I realize that the majority of the people that see this won't
have the tools to do this, nor the desire to go this route,
but a few may find it of interest. I post it only to show
another way of removing the bearing.
Here's how I removed several mast jacket bearings:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/121666271/largeThe large tapered section was threaded on a bench lathe with a
taper attachment. The push rod is used to push on the steering
shaft after the tapered thread is screwed into the bearing cup.
This was modeled after the J-2565 bearing puller that GM shows
in the service manual. This method does not destroy the original
bearing assembly and it doesn't bugger up the top of the mast
jacket, which is the usual result of prying it out with a screwdriver.
DG
