Prop Shaft: A: New Cutlass Bearing Loose on the Shaft

[Roger Rathbun]

Sorry everyone for not getting back right away. I put in the shaft and cutlass bearing (CB) Thurs morning May 29 using the yards skoocum tool STRUT PRO. I was a little sorry I worked so hard at sanding the inside of the strut with emory cloth. As I describe below, the CB  went in quite easily. More on this later.

http://www.strutpro.com/

The order of things was as follows:
I did take the shaft and coupling to a machine shop for facing (dressing). Fits very nicely, can push it almost fully on, then some light tapping.
Coat the inside of strut with anti seize lubricant.
Insert shaft into strut and through shaft log. Go inside and install coupling and connect  couplings hand tight. It will be off again later for PSS and stuff.
Hang Strut Pro on shaft: a bit tricky with one person, so I left the bearing off at first.
Back off the Strut Pro and let the aft end hang down. Insert CB by hand (I got it in about 3/4 inch. It prob works if you can only get it in 1/8 inch.
Bring the aft end of Strut Pro back into position, advance it in till the 1" horseshoe plate makes contact with the CB. As you drive in the CB you need to keep checking that the 1" horseshoe (drive plate) makes good even contact with each edge of the CB. At first the plate is positioned at the prop taper on the shaft so it won't automatically stay centered.
Start driving (turning the bolt heads). Apply some more anti seize to the outside of the CB. The Strut Pro is a powerful too (could push the B's off an elephant!) I actually drove the whole CB in by turning the large bolt heads by hand! Never used a wrench! The anti seize helped and the CB was cooled (frozen) but I don't think that helped much because dry fitting a cool CB didn't help much. I'm not too worried that I sanded off too much of inside of the strut. I could only ever insert it maybe an inch by hand and there are the two set screws. I was just surprised how effectively and effortlessly this tool pushed the CB in. Now that it's in, when I grab the shaft and push/pull athwart ship I can feel a tiny bit of play. I'm going to go with it.

Solstice:
Thanks for all the research. Seems to confirm where we're at.

Ron:
I hear you on press fit vs set screws. I think mine is definitely a press fit. No idea what FO's did. I expect someone (or their yard) added the set screws later (two on the port side). They look a little home made (don't go in perfectly straight). The grooves around my shaft are definitely not from the set screws (wrong place). At the set screw positions, there were no marks on the shaft. I can also see and feel small hard bits (calcium?) inside the old CB (between the ribs) at places that match the grooves.

Pic 1868: Strut Pro set up on shaft, CB not yet in place. More pics in additional "REPLIES"

[Roger Rathbun]

Another view

[Roger Rathbun]

Back off the Strut Pro. Insert CB by hand ; Got mine in 3/4 inch.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : The Strut Pro tool is the same as C34 Fleet 12 bought for our fleet tool box. Many members of the fleet have saved $$ by pressing out the old cutless and pressing a new one themselves.

Rather than free drinks from our dues, the fleet purchases tool for the members to use.  

A thought for the C34 Fleets!!

[Roger Rathbun]

Pic 1873:   Bring Strut back into position. Advance to contact CB. Apply more anti seize, Start driving!

[mainesail]

I know of no pressed in bearing strut that also uses set screws - as the set screws are completely unnecessary!

If the builder actually builds to ABYC standards the cutlass bearings are all supposed to be a "press fit". ABYC P-6 also requires a minimum of two set screws. Thus all cutlass bearings should both press fit AND have a minimum of two set screws which are also supposed to be "spotted" into the bearing shell.

[Roland Gendreau]

Just to close this thread out, was the original shaft re-used?

[Roger Rathbun]

Roland:
Yes I did use the original shaft. While it was out, I polished it with a cone bristle (abrasive) brush in a cordless drill over the entire length. It cleans up nicely (looks new). I wondered if that might have taken a thousandth off and contributed to the cutlass bearing sliding so easily but I don't think that was a problem.  Anyway, it's in now; I'll report after I launch. I'm currently messing with significant engine mount/engine bed problems.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,8080.0.html

[KWKloeber]

You must freeze the bearing overnight (do not super cooo w/ dry ice!) to reduce the diameter and push it in as quickly as you can.  Those instruction should have been with the bearing and the yard jockeys should know that.

Set screws are belt and suspenders, bearing is still a press fit.

[Roger Rathbun]

As I said above, I did cool the bearing; freeze overnight, take to the yard (three min)  in a coolie bag in freezer packs. That's why I got the STRUT PRO all set up without the CB in place, then backed off and dropped the back end so I could quickly insert the CB part way into the strut then bring the STRUT PRO back into position and drive it in. In my case no amount of cooling would have allowed me to push in the CB by hand. Most I could get was an inch+. Also it's bound to take 5-10 min so CB will warm up a fair bit.

[Indian Falls]

Don't bother trying to cool the bearing for any reason, 0 deg F is not a relevant or significant temperature, -300F is.
On top of that the operation takes 30 min to press in the bearing... so how long will it remain at 0 deg F? 
Only a few moments.
It's not necessary, the fit is tight and no match for any kind of press such as the strut pro or even the homemade one I used.  Sorry to kick this one to the curb as it were.