[Boatanchors] RE: Disassembly of Vernier Drive Used in Ranger and Valiant

[Michael D. Harmon]

Hi Folks,

I got the vernier drive apart pretty easily once I figured out how to do 
it.  I screwed the large nut onto the threaded bushing, and then clamped 
down on it with my "baby" (6")  vise grips.  The nut protected the 
threads, but had enough give to allow sufficient torque to break the 
bushing loose from the large brass housing.  I removed the internal 
parts (which were caked with dried grease), cleaned everything (I used 
Gun Scrubber), and reassembled the unit.  I used Sil Glyde (my favorite 
lube), a silicone-based lube, to pack the bearings.  I put everything 
back together, and torqued the bushing into the housing enough to 
provide reliable non-slip operation with no binding or roughness.

Thanks to everyone who sent me tips and suggestions on how to 
disassemble the vernier drive.  It's really quite an engineering 
masterpiece.

Mike, WB0LDJ