washers the magnet will of course be useless. Each of the bushings is faired differently to match hull angle...they would be a pain to replace.

Gary

Gary · September 28, 2011, 04:07:31 AM

An after thought to the above. I would put some vice grips just above the threads (the teeth marks will not show later). After an overnight soak in PB Blaster use a heat gun on the aluminum bushing. Wrap the bushing in a t-shirt and use channel lock adjustable pliers on the bushing to oppose the vice grips. Twist the bushing and it should loosen. The bushing cannot disappear because it will stop at the vice grips.....

Gary

Ron Hill · September 28, 2011, 03:26:57 PM

Jack : Why don't you review Mike Vaccaro's re bedding article and see what he did?? A thought

Ken Juul · September 29, 2011, 08:56:58 AM

Polish the end of the shaft with a scotchbrite pad/emery paper to remove any roughness. Put the nut on the end of the shaft so you don't lose the bushing if it pops loose. Several applications of PB. Cut a piece of plywood so that it will fit over the shaft and sit in the bottom of the cubby hole. Use a section of pipe or thick walled PVC so that about half the threads at the top are exposed. Add a couple of washers and nut. Hold the bushing with vice grips/channel locks to prevent spinning, tighten the top nut putting pressure on the bushing. It should start sliding down the shaft. You may have to add more washers/spacers at the top if you run out of threads. Once it reaches the threads it should slide right off.

Stu Jackson · September 29, 2011, 11:06:03 AM

Quote from: Ron Hill on September 28, 2011, 03:26:57 PM
Jack : Why don't you review Mike Vaccaro's re bedding article and see what he did?? A thought

That would be this one: http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Inspecting_and_Re-bedding_Chainplates

Remember that putting sealant underneath is NOT a good idea (also noted near the top of the article).

jacksonlord · September 29, 2011, 11:29:53 AM

I was using that excellent article as my guide as I did the work until I realized that "a tap with a hammer" was absolutely not sufficient to get this bushing off, so I'm stuck.

Thanks for your great tips, Gary and Ken (Gary- I grew up in Falmouth Foreside). I'll try some things out based on your suggestions and let you know how it goes.

Ken- I'm not sure I follow you exactly. The washers and nuts will be above the bushing, forcing it down the shaft to the threads? How could these nuts turn on this part of the shaft where there are no threads? Maybe you're envisioning the attached picture as upside-down. The threads at the end of the shaft are facing downward and outboard. The pipe would fit in between the washer/nut you're tightening and the bushing, right?

Gary · September 29, 2011, 12:14:09 PM

Be sure to let us know you make out with the bushing. The completion of question asked, then answered, frequently does not include the owner's result. Be sure to let us know how it goes and a description of the solution. That will complete the circle.

I would echo Stu's reminder not to use caulk on the underneath chain plate surface. Any leak is best seen first in the cabin rather than as lateral migration in the deck. The chain plate design is effective but it does need monitoring and caulk replacement. I re-caulked port and starboard and three years later had one chain plate on port side that needed a redo. Not a big job. And it is worth checking if a boat is new to you. On my first inspection our boat was missing 2 locknuts and the chain plate was loose putting too much force to the deck. Glad I found it before deck damage occurred.

Gary

Ted Pounds · September 29, 2011, 01:46:11 PM

Maybe try a gear-puller?

jacksonlord · September 29, 2011, 07:07:36 PM

I started today by soaking the bushing in PB blaster... which quickly ate through the cup the liquid was in then spilled into the compartment. Good first try. Then I gave up.

After working with a marine mechanic, he advised me to forget it and just re-install without removing the bushing since it's practically welded to the rod. We were able to seat it "well-enough" and successfully screwed the rod back into the chainplate and lined it up for a re-bed. It's not ideal, but it's ok.

Thanks again for all your help, guys.