Stuck Seat Post Experiment - Success

[jerrykr]

There are lots of ways to approach freeing up a stuck seat post in a rusted frame.

I've been thinking of a way to do this without harming the frame, the paint, or even the seat post itself.

If they are really stuck, as you know, something usually has to give, and get destroyed in the process.

The goals of my experiment were:
Get it out of the frame with:
No harm to the frame
No harm to the paint or patina on the frame
Salvage the seat post if possible.

Since the hardest part is usually getting a grip on the seat post, I decided to approach it like this.

I have an old girls Schwinn typical of frames with really stuck seat posts, that I did not mind messing up it this failed.

I selected a bolt that would fit inside the seat post, and a drill bit the same size.

I drilled the top of the seat post out so that the bolt could be inserted into it.

I then took it to my buddy's automotive shop where he was able to weld the bolt to the seat post.

Here's where I got involved helping him and did not get a critical photo. ( sorry, imagine frame clamped in vice and impact wrench in use).

He used his heavy duty air impact wrench to get on the bolt/post and spun it free inside the frame seat tube, breaking the rust's firm grip.

Once it was moving, we clamped the head of the bolt into his vice and worked the seat post out of the frame.

Then he got out an air cut off wheel and removed the weld and bolt from the seat post.

Everything worked as I thought it would for once.

I bought him pizza for lunch. It's good to have friends who will trade favors.

.

 

[MplsCoaster]

Great method and documentation. Thanks for posting it.
I fought with a stuck stem for weeks then took it into our work welder
He welded a slide hammer on the stem and got it out pretty quick.

 

[Rustinkerer]

Clamping the post in a vice, and twisting the frame works too. Easier and less damage with the nut welded on for sure! -Adam

 

[jerrykr]

another great idea. thanks. would love to have photos of that.

at lunch my buddy said "sometimes impact is a very good thing".

 

[jerrykr]

adam, I know that works when they are not totally stuck,

but I have tried that and crushed the seat post flat in the vice (destroying the seat post) and it still would not move.

also if it is that stuck, you will probably bend the frame trying to twist it.

the short powerful impacts of the impact wrench make a lot of difference in situations like this.
I noticed that my buddy hit it with his impact in both directions to make it move, but it broke free rather quickly.
after it moved we used your method and it still took some muscle power to work it out of the seat tube.

you might also note that I happened to find a hardened bolt to use. I think it was a head bolt off an old engine.

as I said, there are a lot of different things to try, I just wanted to show this one.

 

[axsepul]

I saw an idea here that somebody posted but can't remember who. He used a bmx stem to the seat post and then installed a fork to the stem giving him leverage to rotate the stuck seat post while the frame was on the ground. I have never tried it but It worked for him.

 

[Sinner4]

I welded on a 2 ft cheater bar to several mtb seat posts. They had been soaking with wd40 for a while also. Got all 4 out.

 

[MADDAWG]

I saw an idea here that somebody posted but can't remember who. He used a bmx stem to the seat post and then installed a fork to the stem giving him leverage to rotate the stuck seat post while the frame was on the ground. I have never tried it but It worked for him.

My buddy Von at Midwest Bikes and Billiards

I tried the vice and didnt work out, post still in their . Tried the short cut

 

[Bendix]

that was a very cool idea.

i'd heard of that slide hammer trick from a big midwestern ebay seller as well.

impact sounds much more promising than simple twisting! i don't remember the last time i saw that do anything other than cause more damage.....

 

[jerrykr]

my thought was and is, once you get it to spin, you have broken the grip and you can get it out.

worked at least once!

 

[Bendix]

my thought was and is, once you get it to spin, you have broken the grip and you can get it out.

worked at least once!

fwiw, i didn't mean your impact+spin was a bad idea ( i like that one) - i was referring to the old 'clamp the post in the vise and twist the rest of the bike' theory. THAT usually just makes a chewed up mess....

 

[jerrykr]

Bendix, I didn't take it as such, we are on the same page!

 

[papawrandy]

Thanks for posting this Jerry!I had a stuck seatpost in a '74 Schwinn Suburban and tried this.I first used a 3/8" bolt and twisted the bolt out,but when I used a 1/2" bolt it worked like a charm.
I was so inspired,I sanded and painted the frame!Thanks again.