Great news all! I got both fulcrum pins out of the driver's side A-arms.
Yippee.
Here's what I did based on list advice. I soaked, really soaked the whole
bolt area with liquid wrench and left it for about half a day. Then I
decided to just pound the hell out of the recalcitrant pin and buy a new
one if I screwed it up. Just in case I might be able to save it, I put a
chunk of wood about 1/2" thick against the nut before I began the pounding.
Pounded it flush with the a-arm. Then I took a screwdriver, put it
against the washer welded to the nut and pounded more. Pop! Out it came.
As Haynes puts it I "tapped" it out. :) Alright, so now the threads were
a bit loused up and the nut wouldn't go on. While waiting for the liquid
wrench I had gone out to get some tools. Bought a cheap (relatively) tap
and die set and a vice. Guess what? I actually used the die to save the
bolt. Ok, it's only a $7 item, but now I don't have to order it and most
importantly - I did it!
I feel inordinately pleased by this. hehehe
Ok, what next? I've quit for the night and am ready for some advice. It
looks like there is a metal sleeve still in the a-arm assembly as Mike S.
pointed out. My poly bushings are pretty thick. Even I can see that I
can't squish them in from the outside of the a-arms. Am I supposed to
swing the wishbone down, then pop the bushings on, then reassemble? Or do
I have to pound the sleeves out somehow? I'm in a bit of a quandry here
because this side had =no= bushings to begin with so I have nothing to
compare with. Absent any other advice I think (weather permitting) I will
take the fulcrum pins out of the other side which will tell me how the
whole thing looks when it is right. The passenger's side has bushings. :)
It's funny though. In Moss and VB catalogs (and the Haynes manual) I don't
see any metal sleeves.
If I ever finish this job, dare I tackle the trunion bushings or wheel
bearings? I'm seriously thinking of finishing these bushings and making a
stab at the trunion bushings and going for a spin. Oh, first channging the
rotors. If I have lost my clunk and funny feel to the front end, I may
hold off on bearings or have a pro do it. Or maybe I'll just do it. hehe
Thanks for all the help and moral support so far. It has made =all= the
difference in the world.
Philip
Burgundy 1974 Midget
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