I wouldn't know anything about a series of small blows. My goal is to pop it out with one lick and I usually do. I've never hurt anything doing it.

Once I was at an MBCA local meeting that was held at AAA Small Car World in Fort Worth, Texas. This was a foreign car salvage yard owned by a serious Mercedes collector. Once a year, he opened up a section of about 30 or 40 cars for club members to come in and take any part they could find. This great event ultimately came to a halt after a few greedy shop owners brought in some small armies to get all the free parts they could.

Anyway, there were a couple of college professors that were pulling some 126 parts. Since they were hobbyists they weren't real versed in using heavy tools. There was a 126 with no engine and they wanted the steering box out of it. They asked me if I knew any tricks for getting the joint loose from the Pitman arm. The guy asking me was standing with a big hammer in his hand and said that he couldn't get it out. I asked him where he was hitting it and he showed me. I told him he should be hitting it at a right angle to the way he was hitting it and he said there was no way that could work.

I asked him if he minded if I try. I swacked it with one lick and it made a loud noise when it hit something below. He was amazed. He then came back to me later to show me a piece of bent sheet metal that the joint hit when it came loose. It appeared to be a panel from below a headlight and it was bent pretty good. He said that I did that when it came loose. Up until that point I never bothered leaving the nut in place. I suppose I had always been lucky not to hurt anything or injure myself when a joint came loose.

That one came loose so easily because with no engine in the car, there was PLENTY of room for a back swing.