i have a Ram 1500 4X4 with towing package. i'm switching the 4 wire harness out for the 7 round.my question concerns the reciever portion of the hitch. it has rust built up in it and everything i have tried seems to fall short of removing enough rust to allow easy installation of the hitch. i have tried a course file,air hammer on the outside,air chisel on the inside,and a cutting torch with the rosebud attachment trying to burn or "pop" it out.they are fitting a little better but i need a mini maul to insert it all the way.anyone have any other ideas for getting this rust and corrosion out to facilitate easier installation of the hitch?

 

how about a wire brush attached to a drill. with a long enough shaft you could shove it all the way through.
http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/to...ype=T&cat=2322

edit - a different approach would be to grind down the ball mount tube a little.

 

1+ on dhvaughn.
Also if you can, you can remove the hitch assembly and soak it in an base bath, like CLR.
I had to do this on on a hitch a few years back to get the ball off. Left it in the bath for a couple of days and with a little work with a wire brush that ball and hitch was shiny and new.

 

If you have rust everywhere on the hitch you could just take it off and get it blasted and powder coated?

 

i have definitely thought of the wire brush, however, i am running into the same problem with that as i am with my burring bit idea.i cant find any with a long enough shank to reach back in the 8-10 inches necessary to remove all the rust. i have not thought of or heard of using CLR to remove heavy rust build up.if nothing works in next couple weeks i'll buy a few jugs and give that a try.like most,i'm hoping to take care of this problem without removing it from the truck.

 

A porting-bit. For polishing & porting heads would work.
(Just make sure you get a set for iron not alum).

 

this one is a little too expensive, but its the right idea. its a drill extension or drill chuck extension.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009XAFXU/...U&linkCode=asn

 

T t t

 

I've used molassas or vinagar to remove rust on old tractor parts. It's a weak acid that works great, is easily disposed of and is (at least for me) cheaper then CLR. Both of these will remove the rust and leave the metal in great shape, just be sure to seal the meatal ASAP as it'll flash rust in hours. The molassas works faster then the vinigar but it's really messy.

 

If you have a sawzall, they make adapters that go onto them that would work well for that inside rust if you dont want to take the whole unit off. There file type attachments and there about 7 bucks a piece.