chainplate support rods stuck

[mdidomenico]

I pulled all my chainplates over the weekend for rebedding.  I was able to remove all but one from the tie rod, it looks like there some rust on the threads, hopefully some pb blaster will break  it loose.  however, i've hit a snag i'm not sure how to deal with.  the eccentric washer above the nut at the end of the rod seems to have gotten frozen to the rod.

i suspect it's alu vs stainless contact problems, which i've dealt with in the past.  unfortunately i've not had much luck breaking those connections loose and usually have to resort to grinding away and replacing.  obviously i'd prefer not to do that with these tie rods.

any suggestions on the best course of action?  heat usually seems to be the consensus, though its never worked for me and i'm a little nervous sticking a propane torch in such a small area.

[pablosgirl]

Had the same problem.  I first soaked it with PB blaster then after a while I tried to work the aluminum sparser back and forth. First using a hammer then pliers.  Took a while but eventually it worked free. Cleaned up both pieces then applied Tef-gel upon reassembly to prevent future corrosion.  Your mileage may vary depending on how corroded your pieces are.

Paul

[max]

My experience with heat is that it has always worked for me - it's always been the last resort as you need to be careful with surrounding materials but every nut I've heated up with a torch has slipped right off. If the bolt and nut are made of different materials it's even better because of the different expansion characteristics. I protect the surround area with sheet metal. PB Blaster is good but nothing beats a torch.

[mdidomenico]

i managed to get all but two off with pb blaster.  i'm guessing there was still enough leeway between the washer and the rod that the liquid dripped through and soaked the corrosion.  one of them still wont bugde, but i'll probably spray a few more times, and a second one has the washer and the chainplate still attached.  i couldn't budge that one at all, probably needs a few rounds of pb blaster.

course through all this i managed to drop one of the washers into the well underneath the rod, not sure how i'm going to get that out.  hopefully i maneuver one of those flexi grabbers enough to snatch it.