Lionel KW replacement posts and wiring

[thankey]

My KW is in sad shape. What is the safest way to remove the old posts without risking damage so they can be replaced? Virtually all the wires on are loose but they do have round terminals / lugs. Only the feed to the U post is intact. How do I make sure that all leads go back to the correct post? I have a replacement cord. What has to be removed to get it soldered properly? If the top plate needs to come off, do I just carefully twist the tabs? What do I do if I break one? Boy, do I need help and guidance!

[trigtrax]

I have rebuilt a few KW's. First the terminals:
The originals are a staked on tubular rivet scews . Replacements are screws on both ends. You remove the old by pressing them out ( only if you have the proper tooling) or by carefully drilling or cutting away the old crimp. Note the wiring on the fixed voltage terminals, the voltage is printed on front of terminal board.
You can straighten the tabs that hold the top plate and remove it but watch for stress cracks where the metal is bent. While you've got it apart it's best to change the carbon rollers and rivets also. ( Parts guys carry these)
The line cord is soldered to terminals in the primary of the transformer. Your line cord should have one side with a smooth insulation and one with a ridged insulation. Solder each side to it's proper terminal to maintain original polarity. (Under current code two wire line cords are obsolete but the ridge and one wide blade in the plug were the first attempt at keeping Hot and Neutral properly connected in their day)
The KW is a pretty rugged device and replacing the parts above should give you a like new transformer.