Technical Trick for 3rd Member stuck to Axle housing...

The 3rd member on the '64 Fairlane had become one with the axle housing. It was on there and had been on there since September of 1963.

This solution worked slicker than a minner's (minnow's) ****.

Lumber, namely a 2x4 about 5 feet long.

Short version.
Use board to knock the 3rd member loose from beside the car, not under it.


Long version
1. Remove all those factory copper washers. Each one will have to be pried up from around the stud. Once pried up they should just unscrew off of the stud. With the washers removed replace one nut on the top stud; finger tight, just a few threads to keep the 3 rd member from falling off.

2. The usual suspects here are flathead screw drivers, putty knives, cold chisels, wood chisels (as a wood worker that's almost criminal to use a wood chisel as a pry tool) and hammers.
Chisels can mar the surface. Hammers can do damage and if working under the car in a tight spot, you don't have a swing. If you have enough room for a good swing that's enough to damage or crack iron. I don't like iron on iron. Also, you are doing this heavy work under the car.
3. Take a 2x4 about 5' long or so. You do this from beside the car, working through the fender opening, not under it!
Slide the board over the leaf spring, cup you hand over the end and slam the end of the board into the side of the 3rd member. It's kind of like breaking in pool or tamping dirt around a fence post.
It's dead blow, wood is soft, and it's not iron on iron. You have more swing; more force and more vibration than can be accomplished with a hammer on the housing. Again, it's wood, it's soft, it has m*** but it's not going to damage the casting.
You can lay the board on edge under the front of the member, leaf spring as a pivot, you pop the front bottom of the 3rd member. Being wood it wants the bounce off the floor and bounce off the bottom of the 3rd member. you do this in a jacking or pumping motion. The end of the board is bouncing between the garage floor and the bottom of the 3rd member. This is not as forceful as the side hits but it's sharp and quick.
If it's really stuck, repeat this on the other side, go from side to side.

Expect a pool of rear end dope to emerge as you forgot the catch pan.

This should break it loose with no damage and you are not under the car.....

 

I keep an old flooring hammer around for things like this, heavy metal end one side, rubber on the other. Gives you m*** with the rubber to avoid damage.