PU gate latch "rebuilds"

[guzzirider]

Is there a way to get the gate latches apart without ruining them. I have one that is pretty frozen ( soaking in PB Blaster now). I would like to get them apart and cleaned up. I had them powder coated about 5 years ago and they worked ok then, However 3 years in Bama even in the garage, humidity,,,rust never sleeps.

thanks
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69 doublecab with 2" lift
Suzuki DR650
2016 Dodge Crew 1500 4x4

[busdaddy]

Depends on how you define "ruin".
They are riveted together, dismantling would require drilling out the mashed end of the pivot pin and pressing them apart. Reassembly will involve manufacturing a new pin or welding the old one back in.
It would be nice to open them up and replace the spring washer so they actually stay up when you open them, and an oversized pin could remove some of the play on severely worn examples, how deep do you want to go?

Alternately soaking them in Evaporust for a few weeks may loosen them up without damaging the paint, try that first.
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[guzzirider]

Thanks for Evaporust idea. I had never heard of it before. I got it to work a little by soaking in BP Blaster. Then I let it soak for a week in Evaporust. Some some PB blaster and it is better than it has been in a decade and no damage to powder coating

Thanks again
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69 doublecab with 2" lift
Suzuki DR650
2016 Dodge Crew 1500 4x4

[SGKent]

no idea what they even look like but my CJ7 had a hard top and the hinge pins would rust so the tail lift froze. Solved it by drilling a hole at 90 degrees to the pin at the middle of the hinge until it just touched the pin, then added penetrating oil thru that hole to speed things up. It also became a means of lubing it whenever. If you choose the drill bit the right size so your oil spout or bottle fits tight, you can inject oil under pressure to fill the whole hinge. That helps. Metal was too thin for a zerc or I would have gone that route.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[jtauxe]

Which "gate latches" are you referring to, exactly?
Got a photo?
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
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