Greetings from Lithuania! I'm a returning member (R75/7 and R60/6 in storage at home in the US) who recently acquired a 1973 R60/5 that is cosmetically great, but appears to have been worked on in the past by a troop of heavy-handed chimpanzees. The left side swing arm adjuster thin steel lock nut is rounded badly on two corners and my properly-modified 1-1/16" socket can't get a grip on it (the right side came off fine). Attempts to drive it off with a chisel and punch are getting nowhere - it's just too tight and there's no room to get a good angle. I've sprayed commercial penetrating oil on it. Thinking about heating it with a torch next. Any ideas? Thanks. -Rick
Applying heat might help but might also bubble the frame paint in the area. Is the right side pivot bolt/pin also removed? Letting the penetrating oil soak could help in fighting rust but might not help much if the parts are bound up together on the threads. If it is a question of getting a tool to grip the lock nut, I am stymied. If you have access to a sharp, small profile chisel you might try to destroy the lock nut to get it out. While I have never encountered this problem personally, I would have a go at it with an impact driver fitted with a proper metric hex bit and try to spin the pivot and the lock nut out together. Using an impact, particularly the kind that you whack with a hammer, has the effect of delivering a mechanical shock wave to the stuck assembly along with the twisting effort. Best of luck with the challenge.
former Airmarshal, IL.
@8053 I took the right side pin and bolt out, but noticed the unsupported swingarm was sagging and torqueing the opposite side, which was still attached, so I loosely replaced the right side to keep everything in line.
If this is a hex nut, then you must use the correct fitting 6-point socket. Most socket wrenches are 12-point. A 6-point socket gets a much better grasp of the flats of the nut.
I see you are using an American inch socket. A 27mm socket seems to be the correct size.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Success! I ended up drilling through the nut at two wide parts of the face with progressively larger bits until enough metal was removed that I could break the nut with a strike of the chisel. I nicked the threads of the adjuster bolt a little, but not enough to worry about.
I decided against heating the nut, mainly because I'm in an underground garage without a lot of ventilation.
That's good news ! Congrats.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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