Ty hardware question

[Chris]

I am the proud new owner of a 1980 Ty. On the front of the boat where the dock lines go thru the two s.s. opening pins, one of the pins was broken & replaced with a plain steel one. Needless to say, it has rusted itself shut. Any ideas on how I can extricate it & whether I can buy a new one or need to custom make one?

Thanks!
Chris

[Anthony P. Jeske]

Chris:
You shouldn't have too much trouble removing the frozen pin. I've had pretty good luck with frozen items by soaking with Liquid Wrench. If the boat's not too far away, soak, return the next day, soak again and so on for several days. Then go ahead and grab the rusted pin in a vise grips and you should be able to twist it loose. You can saw it half and work on each end separately too. That will halve the frozen area you are working on at one time. After you've removed the pin, brush out the pin sockets with a bronze brush ( a rifle cleaning jag works fine) or use a piece of emery cloth in a dowel.
Look up Spartan Marine in the "Where to Look" section of this site and contact them about a replacement pin. If they are unable to help you, you'll need to fabricate one.
Good Luck,
Tony Jeske
CD-25D #141
San Diego



ajeske@ixpres.com