Small victory...
So my approach to projects in the garage is a little less industrious than Mr. D's...it involves a lot of staring at the task...sitting back...sipping a Corona...staring a little longer...contemplating all the things that can possibly go wrong with my plan...imagining what the engineer who designed it was thinking...how he came to arrive at this specific solution...imagining the mechanical drawings...created by a draftsman in a time when those guys still existed (I haven't met one in nearly 15 years)...sip more beer...stare...think...drink...repeat
I just love machinery. I've spent more time laying under my cars than anyone else I know. I just like to lay there and consider all that went into every component location...every weld...every bolt...I'm a dork.
So last night...as I sat and stared at the Panzer... trying to decide where I would start the disassembly...I spied 4 little wing nuts that held the belt shield onto the mower deck. They were rusted solid onto 12-24 studs. I estimated that it would be nearly impossible to extract them without breaking off the studs or twisting the ears off of the wing nuts. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
I spent last night going out to the garage during commercial breaks from a Halloween movie film marathon...shooting the nuts with PB Blaster...trying to work them back and forth a little bit...and just looking at the tractor. When I woke this morning, I went out and shot them again before heading out to split firewood all morning. I came back and shot them again.
Finally...20 hours after the first soaking...I sat down on the floor and set to working the wing nuts back and forth...ever so slightly...with a pair of needlenose pliers. After about 30 minutes and 1 Corona...SUCCESS!!
All 4 nuts removed without breaking a stud or damaging a wingnut. This is truly a testament to the quality of hardware manufactured 50 years ago. Nothing made in China would have survived.
This is going to be a long, slow project at this pace.
I like to study my projects also! Get some Acetone and mix it 50/50 with any ATF. Gotta have something with a lid to store it, but it makes rusted bolts come loose so much better! Be sure to shake before using!