Crown race doesn't fit tight what am I missing?

[G-Matt]

I’ve used this bearing press a few time to straighten them up . It works pretty well, you may not exactly perfect but it will close . But for me it’s all about who ya know. Because I don’t own one . If you know any body with a car shop maybe they will let you play with it . As far as a loose race you just need something to keep it snug . It’s sounds cheesy but I have used JB weld just make sure the services are clean . Good luck man keep in mind it’s a bike not a
Race car . There is a little room for imperfection.

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[RustyGold]

You want to do Spark testing ito determine the type of ferrous material.

In a mild steel vs cast steel the composition would be the same...so, there would be no notable difference on the spark stream.

Jason

 

[RustyGold]

I don't think it would be that hard (though, like G-Matt said, it's who you know for equipment) to drill out the tube, press in a new one, and weld it in.

Jason

 

[Evanfrucht]

I’ve used this bearing press a few time to straighten them up . It works pretty well, you may not exactly perfect but it will close . But for me it’s all about who ya know. Because I don’t own one . If you know any body with a car shop maybe they will let you play with it . As far as a loose race you just need something to keep it snug . It’s sounds cheesy but I have used JB weld just make sure the services are clean . Good luck man keep in mind it’s a bike not a
Race car . There is a little room for imperfection.

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My dad's in the auto body business so I think I could probably access one of those. Thanks for the tip

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[Evanfrucht]

Well I just called him and they have a press at his shop just like the one in the picture. I can go in on Saturday and try to get this thing straightened mostly. Using the press, what method did you use it to straighten the fork ? How did you rig it up?

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[G-Matt]

My dad's in the auto body business so I think I could probably access one of those. Thanks for the tip

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You probably won’t have to replace the tube , just put some pressure on it & bend it back .


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[G-Matt]

If you lay the fork flat & put a block under the steering tube at the thread end to hold it up . Then jack the press down on the bent side so it bends it back straight. Work it a little at time you will get it .


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[Dizzle Problems]

If I’m remembering correctly @kirkpatrick had a method for straightening a steerer tube that seemed easy enough. Personally I don’t mess with bent steerers.

One question I haven’t seen asked is, what’s wrong with the fork that’s already on the bike? (For curiosity sake)

Also, on the crown race, i’ve Had luck with the beer can shim method. Cut strips of aluminum off a beer/soda can and wrap till the race sits snug. I had to do this on a old fork where the race was loose, and I couldn’t get it off the steerer as the steerer was slightly ovalized bout half way up. Granted I could have cut the race off, but then wouldn’t have been able to get it back on.

 

[RustyGold]

I actually punctured my diet coke can last night as I was reading this thread...and measured the thickness at ~.003". If he indeed needs a full 1mm of shim, that would be around 7 full wraps of pop/beer can . That's why I suggested the seat post shim...probably easier to make work than trying to deal with a 7-layer soda shim .

Jason

 

[Evanfrucht]

I still think I'm missing a piece. Possibly a part that went on the very bottom and the the crown race would fit onto it. I don't think they make crown races 25.4 or ever did. Just thinking... it would be very difficult to remove and install because you would have to tap it down the whole length.

I don't have many forks to compare too. I only have the reproduction schwinn style springer.

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[Evanfrucht]

Can anyone take a close up picture of a complete one ?


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[SILVERKINGPC]

You have a lot of work ahead of you with that fork!! The steer tube is clearly bent, the weirdo-sized bearing race is missing, (use the beer can method above) it is missing some key pieces, and the metals used on it were softer/cheaper.
I used one of these forks on a build a couple years ago. It was complete and straight, except the fork legs were slightly bent and twisted, which caused the bike to pull hard to one side. This particular style of springer fork went through a number of design and materials changes over the years. The lower legs changed from blade to round, and the truss rod style changed as well, but most of the parts were interchangeable. I will look for some pics to post here later.

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

 

[GuitarlCarl]

I've been wondering since the first post, how long it would take for someone to tell you to shim it. Are we restoring a classic? Nope, I straightened a bent fork by putting a bit of wood under the threaded end and driving my pickup truck onto the crown... Crude but effective. Understand that when we are mixing parts from different bikes we have to get creative, and not all of us have a lot of expendable income. Popcan shims and JB weld are basic bike parts.

Carl.

 

[Evanfrucht]

Well thank you everyone, not done yet but.. I got it bent more straight using the press at the auto body shop where my father works.
Also beer can shim seems to work good, it's nice and tight on there now. I will keep everyone posted more work is to be done to the fork.

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[SILVERKINGPC]

From the looks of the pic, the bearing race is not seated on the fork crown properly. You can still see the aluminum shim showing through under the Race. The bearing race should be press fit all the way down to the top of the crown. Too many layers of alu shims will not allow it to completely seat where it is supposed to. You might try to remove one layer of alu shim until it(the race) is "tight" and seated all the way down...If you ride the bike like that, the weight of you and the bike will slowly push the bearing race downwards on the steer tube, loosening your headset and possibly damaging the entire shebang, including the cups. Make sure it is bottomed out, and "tight"

Edit: Nice job on getting the steer tube straight....moving right along. Maybe you can get some RRB members to fork over some parts to get it complete!