The English drink room temp milk because Lucas makes refrigerators...After all, they dont call Lucas "The Prince of Darkness" (and warm beer) for nothing.
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'68 BSA Victor Build..... Bloody 'ell mate... You 'effin daft or sommat?!?
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Fork it...
It takes a special tool to install the fork seals into the seal carriers. As you can prolly guess... don't have one. These are garlock type seals. The type where the lip has a spring around it and the rubber is molded into a metal cup.
**Not a fork seal**
The seal has to be pushed into the carrier as you see it above, open face, facing out.
And it pushes across the threaded portion of the carrier as you press it in.
And it's recessed about an inch. So the biggies here are don't screw up the threads inside the carrier (that I just popped 150 bucks on), and don't bend, break or otherwise ruin the seal.
I have some steel bar big enough to make the tool, but there needs to be a close gap 'tween the tool and the threads.... like about 20-40 thou.... That would be steel on steel. That stands a good chance of going south in a hurry.
So I had to spring 20 bucks for a foot of 6061 2" aluminum bar. Used about 4" of it.
You can see my poor ol' Atlas is given to fits of chattering these days. Really needs going back through... but good enough for this job.
Even indulged myself in a little knurling.... 'cause, well, you know...
Here's the seal on the tool. You can see what I mean about little side clearance.
... and both pressed in. The threads did chew on the seal a bit, but I spread a dab of gasket sealer where the seal seats, figuring that would happen, so I'm pretty sure we'll get a good seal.
I try not to disparage BSA et al too awful much.... but this is a pretty piss poor design... almost like it came from the 30's... no wait...
It takes a special tool to install the fork seals into the seal carriers. As you can prolly guess... don't have one. These are garlock type seals. The type where the lip has a spring around it and the rubber is molded into a metal cup.
**Not a fork seal**
The seal has to be pushed into the carrier as you see it above, open face, facing out.
And it pushes across the threaded portion of the carrier as you press it in.
And it's recessed about an inch. So the biggies here are don't screw up the threads inside the carrier (that I just popped 150 bucks on), and don't bend, break or otherwise ruin the seal.
I have some steel bar big enough to make the tool, but there needs to be a close gap 'tween the tool and the threads.... like about 20-40 thou.... That would be steel on steel. That stands a good chance of going south in a hurry.
So I had to spring 20 bucks for a foot of 6061 2" aluminum bar. Used about 4" of it.
You can see my poor ol' Atlas is given to fits of chattering these days. Really needs going back through... but good enough for this job.
Even indulged myself in a little knurling.... 'cause, well, you know...
Here's the seal on the tool. You can see what I mean about little side clearance.
... and both pressed in. The threads did chew on the seal a bit, but I spread a dab of gasket sealer where the seal seats, figuring that would happen, so I'm pretty sure we'll get a good seal.
I try not to disparage BSA et al too awful much.... but this is a pretty piss poor design... almost like it came from the 30's... no wait...
Good grief! Could they have made those more difficult to change? As I was reading this I kept thinking…..How would a guy like me without your machining skills have done that? Sheesh! 
Good question Bob. I searched on-line and couldn't find one. I'm sure they're out there, just seemed easier to just make it.
Or I'll loan ya mine...
Or I'll loan ya mine...
''Fookin' 'ell 'arry, that Jim fella just made a fookin' tool to jam the fookin' fork seals in!Fork it...
It takes a special tool to install the fork seals into the seal carriers. As you can prolly guess... don't have one. These are garlock type seals. The type where the lip has a spring around it and the rubber is molded into a metal cup.
**Not a fork seal**
View attachment 336068
The seal has to be pushed into the carrier as you see it above, open face, facing out.
And it pushes across the threaded portion of the carrier as you press it in.
And it's recessed about an inch. So the biggies here are don't screw up the threads inside the carrier (that I just popped 150 bucks on), and don't bend, break or otherwise ruin the seal.
I have some steel bar big enough to make the tool, but there needs to be a close gap 'tween the tool and the threads.... like about 20-40 thou.... That would be steel on steel. That stands a good chance of going south in a hurry.
So I had to spring 20 bucks for a foot of 6061 2" aluminum bar. Used about 4" of it.
View attachment 336069
View attachment 336070
You can see my poor ol' Atlas is given to fits of chattering these days. Really needs going back through... but good enough for this job.
Even indulged myself in a little knurling.... 'cause, well, you know...
View attachment 336071
Here's the seal on the tool. You can see what I mean about little side clearance.
View attachment 336072
View attachment 336073
... and both pressed in. The threads did chew on the seal a bit, but I spread a dab of gasket sealer where the seal seats, figuring that would happen, so I'm pretty sure we'll get a good seal.
View attachment 336074
View attachment 336075
I try not to disparage BSA et al too awful much.... but this is a pretty piss poor design... almost like it came from the 30's... no wait...
Back on the line we just drifted 'em in with a bleedin' big 'ammer an a bit o' bar.
Dealers would be pissed as they wont get any service work with Jim's way''
Said the brummie in the bar to Harry the deaf darts player!
$20 for 12" of 2" bar stock strikes me as a good price, based on my own sourcing exercises. Do you source this material online (if so, where?) or do you have a local supplier of small-qty stock?Good question Bob. I searched on-line and couldn't find one. I'm sure they're out there, just seemed easier to just make it.
Or I'll loan ya mine...
Don't forget you'll need 11" of hemp string on that fork slider thread when you screw the fork seal holder back onFork it...
It takes a special tool to install the fork seals into the seal carriers. As you can prolly guess... don't have one. These are garlock type seals. The type where the lip has a spring around it and the rubber is molded into a metal cup.
**Not a fork seal**
View attachment 336068
The seal has to be pushed into the carrier as you see it above, open face, facing out.
And it pushes across the threaded portion of the carrier as you press it in.
And it's recessed about an inch. So the biggies here are don't screw up the threads inside the carrier (that I just popped 150 bucks on), and don't bend, break or otherwise ruin the seal.
I have some steel bar big enough to make the tool, but there needs to be a close gap 'tween the tool and the threads.... like about 20-40 thou.... That would be steel on steel. That stands a good chance of going south in a hurry.
So I had to spring 20 bucks for a foot of 6061 2" aluminum bar. Used about 4" of it.
View attachment 336069
View attachment 336070
You can see my poor ol' Atlas is given to fits of chattering these days. Really needs going back through... but good enough for this job.
Even indulged myself in a little knurling.... 'cause, well, you know...
View attachment 336071
Here's the seal on the tool. You can see what I mean about little side clearance.
View attachment 336072
View attachment 336073
... and both pressed in. The threads did chew on the seal a bit, but I spread a dab of gasket sealer where the seal seats, figuring that would happen, so I'm pretty sure we'll get a good seal.
View attachment 336074
View attachment 336075
I try not to disparage BSA et al too awful much.... but this is a pretty piss poor design... almost like it came from the 30's... no wait...
Or it'll leak like seive
Sometimes I think they design stuff just so they can make a special tool to sell along with it.
Also, when these bikes came about, I’d bet a large majority of people who owned them also had a bench top lathe at home.
Also, when these bikes came about, I’d bet a large majority of people who owned them also had a bench top lathe at home.
No not in the UK in the sixties
It was all make do and mend, hammer and chisel on everything!
The lucky ones had access to tooling at work. Maybe even worked at BSA.
Not at all. You were lucky to have anything more than an adjustable wrench and a hammer. I didn't know anyone who had a lathe at home back then.
Yeah, I should proof read a little better. It was $30 from Amazon. Stopped by my local supplier who didn't have any 2" aluminum. He's always sorta hit and miss when it comes to aluminum.
That's where I have been sourcing as well. I thought that McMaster-Carr might be a competitive source, but their prices are multiples of Amazon prices. There is a retail / small-qty materials seller, but not in my immediate area. That's where the convenience of Amazon wins out; give ol' Jeff a call and sh_t shows up on your doorstep 24 hrs later! Hard to beat that...
Aside from my local guy, Metal by the Foot is about 30min away from me. So an hr drive... and gas, for $38 a foot. Much as I like to support locals, Amazon was a no brainer.
I'll just add: flea bay has lots of sellers of aluminum drops from industrial parts makers.
years ago I stopped at a one man machine shop that was closing hauled off a good size box of misc. aluminum lathe stock. wish I had grabbed more and some of his delrin stock.
years ago I stopped at a one man machine shop that was closing hauled off a good size box of misc. aluminum lathe stock. wish I had grabbed more and some of his delrin stock.
Maybe the lathe is a geographical thing??
With the atlas/craftsman being readily accessible in the us, I was always told by my dad that quite a few of the “tinkerers” like his dad all had a lathe set up in the garage or at the least had easy access.
With the atlas/craftsman being readily accessible in the us, I was always told by my dad that quite a few of the “tinkerers” like his dad all had a lathe set up in the garage or at the least had easy access.
I also think that we in the U.S. have had a higher standard of living and therefore greater amount of disposable income.
And I think that was particularly true at a time when many of you were young, mid to late twentieth century. America was prosperous but in a war-battered Britain people had a motorbike as daily transport and possibly aspired to a car when they got a promotion. Not much funds left over for expensive machine tools.