Cal-Van CV95400 In Line Dowel Pin Puller

I purchased this tool to remove the dowel pins on the engine block of my Toyota 22RE motor. I had previously tried to remove them using locking pliers, but aborted mission before I chewed up the pins too badly. I checked out YouTube and found a video about this tool, so decided to take a chance with it.WOW...I'm glad I did. Initially, when the tool first arrived, I was a little disappointed in it. Not a super huge fan of their zinc plated parts, although the collets themselves are fairly nicely made. The tool doesn't have a China or India feel to it or anything, but I just would have preferred the main threaded center rod to be hardened steel (or at least maybe something other than zinc plated). Nevertheless, I just used the tool and I have to say wow, wow, wow.. it worked amazingly well.A few tips:1. throw away their washers. They just cause problems and you don't need them. Instead, make sure you use plenty of high quality grease on the threads and also the surfaces where there is downward pressure.2. Soak the dowel to be removed in WD40 for a few hours. Then rough up the sides with some 320 grit sandpaper. Clean everything off with B12 chemtool (or any carb cleaner) and some compressed air. Make sure the inside of the removal collet is also clean and dry.3. No need to hammer the collet down or the sleeve over the collet down; the threaded rod will reduce the collet just fine and apply more than enough pressure on the sides of the dowel pin. Just make sure to use some grease in the taper fitting where the collet goes up into the sleeve part - also on the threads which thread into the back of the collet (and the surface where the center nut touches the collet sleeve).4. I used two hand wrenches, even though I have impact tools. It's better to feel how much torque you are applying. When setting the main part on the collet, I used two adjustable wrenches is all. I applied a fair amount of torque, but not enough to risk stripping the threads.5. Slide the outer sleeve down and over the threaded post and apply liberal amounts of grease to the nut and top of the outside sleeve where the nut sits - again the washers supplied in the kit are way too thick, so it's easier just to use some grease. I think if I were going to use this tool all the time, I would maybe shorten it about .125 and buy two washers and a radial needle bearing to use. For just occasional use, however, grease between the top nut and outside sleeve should be plenty good.6. Tighten down the top nut and away you go... if you are using handle tools, you can feel the dowel start to loosen and then it comes right out.Once the dowel pin is out, just unscrew the assembly a bit and use the inside rod to help press out the collet. Once the collet is out of the sleeve, it should open and allow the dowel pin out without too much effort. If the dowel pin is stuck, then you can always unscrew the extraction rod and use a brass punch to drift it through the threaded hole on the back of the collet.All in all, a very clever design. Definitely a tool you want to have around if you work on motors or need to remove dowel pins from flywheels, etc.

Ridiculous!!! I mean... look at the metric. 4mm, 5mm and then 10 and 12! And nothing in between. The product picture shows six metric. I got 4. Also missing one SAE. Totally unacceptable. For over $150?! Shame! Shame for even sending this out to people! Total garbage!