|
Randy -- Those bolts are probably painted-over, right? If so, don't bother with the penetrating oil until you remove, or at least break, the paint film. A torch is a great way of getting the paint off, but do be careful to not burn anything you don't want to burn. Then, while the bolt and nut is still hot, wire brush it and then hit it with the penetrant. Some people swear by feeding a stick of wax (canning wax or a candle) into the heated joint sort of like sweat-soldering a pipe joint -- never tried that technique myself so I can't speak from first-hand experience. If you don't want to use a torch to remove the paint, you can try power-brushing it away. If not that, and especially if there is any significant length of painted bolt sticking through the nut, you should consider stripping away the paint, burrs, and corrosion by running a die over as much of the threaded portion of the bolt as you can. I've even been known to scrape the paint away from the nut-to-bolt, nut-to-surface, and bolt-to-surface joint crevices with an old dental pick. Gotta make a way for the penetrating oil to find its way into the joints! Finally, a couple of good smacks with a hammer or some gentle tapping with a small hammer will help the penetrating oil creep into the joint. Only then is it wrenchin' time. Once you do put a wrench on the nut, try turning the nut in both the tightening and loosening directions while you dose it with still more penetrating oil. Be patient and gentle, and ninety-nine percent of the nuts will come off intact. John
| 
