Thanks to everyone who responded to my plea for help removing the wiper
wheel boxes on my '66 sprite. I tried to deform the nut, but that didn't
work. I tried holding a body buck on one flat and tapping the opposite
side. No help this trick either. Finally I resorted to the Dremel tool and
a cut-off blade. Worked great! The brass cut quickly so I went slowly
looking for threads to appear. When they did I stopped. My cut was on a
flat but I cut diagonally across the flat rather than from "top to bottom"
When the threads appeared, I used a screwdriver to spread the nut a little.
What I found was a lot of "white rust" - the junk that forms on aluminum -
probably helped by the contact with the brass nut (dis-similar metal
corrosion). I used the Dremel again to brush the threads (lightly). Then I
put the cut nut in a vice and by controlling the squeeze I had a nice die
to clean and form the threads.
I didn't use heat because these wheel boxes have rubber packing material
under the knurled end to which the wiper blade attaches.
I was worried about this project, but it turned out just fine. You just
need a light touch with the cutoff wheel to avoid cutting too deep or
nicking the chrome bezel.
Thanks again for the help!
Tim
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