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I found the spacer that came with it. I guess it’s original, but the way I did the measurements and the fact I used cones I could find, lead me to making my own spacer… which turned out to be too narrow. The original was too wide. So I used my Mark-1 Eyeball to measure how much I’d need to take off and…

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Set it up, installed it, and…

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Right up the middle. So, time to figure out the fender height. I installed the tire… looks good!
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And used another precision measuring tool to judge the height and marked the low spot.
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So now I’m going to find some thin scrap something or other at work. I’m thinking a tube cut and shaped and welded. We’ll see what I can find.
 
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I took the hub pad cover off because it needs some work. First I can’t find a cable clamp that will fit. The hole on the arm is too small. Easy fix, just drill it out a bit. So I did…. And the bit caught the inside edge and the torque snapped off the whole thing!!!

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Weld it back on (after I open it up) seems like the best option. It’s getting plated anyway.

I was going to remove the pads. In order to do so I need to get this tiny clamp out. (What are these things called?) for the life of me I can’t get it out. It’s tiny. Any tips?

77F121BE-AEFC-4079-B0CF-647CC89060AF.jpeg
 
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Any tips?
I got a cheapo snap ring pliers set that works good for stuff like this. Similar to these:

Amazon and Harbor Freight probably have stuff like this too.

Yep, it is a snap ring, so you either need a pair of snap ring pliers, the right kind of long nosed pliers that will fit, or a couple of small screwdrivers and a tub of luck :)
These methods work in a pinch (it's all I had for years) but snap ring pliers make life so much easier.

And don't forget

Those snap rings go flying!
 

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Do they make snap ring piers for a snap ring so small? It's only like 5mm in diameter.
I'll measure mine tomorrow. You might be stuck prying it out with a small screwdriver (I have some tiny screwdrivers meant for working on eye glasses) or awl. That works though. If you have 2 small prying devices use one to lift the end and put the other under the exposed part as a lever then work your way around. Sometimes it's a real PITA, sometimes it pops right out, but it can get the job done. It can be done with 1 small screwdriver but can be tedious and challenging. If it gets real tough I can drive down to watch you suffer while sipping an iced mocha-ccino (or something equally insipid). That usually helps.
 
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I'm not sure what tools you have available, but could you try coiling the tape measure into a tight bundle, then holding that against a belt sander or other abrasive surface? Perhaps secure the bundle with a zip tie so it doesn't unwind during the process.

Opera Snapshot_2023-09-15_085928_encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com.png


THERE'S a surface you can work with!
 
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I'll measure mine tomorrow. You might be stuck prying it out with a small screwdriver (I have some tiny screwdrivers meant for working on eye glasses) or awl. That works though. If you have 2 small prying devices use one to lift the end and put the other under the exposed part as a lever then work your way around. Sometimes it's a real PITA, sometimes it pops right out, but it can get the job done. It can be done with 1 small screwdriver but can be tedious and challenging. If it gets real tough I can drive down to watch you suffer while sipping an iced mocha-ccino (or something equally insipid). That usually helps.
Yes, I have two jeweler flatheads, but I wasn't successful. It keeps spinning around. Like you said, a real PITA.
 
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I'm not sure what tools you have available, but could you try coiling the tape measure into a tight bundle, then holding that against a belt sander or other abrasive surface? Perhaps secure the bundle with a zip tie so it doesn't unwind during the process.

View attachment 248204

THERE'S a surface you can work with!
That was essentially my idea, but I envisioned it uncoiling and cutting me to shreds, or some other disaster. But maybe I'll push forward with that.
 
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Got the snap ring off. Of course, it wasn’t a snap ring, just a ring.

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So we welded on the broken arm end.

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And this is a problem… I don’t have a housing tension adjuster that fits into this smaller hole. And you can see some of it was shaved off and the hole is too close to the edge.

36C76AFF-CA2B-40ED-A48F-CB35BCD30456.jpeg


So… I cut that off. And I cut off the strap “arm”. That was used to attach a safety strap to the fork, but this bike can’t use it, so it’s superfluous. Off it comes.

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So I made a little tab out of scrap and had it welded on, then we tapped it.

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And now it fits a housing tension stop.

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So now I have to shape and smooth all that out so it’ll look good once plated.
 
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The rat trap was missing a bolt, so I was on the hunt to find one. It’s very specific, so I didn’t think I’d find one. So I talked to my fab shop about modifying an existing bolt. They told me it would be easier to run some 5/16” hex stock through the machine and make one.

From this
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To this… which one is the original??
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This frame was a 3-speed frame, so the rear dropouts weren’t wide enough for a 5-speed hub.
1B92CFB2-7B8B-4D61-8B0F-86F06030CD7B.jpeg


So I broke out the trusty frame stretcher.

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And I wrenched on it with a BFW. Aaaaaand… I way overshot the mark. This Murray frame is less springy than the last one I had to stretch open.
3F334321-4201-465A-AF3F-FBFF18ECD4D6.jpeg


Do I put the squeezer on it and set it where it should be.
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Then I put on my homemade dropout alignment tool to set it all straight.
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Then I noticed a screw had broken off in the rear fender mounting hole. I wasn’t able to back it out, so I had to drill through it and make a hole, so I’ll install the fender with a nut and bolt.
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And I tried out a few rear fenders. I think this is going to be the one I make work.
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