This is a case of "much to do about nothing"... I realized (as Don Stocker pointed out) that I was planning to install a new bearing anyway. I used a propane torch to gently warm the inner bearing race, and then used my largest 3 jaw puller, and the old bearing came right off. I cleaned up the pinion shaft, and put it in the freezer. An hour to and hour and half later, I carefully warmed up the inner race of the new bearing(easy to do without the pinion shaft in the way). I warmed it up until the cosmoline melted and started to smoke a little. Grabbed the shaft from the freezer, prepared to beat it into place with my dead blow hammer. NO NEED! It literally dropped right into place, without so much as a single hammer blow. As the two pieces reached a common temperature, the bearing tightened up nice and snug.
I'm a happy man!
Last edited by retro-roco; 02/27/2013 7:01 PM.
