Well....you would have been in for a rude surprise!!!
Worked on this thing most of yesterday AND today.
My fabricator buddy came over. Brought his rosebud torch.
1. We tried to drill out that bolt. (I forget the name, Beetle plug? something named after an insect) Anyway, snapped & shattered about 4 bits before we went to the second plan.
2. Second plan was to cut the pin above, below so the bent arm can now be removed and we'll figure out the sections AND how do we now remove the drilled and still stuck lock bolt?
3. Ended up cutting the pin out. Lower section was able to be banged out finally (FINALLY!!) decided to remove Pin that connects two front wheels for steering purposes.... had to heat it, bang it......finally twisting it, broke it free and got it out.
4. I finally took front tire off so we can have free space
5. Nothing going on with the pin....I made a comment of why not remove Kingpin (which really needs to be replaced AND I happen to already have the replacement kit)....so remove king pin, take entire knuckle over to his shop where he's got his serious tools.
6. Started on the King Pin....Applied loads & loads of heat to the axle and the pin just laughed and laughed at us.
7. Spent probably 3 hours with a 7" grinder, Sawzall (carbide blades), 4" grinder (WITH 7" cutoff wheel.... I know I know.....)
8. FINALLY got the king pin cut on top, cut on bottom and got knuckle off (drove it over to his shop)
9. Before we cut the Kingpin, he welded a spare loader bucket tooth I had to the top of it to see if we could rotate the Kingpin.... brought my neighbors John Deere (?? about 40 HP) and attached my chain to the now, perpendicular tooth.... he pulled forward and rather than rotating pin, it pulled tooth off, TWICE. THEN I decided to just cut the SOB.
10. Left as much as I could of the Kingpin. My pal is going to get some steel that he has, cut a matching circle, WELD this entire thing as contrasted to the tooth for my loader bucket (this part is pending)
Hopefully the bar will be 5-10 feet long for a lot of leverage....
Stay tuned.
Oh, and that steering knuckle assembly is a heavy little bugger!!
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