Splitting an A

My answer might be in the books but I haven't plowed through them yet. Was wonderin' if somebody has a quick answer to a long-winded question about splittin' an A.

Neighbor Dave got so much into my BN project (he lent me his heated and well-lighted garage last to get her painted and put back together -- SUPER nice guy!) that he now has an A of his own. Clean, but the motor's stuck, so we're gonna have to split her.

He's already fabbed up a channel iron frame to take the place of the motor so we can roll the chassis back outside while doin' the motor job, which I thought was a pretty clever idea.

My concern on the split has to do with the steering shaft and what, if anything, to do with it for the short time she'll be split. My BN has the u-joint in the shaft. I got the pin out but couldn't get the joint off either end of the shaft, so wound up unbolting the steering support from the top of the tranny when I split it, so I was able to lay the steering wheel and support down on the floor

But the A has the straight (no joint) steering shaft, so I'm not sure the approach I used on my BN will work in this case, even for the short time we'll have her apart to pull the motor and replace it with the channel iron.

Our basic plan is to chock out the steering on the front and support that end on a chainfall, and get the 6"-8" clearance to back the shaft out and clear the flywheel and clutch by rolling the back end away to lift the motor.

Are the guts of the steering mech at the front enough to hold steering wheel and shaft up while we've got her apart? If needs be, I can see pulling the bolt to separate the top end at the bearing/bushing that the shaft passes through, just so the weight of the support can be eliminated, but that still seems like a lot of leverage with the weight of the shaft and wheel just hangin' off of the front end.

The question, I guess, is how have you done it? Any tips other than havin' one of Dave's kids hold the wheel up while we do our wrenchin' thing??

I'm all ears!

Scotty: Here is how I do it. Put a bottle jack under clutch housing, unbolt front end complete with rad, put wedges in front axle pivot, clamp vice grips on steering shaft close to steering box so shaft can't turn. Remove steering wheel, then you can grab it by the steering shaft and wheel it along like a wheelbarrow, except you have one handle and two wheels. Wheel it to a storage spot, block the front axle, I like pallets. Then just drill a hole in a board for sliding over steering shaft and nail other end of board to pallets. With weight on pallets under axle, it's almost balanced.

Then remove the engine, bolt your chanel to clutch housing, making a tongue like a trailer out of it. Hitch onto it with your B and take it to suitable parking. There is no point in you guys trying to keep that front end balanced while you bolt in the chanels to make it one piece.

If you take the steering wheel off you can then take the whole steering shaft out the front of the steering box by removing the front plate and screwing it out.