How can I straighten my CWC Shockmaster fork?

[ratina]

This is off the 49 Western Flyer I picked up last summer. It was bent sideways a bit. Took it apart and got the legs straight. But the steer tube is bent slightly to the right. Never straightened a springer fork, yet alone one that is bent sideways. Any ideas on how to fix this?

 

[Uncle Stretch]

That one will be tough , because there isn't a way to hold it real good. You could heat it and clamp the neck in a vise and hit the bottom of the close side some with a rubber hammer and maybe get it to move some. I have an 8'' piece of stainless that will slip inside most all the old necks. I slide it in and clamp the rest in a vise and whack it pretty good. Whatever method you use you have to be careful not to mess up the threads or bend the tube oval where a stem won't go in it.Good luck

 

[Road Master]

Also, the bottom part of that is cast so it will break - be careful!

 

[Road Master]

Another thing you can try is to concentrate torch heat at the bend on the outside of the bend. Use a small torch tip. Get it red hot, then throw a cold wet rag on it. This will make it draw back toward the heated side. Practice on scrap tubing first! Pretty cool to watch it happen, very uncool to watch it happen wrong!

Wow, that sounds pretty slick. I never heard that one before.

 

[Tychevelle]

Another thing you can try is to concentrate torch heat at the bend on the outside of the bend. Use a small torch tip. Get it red hot, then throw a cold wet rag on it. This will make it draw back toward the heated side. Practice on scrap tubing first! Pretty cool to watch it happen, very uncool to watch it happen wrong!

I was going to say the same... ol heat and shrink trick. but like ceebee said practice first onces it pulls its hard to make it go the other way. maybe try heat it as far away from the top of the fork so if it does distort the roundness of the headtube the stem will still fit most of the way down. if that makes sense.

 

[ratina]

Another thing you can try is to concentrate torch heat at the bend on the outside of the bend. Use a small torch tip. Get it red hot, then throw a cold wet rag on it. This will make it draw back toward the heated side. Practice on scrap tubing first! Pretty cool to watch it happen, very uncool to watch it happen wrong!

Interesting. I've got some junk forks I can practice on. I'll let you know how it goes