Pitman removal w/linkage attached?

Getting ready to R&R my steering box.
Can the pitman arm be removed from the box without removing the other end from the steering linkage?
Don't want to worry about tearing the boot, if I can just pull the arm without disturbing the other end.
Is there enough play to get this done?

Thx

70 Challenger, if that matters

Yes, you will need a pitman puller. I used a loaner kit from Advance and pulled 4 pitmans and all the tie rods and idlers from various boxes with no seal damage. It worked better than my snap on puller set, just apply pressure and smack the side with a hammer. A few drops of gl-5 gear oil on the pressure screw of the puller and the tip makes things go a little better also.

My centerlink on my 69RR will not drop far enough to clear the splines without splitting the joint at the idler, nor will the pitman arm clear the splines without splitting the joint at the idler, but the gear box can always go up once the 3 bolys are out. Your parts may differ.

FWIW, I needed to remove the oil pan on my challenger. I disconnected the pitman arm from the gear box, and the idler arm from the k-member. Then the whole assembly, drag link and all dropped down. Pan came off easy and it should give you plenty of room to drop the gear box out. Also I did this on a 2 post lift, so the front suspension was dropped down. Might be a different story if the car weight is on the suspension..

I did the same thing on my A body.

Good info, thx!

I'd much rather remove the idler arm at the k-frame and not deal with tearing the boots.

I've used a good puller to remove the pitman arms as well as a pickle fork which was not as good as the pullers

Update:

I was able to pull the pitman arm without removing the idler arm.
But the problem is, it was impossible to align the splines and get it back on.
So in the end, I pulled the idler arm and that made it easy to get it back together.

So for anyone in the future, I'd suggest pulling the idler arm from the beginning.

Thx for the help