Helloo

Fire Engine, not the Octy. Any tips/tricks/suggestions on what to use to free rusted nuts and bolts? Have tried repeated applications of WD40 and PlusGas. Any ideas?

Kev

If you don,t need to keep them after have you tried a nut splitter?

Sorry about my suggestion if vague.

plusgas being direct heat I assume? Was going to say an oxycetalene torch should do the trick.

A little bit of heat might work.

The nuts that are giving me trouble are the ones bolting the brake line into the whell cylinder at one end, and onto a bracket & main brake hose at the other. I have replacement line, but need to keep as much of the cylinders intact as possible, as they are £89 each for the front and £130 each for the back :eek:

Plusgas is a fluid Jason....your banned from helping, im worried you'll take FIRE engine too literally. ...:hbomb:

Plusgas is a fluid Jason....your banned from helping, im worried you'll take FIRE engine too literally. ...:hbomb:

:evil: Why have a fire engine if there's no fire to put out, even on itself? There was a bloke at my nearest Seat garage earlier this week pressure washing a red classic fire engine. I think it was around 30 odd years old. Looked nice - Not "old" old, but just old.

Mines 41 years old. Too me thats OLD, but to mum and dad who can remember seeing it when it was new, its not so old, but I like to remind them

This stuff is pricey but effective. Like WD40 on steroids, so might be worth a try.

Phil

Try shocking the nuts , Hold a heavy lump hammer at the opposite side of the nut to the side you are hitting with a smaller hammer , I regularly use this method on air brake fittings at work, If there is enough room ,work around the nut, and it should come undone easily

Have a search for 'black magic' I ain't seen it fail yet the stuff is well magic.

worst comes to worst - use a "smoke wrench" - heat up the offending nut with a careful application of an oxyacetylene torch. The nut heats up more than the bolt and expands..

Rob - please can you post up some pics - it'd be really neat to see what you're working on..

Good luck

Bas

3 in 1 oil use to do a penetrating oil in a yellow can years ago, this use to work wonders for me, dont know if they still do it, worth a try if they do!!!

The tact I'd take is...

Get it as clean as you can, that includes all exposed threads, nut, bolt etc. Wire brush is ideal.

Give it plenty of soakings with a good penetrating oil. I like the 3in1 Penetrating Spray.

Give the nut/bolt a tap with a hammer to shock it.

More penetrating oil...

Get the nut really hot, and I mean glowing amber/red.

Make sure the tools you are using fit the nut/bolt perfectly. Sometimes its handy to hammer the next size down socket onto it.

Get a good breaker bar on it.

Failing all the above, drill it out/grind it off etc.

I find these work quite well

HTH

Get a suitable brake nut spanner first, you know, the ones that hold the nut on 4 and 2 halves sides.

Then if PlusGas still failed, as Ross said Black Magic and heat are about the only resort short of a nut splitter!

I find these work quite well

HTH

That would be Jason's approach too, I'm fairly certain.....

Irwin bolt grippers are awesome...

Hey Bas, here are a couple of pictures. One is of the engine new, the other...not so new. Guess which one is which...:(

Just needs a wash, and the body refitting as a camper!

Irwin bolt grippers are awesome...

They certainly do the job, but I've found them to be one use only tbh. :(

Used mine loads of times! What's happened to yours then?