51 Ford F1

[sullymech]

City

Oxnard

State

Ca

I'm restoring a 51 F1 and I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on removing the carriage bolts that hold the fenders without using a grinder or over tightening to get them to snap?

 

[Ken Crans]

Use a nut splitter or die grind the nut just enough to get a chisel to break the nut without touching the sheetmetal. Good Luck Ken

 

[Redhorse1947]

Try using an acetylene torch with a SMALL tip. Heat the nut until it just begins to glow then loosen with your wrench. A mechanic friend of mine refers to this as a "blue wrench" and considers it a "must have" for just about any type of restoration work. Just be careful around fuel lines.

I have also had fair luck with a common propane torch used to solder copper fittings. It certainly does not produce the same heat as acetylene but might work in a few cases.

Good luck!