datac
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1957 Cardinal
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Post by datac on Sept 20, 2017 10:22:26 GMT -8
My '57 Cardinal has the usual cam locks (like the pic) on the storage compartment doors. One of these apparently hadn't been disturbed in 30+ years, and galvanic corrosion has welded it solid. There's no way the nut (or the cam screw, for that matter) is coming off, even after weeks of soaking in PB Blaster. Given the thin aluminum skin of the door, I definitely can't be too rough with it, either. The only thing I can think of is to use a fine burr on a Dremel and try to cut a section out of the nut, but one slip and I've toasted the door, and there's very little reveal on the lock itself to hide any damage. Any other ideas on how to get this thing off the door?
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Sept 20, 2017 14:44:53 GMT -8
I suppose you could take the eyebrow off, unscrew the door hinge and side screws then lift the door up and out. Then you could attack the nut on your shop bench.
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datac
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1957 Cardinal
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Post by datac on Sept 20, 2017 15:21:41 GMT -8
I did manage to get the door open and off, but I'm not happy with my odds of getting the nut off without perforating that thin aluminum.
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Ten
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70 Shasta 16SC + 1964 Airflyte
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Post by Ten on Sept 20, 2017 18:43:59 GMT -8
Remember the old movies where the file was smuggled to to jail prisoners in the cake? They didn't escape on the first day. Patience patience patience!
Once the door is off and the lock is accessible, I would try soaking the entire mechanism with diesel fuel, or maybe transmission fluid. Both are formidable solvents. Let soak for days at a time, not hours. You may be pleasantly surprised.
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chriss
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Post by chriss on Sept 21, 2017 17:19:45 GMT -8
I think you are on the right track with the dremel. Just go easy and patience. You may even grind a notch most of the way through, then carefully split it with a chisel. I don't know how thin the nut is, but maybe you can get a nut splitter around it. Anothet idea. If the lock is wasted, you could drill into the cylinder and use some kind of pipe extractor tool to hold the cylinder while you turn the nut. Finally, there's oil, a little heat, and patience.
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