removing difficult/rusted windshield knobs?

[weps]

i'm unable to turn either of the winshield retaining knobs by hand. force application with a pair of channel locks did yield about 5 degrees of turn. not sure if the threads are turning or if the shaft is twisting.

both the knobs and the dashpad are in very good condition and i'd like to save both. any thoughts on how to get the knobs out without damgaging the pad. from what i recall, there is no other way to dismantle around them. the knobs have to come out before anything else can be removed.

what about one of those "strap" wrenches?

-weps

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

A strap wrench should help alot. They can grip tighter than any channel locks and won't damagethe surface of most anything. They will not make a difference toward saving damaged threads or twisting shafts tho.

 

[Yellow75]

Careful though! I have bolts and snapped one off. It was a fiasco trying to get a nut to hold on the otherside after I had to cut the old one out. JB welded the bastage in there and used some epoxy around that. It's still not as tight as it was before so i'll have to run a bikini top or mount the w/s frame to the front roll bar when I get the front part of the cage someday.

 

[JuanGrande]

Try and spray some type of oil (wd-40 works) on to the threads and up into the dash where the bolt is most likely rusted to the nut in the dash. Do this a few times, and try and work the knob back and forth - turn it as far as it will go one way, then turn back the other way. Also try hitting it (square on) with a rubber mallet a few times to try and free the threads. This process eventually worked for me with a knob that was frozen. Basically, I did this process over the course of two days (giving lots of time for the oil to work its magic) and I was eventually able to use a pair of vise grips to leverage the knob to turn. Good luck.

Jon

 

[weps]

i'll pick up a strap wrench and see what happens. hopefully that will be enough. there doesn't seem to be much evidence of rust in the area, but i suspect the knobs have never been removed, the windshield folded, or the top removed. i also saw no good way to get any type of penetrating lube into the knob threads. can it be done from underneath the dash? just blast into the general area?

yellow, if you have a chance, could you clarify what you had to cut out and jb welded. worst case, i was thinking i could torque the knobs off their shafts and then deal with the remaining parts after i got the pad off. from what you wrote, i'm thinking that could lead to some unforseen problems.

 

[Yellow75]

Do all you possibly can to keep them from breaking. The nut is actually welded inside the windshield frame. Not sure how to really explain how I did it though and make any sense. I'll post a pic when I get home. I can't upload there from work.

 

[Broncobowsher]

I just used channel locks. Broke the bolt off. lowered the windshield. drilled and retapped the hole. removed the roll pin from the knob and removed the broken bolt. got a new bolt the right size. cut the head off. put the headless bolt in the knob. redrilled the roll pin hole and installed the roll pin. reinstall.

 

[SeaBiscuit68]

I just pulled mine for the first time last week. A Bronco friend showed me his trick for getting them off. Hard to explain in words but I'll try. A very large crescent wrench attached straight on, not at the side like you would a bolt or nut. Then a second crescent wrench to turn the first one. Use something to pad the chrome like a piece of rubber inner tube or whatever. Hope this makes sense.
Also, liquid wrench, patience, and work it back and forth.