"Frozen" stem

[TXRAiDR]

I'm rebuilding an old 60's Schwinn cruiser I found at a resale shop. I've got all the parts off of it but the stem and handle bar. This thing looks to have sat outside for a few years, and the stem has rusted to the headset nut. I think the head set nut is also rusted solid, haven't gotten that far yet. I'm soaking it in penetrating oil right now, but other than that, and just short of cutting the stem with a torch or saw, what other ways work to unfreeze stems and seat posts?

[carlos]

hope the oil works.

we once had one of those com into BBS. i ended up whiping out the 10 pound sledge and beating the living hell out of the stem. it finally let go but was sooooooo bent.

the headset top nut might be rusted to the steerer. if that's the case, you may need to have the steerer cut off and buy a new head set and fork.

did the oil work?

[TXRAiDR]

I went ahead and applied another spraying of the penetrating oil. I took a small file and tried to file down the rust that was holding the nut to the stem. It was bad! I'm going to try and loosen it again tonight. If not, I guess I'm sawing off the stem and then going to have to chisel that nut off. Wait, that didn't sound right.......

[carlos]

chisel that nut off?

ouch!

[TXRAiDR]

The oil didn't work at all. That sucker is on there and is not letting go! I'm going to try and take it to a buddies garage and use a breaker bar on it. If that sucker doesn't work, I guess I'm busting out the hacksaw and cutting that stem off and then breaking out the air chisel.

The stem looks to have rusted to the the nut. I'm thinking now, before I go through all the major surgery, to just try and file or scrub away as much rust that I can around where the two join, and then try loosening the nut again. One of the wrenches at my LBS suggested antifreeze. What's the verdict on that?

[carlos]

anti-freeze? hmmmm.....that's a new one. but hey, give it a shot.

at this point, it looks as though it's stuck together like a couple of high school kids in an empty house.

also, try holding the fork legs in a vice, then use a rubber mallet or a realt hammer and try to hit the stem so it will turn independent of the fork steerer.

[TXRAiDR]

Will do. Going to try that tonight. I took it in to the shop and found out it's a 1969 Shcwinn! It's a cruiser, but there is a certain name for it, and I can't remember what it is right now. I also found out, by looking at some of the Shcwinn groups, that it has chain guard that goes with it. *hehe* Looks like I've got some flea market shopping to do! :)

[carlos]

69? cool. what happened in 69?