Is there a quick and dirty way to do fork seals without a press?
in [Tech]
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From: sharkey on 29 Jun 2006 23:17 Wudsracer <dirtbike52RemovE(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > I hold the cap down with one hand (supporting most of my 205 lbs with > that hand) and turn the fork tube with the other hand to thread the > cap on. This is easier for me than having to readjust my grip on the > cap as it screws into the tube. I either do that or else stick a socket and sliding T-bar on the fork top, a wad of rag on top of the T-bar, push down on the wad with one hand (and most of my weight) and turn the T-bar handle with the other. You only need a half a turn to pick up enough of a thread if you're lucky. To drive in the seals, either use a bit of PVC pipe as someone mentioned, or for tricky, deep-seated seals like on the XLV you can use a PVC pipe adaptor of the right OD and with the ID bored (or filed, at a pinch) to just a smidge bigger than the stanchion, drop that over the stanchion and drive it in using a bit of steel pipe as a hammer (end-on, over the fork leg, hell, I need a photo don't I ...). The adaptor keeps the seal nice and square, and the pipe hammer means you hit the adaptor evenly on all sides. ------sharks -- Nick 'Sharkey' Moore | "Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, <sharkey(a)zoic.org> | and everyone is writing a book." -- Cicero (106-43 BCE)
From: Scott on 1 Jul 2006 20:49 On Sat, 1 Jul 2006 11:12:09 -0700, "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm(a)toybox.placo.com> wrote: >I want to make sure there are no gotchas on this one, basically. That is, I >don't >want to get halfway through the job and end up with the forks in a cardboard >box going to a shop because some critical little piece that requires the >right >tool, not a makeshift one. IMO, you have been given adequate information to do the job. I've rebuilt forks with less information (and probably less experience) than you have, including forks that "required" a press and other special tools. I'm not going to review your parts diagram for you -- I did that for my bikes, you can do that for yours. But let's examine your options. #1, tackle the job and successfully rebuild your forks. Problem solved. #2, tackle the job and fail, then have a shop clean up your mess. You get to drive your van for a few days, then you can ride again. #3, take the forks in and have a shop rebuild them. You get to drive your van for a few days, then you can ride again. #4, keep second-guessing your ability to complete the repair. Your forks will eventually run out of oil and/or ruin your brakes. Now you get to drive your van indefinitely, and you still have busted forks. Your call. -Scott -- '73 CB450K '82 CB900F (x2) '04 FSC600 (SWMBO)
From: Wudsracer on 2 Jul 2006 06:17 >On Sat, 1 Jul 2006 12:52:47 -0700, "SC_Tom" <tomkimatoco.net> wrote: >Come on now, the forks on a 81 CB750 are just the same as the ones on a 81 >CB650 Custom. I took my apart in about 15 minutes and had them back together >in another 1/2 hour. > >Remove the forks from the bike, remove the top cap and tilt upside down to >remove the old oil and the spring will fall right out. Place a broom handle >inside the tube and using an Allen wrench remove the bottom piston screw. >Remove the dust seal and clip. Grab hold of both the top and bottom tubes >and sharply pull them apart. It may take a few tries, but they will come >apart along with the seals and bushings. Clean everything up with solvent >and re-assemble. For installing the new seals, go to the local hardware >store and purchase a 3 foot piece of plastic drain pipe of the right size >(OD to match the seal and ID to match the top tube). Before you install the >seals, install the bushings and flat washer first, then the seals and the >retaining clip. Fill with the correct amount of ATF or whatever you use, >install the spring, and then the cap. Very easy to do. > >Tom > Hi Tom, So you have also used a broom handle to hold a back-up to take the allen bolt out of the bottom of an old set of forks. All right! Oil field engineering rules! Jim
From: The Older Gentleman on 2 Jul 2006 07:11 Wudsracer <dirtbike52RemovE(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: > Hi Tom, > So you have also used a broom handle to hold a back-up to take the > allen bolt out of the bottom of an old set of forks. All right! Oil > field engineering rules! I thought everyone knew that dodge.... -- Trophy 1200 750SS CB400F CD250 Morini 500 Sport GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3 BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
From: FB on 2 Jul 2006 09:12
Ted Mittelstaedt wrote: > > I've done plenty of makeshift tools before, all I wanted to know is if > someone out there has actually done a makeshift job on these specific year > and model forks, that's all. Oh, and Ted forgot to tell you his Honda's paint code, and the engine and chassis serial numbers! Only collectors with the same color Honda and a *lower* serial number should offer information about "quick and dirty" repairs. Ted must maintain the quality of "quick and dirty" repairs to the highest standards of hysteria. "Quick and dirty" repairs must only be performed with approved and certified home brewed tools. > Your and anyone else are welcome to review the parts > explosions all you want and sit around and armchair guess as to whether they are > similar enough to forks you have worked on and done makeshift jobs on, but > your not going to be sitting on the garage floor at 11 pm cursing because now > you have to drive the van the next day instead of riding. Yes, Ted is *so-o-o* right. If you have never done a 100 point restoration on a 1980 CB-750K, any information you have to offer about "a quick and dirty" method of fork repair is worthless! You are not in the position of being blacklisted by Sotheby's auction house, you know. Ted has his position and credibility in the Classic Universal Japanese Motorcycle Cadre" to uphold, and he will not bear the scorn of the esteemed membership, should one of his "quick and dirty" repairs be detected by one of the collectors of Fine Olde Junque. |