getting slides off

[tomahawkcat]

hello have a older drifterm 1980 340 F/A and just rebuilding the whole suspension. now does anybody have any good ideas how to get the slides off?? been spraying with wd40 for a few days along the slides but my big problem is the two screws or what ever they are to get out of the front, hate to use heat, will melt the slide but these darn things are really rusted in their  any good ideas  i have to get the slides off to take the rest of the suspension apart because the slide protect all the small bolts you need to take apart just no room to get a scoket or wrench on them and i see two cracked brakets already in the middle piece

help   help

[bryan_damone]

I'm not familiar with that particular sled, but a whack with a cold chisel should break the nut and possibly the end of the bolt. Another whack with a punch should knock the remaining part of the bolt out of the aluminum rail. dissimilar metal corrosion between the aluminum rail and steel bolt can form an incredibly strong bond.

[tomahawkcat]

i have a problem is that their is no nut on the back of the bolt, to make things worse is its a flat screw head not a bolt head, and its indented into the slide, may have to drill it out hope i dont use  to big of a drill than the hole size

[bryan_damone]

Is there any portion of the screw sticking out? Put a vise grip on there and twist.

Otherwise, I think you could knock it out from the back with a punch.

If you have to drill it out, you can take a dremel with a cut off wheel and put a transverse slot across the existing slot on the screw driver. This will help you start the drill bit in the right place. Start with the smallest bit you have, and gradually increase the hole size making sure your not hitting the aluminum rail. With a hole, you should be able to knock it out.

[tomahawkcat]

well bryan, got pissed and got the torch out, melted the slide at the point of the bolt, finally with a chisel broke the slide fax and got them both off, well just like you said the steel bolt fused its self right into the alum. rail,, heated the hell out of it and tried to slowly get the bolts out, well you know what happens next...lol the bolt breaks right at the base of the rail. so now comes the fun and have to drill them out , i had the same proble back a few years ago with a polaris TX they have a steel steering handle with alum brackets, if they were never taken care of they are fused together never to be fixed, next time i will put in a stainless steel bolt hope that helps out .. just the fun of fixing vintage sleds, they never come apart easy  lol 

[bryan_damone]

Although the Stainless steel will not corrode on its own, it will still do the same thing in aluminum if an electrolyte is present. Salty snow is an excellent electrolyte. The key is re-assembly with anti seize. I put that stuff on everything where aluminum is involved.

[tomahawkcat]

yea good old locktight they ahve so many different kinds nowdays you cant go without them   thx for the help  , i see now the two middle brackest are half cracked thus means cant get the 2 of the 4 bolts off will have to grind  the heads off,  cansee this is wear the suspension get the hardest hit when it bottoms out and thus cracks and bends that middle bracket