Anyone that's been following this thread is aware that progress has been blocked by a stuck agitator. I was unaware of the metal drive block issue until Dan mentioned it, and since then I've been trying to think of some way to remove the agitator that doesn't involve its destruction. John made an extremely generous offer of one he has if I should end up trashing mine, but I'm determined to make a serious attempt at removing it undamaged before I take him up on it. To that end I've come up with this idea seen below. I can't simply pull up from the bottom flange as it will just flex until it buckles or breaks. That leaves the barrel. Its inner diameter is almost exactly three inches, so I'm thinking when a three inch diameter rubber expansion plug is tightened up inside the barrel it should expand enough to get a really good grip on it. When coupled with a slide hammer I might then be able to tap it loose. That way the load applied by the hammer will transfer directly to the drive block with little room for flex. Dan's idea of drilling a hole in the top center to add some penetrating oil seems pretty solid to me, so if it still won't let go I may do that as well to help things along. Unfortunately I'm heading out of town for a couple weeks and won't be able to try this out until I get back. In the mean time, maybe Dan is willing to try it out on his and let us know how it goes.

