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So while I do have some knowledge of the rust belt I am in the middle of fixing a county truck that was rusted to hell and back again because it was a salt/plow truck every time i went to remove something something else would break. I need advice on when to know just to cut everything out and replace with new. It is what I ended up doing on this pos. Every time I tried to just take one piece out it would break something else, hence snowballing.
My boss is pissed, his boss is pissed, the customer is pissed, and I am really frustrated. I am looking to avoid this in the future, So advice on how to judge when to just cut everything out and replace it.
Advice for bolts that are just rust bonded – I know there is some awesome thing that eats rust but, not metal. I currently use Sili-Kroil which while amazing cannot deal with this level of rust. The stuff I am talking about is meant for really rusty completely fubar’d stuff. I have heard of it once or twice can not recall the name I am looking to you Canadian and Northern US guys to tell me what it is.
I had bolts that were seized just tight enough to barely budge with a pipe wrench but, not so tight as to snap but, just enough to allow me to use a fluted socket and destroy the socket and bolt threads. Went through mine and a co-workers. It also rounded the teeth on my vise grips. They really don’t make them like they used too.
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What eats rust but not metal is called Naval Jelly. It gets ‘pasted on’ and left to sit for maybe 15 min, then re-applied if necessary. In needs to be thoroughly washed off with water and dried. Don’t let it sit on you skin or it will cause chemical burns.
I use the torch on a lot of that stuff heat it up until the nut is cherry red and they usually spin right of. Of course that won’t work on everything due to clearance and such but if you got the room it works great.. other times the customer needs to know that breakage is a possibility on those types of vehicles.
Use to be a western NY’er. I’ve got an old NY thruway truck in our fleet and I just figure on using a torch to get any fastner off. You will find that it’s often easier to just cut stuff off and replace it. Spring shackles, fuel tank straps, any type of line, just figure on replacing it from the on set of work. If I have a fuel line or brake line that leaks in a cluster of lines….I replace them all. It you touch any of them..they will break. Either then or a 100 miles down the road.
The customer needs to understand this comes with having a rusty vehicle. Warn them up front that things tend to break when working on a rusty truck.
Also if the truck is no longer in the rust belt make sure you take the time to clean off the rust from surfaces that touch the new part or they will also rust…Remember anti-seize is your friend.
One of the popular things in my old shop was to heat up bolts, tie rods ect if they didn’t break lose. I would make sure they broke loose before I sold the alignment.
And I’ve lost a few alignments to techs that were willing to heat up suspension components to do an alignment. Because I refuse to.
One time I got into a pretty heated argument with a service adviser that told me heating up suspension components for an alignment doesn’t change anything. I asked what his credentials were. He was an ASE master tech with 3 years of wrench time. Then he asked for mine.
I told him “3 1/2 years of mechanical engineering school, my associates in auto repair, and my best friend has his Phd in Physics. And both of us are telling you that you’re a fucking idiot. Heating up metal components changes their elasticity property and weakens their tensile strength.”
If I had left it at that I would’ve been fine. But I told him if he still had a problem we could meet at the gas station down the street and knuckle the fuck up like men and settle our problem.
And that was write up number 12 for that Dealership. LOL I’m glad I’ve calmed down over the years.
Ya I try not to heat up anything with more then a propane torch. Frankly I have only ever used a oxy acetaline torch twice but, i also only worked on stuff in VA and it was rare that anything was that bad. I know if I do use oxy acetaline im going to be replacing that part. I think its at like 325 F or 375 F that it starts to affect the steel.
MDK, you should consider getting the Oxy-Acetylene torch out more often. I need it every single time a exhaust is disassembled, and usually average 5 times a week other than that. Check this video out. It’s a procedure I’ve done many times before filming this, and a few more times since.
Rust Disaster:
Really I don’t know how you can avoid the torch. I work on big stuff and I use it all the time. Mostly for cutting bolts or bushings out, but also for interference fit press parts. With rusty trucks your going to have to use it. If you have to heat up suspension parts that are in static load then you should replace them. But often you will have heat them to get them loose. With heavy equipment the torch is your best friend.
Pitt, its funny you mention using the torch to do alignments. I have not seen many northern trucks with IFS front ends not require a torch to either move or cut out the upper control arm camber bolts. Typically because those bolts are flat cut they seize up easily. Don’t know how you can get them out without lots of heat
[quote=”Bsosborne1″ post=154601]Really I don’t know how you can avoid the torch. I work on big stuff and I use it all the time. Mostly for cutting bolts or bushings out, but also for interference fit press parts. With rusty trucks your going to have to use it. If you have to heat up suspension parts that are in static load then you should replace them. But often you will have heat them to get them loose. With heavy equipment the torch is your best friend.
Pitt, its funny you mention using the torch to do alignments. I have not seen many northern trucks with IFS front ends not require a torch to either move or cut out the upper control arm camber bolts. Typically because those bolts are flat cut they seize up easily. Don’t know how you can get them out without lots of heat[/quote]
I don’t get paid for the time it takes to heat the shit up. In Fop’s case the juice is worth the squeeze so to speak. He heats up a rear wheel hub and a job that pays 5 hours is done in 2. But I get paid 9/10 for an alignment and if I’m heating up something for 20 minutes to start the work then I’ll find something else to do.
If it’s a slow, slow day and I like the adviser I’ll grab the oxy and heat up the bolts. If the adviser is a tool and I can knock out 4 brakes jobs waiting on me then Pitt doesn’t give a shit lol. We did a frame swap just last week and we had to cut some bolts. 3 hours of work to get a bed off a truck that we didn’t get the extra time for.
Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail.
Fopeano, I did watch that video when you originally posted it.
I do not disagree I am going to have to get used to using the torch.First though they need to fix the torch head so the valves, air burst, and cutting tip actually work. The place I am at now is cheap when it comes to just about everything.
Anyone have any suggestions for maybe videos on the torches etc. I have watched a few but, I haven’t been able to practice due to lack of time and what not. As for me getting away without the torch thus far I can say I am very adept with hammers, driving implements, cut-off wheel, carbide bits, Sili Kroil, and the propane/map gas torch. I also was not in the rust belt before. I am definately going to have to invest in a good air hammer, bit set for the air hammer size I choose, learn how to use an oxy-acetalyene torch, turbo sockets, and pencil grinder.
MDK22 you will be like a jedi with his light saber after a few times with the torch. You are very humble, I know you have amazing skills. Just with the conversations I’ve had with you on here I know without a doubt you will not have any troubles adapting to the ‘rust belt’ :D. Welcome to our special hell lol.
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