The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop how to remove rusted bolts and nuts?

Anyone have a method that works to remove rusted nuts and bolts? Liquid wrench and wd-40 just don't seem to do the trick. Among other things, I'm trying to remove the front sheet metal on a 1950 3100. Or am I just not patient enuf?
unbroke

Unbroke:
Know how ya feel. I have a 50 as well. There was so much rust and junk on the nuts and bolts. Nothing worked. WD-40, Wrench, wire brushing. In the end, I twisted off about 85% of all the nuts. :mad: I've decided to just buy all new nuts and bolts from a company like American Classics.

2¢ I'll add: to start, always give old bolts a smack in the tightening direction, which usually will break'em loose if they're not really rotten, if that don't work get at the threaded end, heat it red, then wrench away. heat works 99% of the time.

Bill

i use a penetrating oil called P.B. BLASTER. it doesn't evap like w.d. and some of the other stuff. spray it on 24 hours before disassembly--and the give it a tap in the tightening direction is a good idea too. when all else fails--------------blue wrench

OK, thanks for the ideas. How hot do you make the torch? Just acetylene or add oxy, to? I just got a torch and haven't used it yet. A 57 year old newbie!
unbroke

PB Blaster works, and so does Kroil, my favorite. Steam locomotive mechanics swear by it, especially after after spending a day in a hot front end and inhaling the fumes.

Torch will depend on how big the bolts are. I use straight propane on small bolts, say 1/4" or so. Anything over 3/8 really needs either mapp gas or acetylene.

Another method is to heat mildly, the apply pariffin, which does a good job penetrating. It also helps to use an impact gun.

Vise grips on one end - wrench on the other end - tighten that sucker until it breaks off. If that dont work use my version of "liquid wrench" -heat it up until it melts away . This will make big fire if you soaked the thing in any kinda oil previously.

There ain`t nothing like a metric gas crescent wrench
... except for a plasmacutter

why do i get the feeling this rusty old truck is gonna look like something out of "road warrior" when I'm done? gotta get to torchin'!
unbroke

Just make sure you use safety gear. we want to keep all stovebolters healthy
.
Make sure you brush off as much loose rust as you can, the torch will not like the loose crusty stuff ,it kinda blows up or splatters everywhere

If you ain't got a torch at home, an angle grinder will do the job.

rust? what is that?

If I had a market for rust, I would be financially secure for the rest of all our lives put together :rolleyes:

well, thanks for all the input.
I tried the PB Blaster and it does work better than the other products I have tried.
i didn't get to torching yet, because i don't have that set up yet. I have been persuaded to use MAPP or propane by some of my saner friends instead of acetylene.
I spent several days working under and in that rust bucket. I persuaded most nuts and bolts (except on sheet metal) with the help of a 3 foot section of pipe on my breaker bar, but the bolts thru the fenders and fender skirt in most places were going thru more rust than steel. I have decided to lift the cab and front end as a unit and take the whole thing to a friend at a body shop to see what can be done. it's a sad case.
unbroke

We have faith in you that you will be able to resurrect the beast to its former glory,maybe even a little better than it was

Well thanks again to all for their help! I never knew I would have so much fun breaking things! After I got the cab and fender unit on the wood frame I found that I could get to the bolts holding the fenders on easier and I just started tightening them and busting them off. Yeehaaa, that was FAST and FUN! Then I took the front clip and rolled it around on my deck (carefully) so I could separate the fenders from the radiator support and grill, etc. There must be a gazillion bolts and sheet metal screws under there -- and much easier to get to when you can roll it around. Next stop, body man.

Make sure you remember where all those broken bolts go :p

yeah, right.
going to buy all stainless assortment of bolts, nuts and washers and use what works.
this is not going to be a show truck, but it will be a mechanically sound farm truck.

To really remove rusted bolts easy use the acccetylene torch, heat the nut red and then take a water hose and squirt water on it till it is cool. Most of the time you can remove them very easy. The water is the trick that really works.
You can remove bolts from exhaust manifolds that are really rusted. Good luck!

beleive it or not, coca-cola works really well for desolving rust... give it a try.

Seems to me that we have seen this suggestion before. Do I correctly recall that someone provided test results suggesting that Dr. Pepper is a better choice?

Tim

Coke has so much citric acid in it that it will dissolve a nail in 4 days. Think of what that stuff can do to your teeth!

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