1949 Chevy Deluxe fastback Ol Rusty

[Guest Todd S]

Hi guys Im just starting a restoration on a 49 Chevy 2dr and yes Im a newby at this my question is how do you all remove 70 yr old rusted screws and bolts during the tear down I have screws on that car that are corroded like they are welded Ive soaked them in WD40 Liquid Wrench Ive had to use easy outs on some of the ones to get the window regulator out of the drivers door. any ideas Id sure be thank full. Todd S.

[Laughing Coyote]

Welcome Todd.  I'm sure others will chime in and welcome you too.  There is a lot of knowledge on this Forum and the fine folks here will be more than happy to help you with your questions. As far as the rusted bolts there was a post of some guy using a lighter and a wax candle to remove rusted lug nuts.  It was posted in the General discussion section.  I'm sure there is other opinions out there.  Good luck on your Chevy restoration.

[unimogjohn]

Todd, I feel your pain.  The best thing to do is soak them good and let the fluid work into the metal.  Time is on your side.  

 

Acetone and ATF mixed in a 50/50 mix has proven to be a very good rust dissolver.  I put mine in a metal spray bottle.  I mix enough to do the job in a 30 minute period as the Acetone tends to flash off quickly.  Kroil and PB Blaster are better than WD40.  

 

Have fun.  

[Guest Todd S]

Thank you its really great to get this feed back! Im going to try the ATF and Acetone trick. Ill be posting pictures of my project soon Thanks again Guys!!

[Luv2Wrench]

Kroil is worth the price and time it takes to order it (you can't pick it up and the local parts store).  If you can apply heat without catching other stuff on fire or distorting something you need to keep, then get it hot.  Let it cool.  Get it hot.  Let it cool.  Get it hot and then try again.  Metal stretches and shrinks in the heat/cool cycle and if you're lucky enough... the bolt/screw/nut will stretch/shrink at different rates and crack the bond the rust has created. 

 

Another tip that really works well (I learned this for removing spark plugs)... once you get the nut/bolt to turn, only turn an 1/8th of a turn and then turn back.  Then work up to a 1/4 turn and then back.  So forth and so on until you can make a complete turn with ease.  You are basically grinding up the rust/carbon/junk on the threads *before* you start backing out.  Once the junk is ground up to a fine powder it is less likely to destroy the threads.  It sounds kinda silly but it does work. 

[keiser31]

Another trick is to try to tighten the nut/bolt prior to trying to remove it. Sometimes it will break up the rust so it will unscrew easier.