Lots of good advice. Thank you.
This is my second leg. I completed the right leg in December: with some strenuous effort I managed to ream the bolt hole and then the leg just popped right out after a couple of twists as if it was tapered. I didn't do any preparation other than rounding the edges of the chamfer at the top of the leg.
If the right leg was a difficult wrestle, the left leg has been a battle from beyond the pale.
The right leg, without any preparation, slid past the lower bearing while the left would not. While scratching my head, my calipers, to the best of my ability, said that the left leg was 10-15 thou larger than the ID of the bearing. I didn't write the values down.
I should have stopped and called Van's. Instead I decided to clean up the surfaces with 400 grit + scotchbrite. Well, that allowed me to insert the leg yesterday for a trial fit. I wasn't intending to go all the way, but I didn't have to try very hard to get the leg within 1/8" of its final destination. ...and then it wouldn't budge.
I applied heat.
I let it cold-soak outdoors and then applied heat.
I tapped with a mallet/dowel.
I tapped with a 16oz.
I whacked with a 16oz.
I whacked with a 4lb sledge/impact socket.
The best I can do is get a grudging 5 degree rotation early when applying heat.
I'm sure the assembly is damaged by now. I'm done with it.
Like bruceh I thought the powdercoat was curious, but didn't act on it. It seems unnecessary to have powdercoat in the weldment area. Surely powdercoat does not benefit the bearing surface. Of course it doesn't and don't call me Shirley.