I am referring to an early 60s rod with knurled end and LH thread. The cylinder opens and closes with slight difficulty (more than I like), and a few thousandths removed should do the job. Having not performed a rod fitting, I was not sure whether the best point of attack would be the at the front (knurled) end or the rear (extractor) end. I have a lathe, so I could go from either end equally easily. So I gather that working on the front end is best?