Quote:
Originally Posted by Mitch//pa
I remove the one bolt at the trans,and the brake rattler , so i dont have to mess with the
e-brake lever, spring, etc. i do all that on the bench, then reassemble has a unit .. i feel its easier which takes an extra 5 minutes...JMO
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Just to wrap up this thread. Wanted to thank everyone for their help in this thread, via PM, etc. I ended up following Mitch's advice and removed the radius rods. I struggled for a couple days trying to break free the cross bolt at the trans, but eventually grabbed my antique pneumatic impact gun after I finally gave up trying to use the electric Milwaukee version. The old one took the rusted nut right off.
A few key learnings for those who may find themselves in my shoes later on.
1) I ended up removing all the brake rods from the cross shaft and then removed the brake pedal to cross shaft link. This helped move the cross shaft out of the way and give easier access to the cross bolt at the trans. This wouldn't be necessary if the rusted bolt wasn't so darn stuck.
2) keep everything loose until you have all the bolts on both sides installed. It's way easier to get everything lined up that way.
3) I used some bailing wire to hold the radius rods in place while doing the initial bolt up. It would have been easier with a second set of hands to aim the fork side into the backing plate. Nothing a little touch up paint can't fix!
4) Never underestimate the amount of rust on threads of painted parts. I ended up replacing a lot of hardware during the project (all backing plate bolts, radius rod cross bolt, etc.) just to be safe.
Thanks again!