Installing Bronze Swingarm Bushings and Setting Sideplay

[Jim]

This such great info for a newb! Doing my first bike rebuild. Thanks for this. I powder coated my swing arm and am a bit nervous to apply heat to it. Was thinking I may leave it the sun for a few hours, freeze the bushings and use a press. What do you all think of this idea?

Powder coating is done around 350-400deg f... or thereabouts.
A heat gun on low should keep you below that and will help expand the tube better than the sun will.

 

[Jim]

Got a point and shoot thermometer?

 

[grouchie83]

This such great info for a newb! Doing my first bike rebuild. Thanks for this. I powder coated my swing arm and am a bit nervous to apply heat to it. Was thinking I may leave it the sun for a few hours, freeze the bushings and use a press. What do you all think of this idea?

When I worked in the tool room of an injection molding factory that's what we'd do. Make bushings and throw them in the freezer before we left for the day.

Come in next morning, one guy grabs the torch and heats up whatever needed the bushing, other guy grabs the bushings from the freezer. As soon as the bushings arrived to the part, the torch was moved away and bushings 99 percent of the time fell right into place.

All that said, I did none of that for my swingarm bushings. Made sure everything was clean and I rubbed a drop or 2 of motor oil on the outside of the bushings. Used a C clamp and they went right in.

 

[Myuncles650]

Cool, thanks for feedback and suggestions - much appreciated

 

[gggGary]

Threaded rod, nice thick washers and nuts, pushes the bushings in nice and straight. She says bigger is better, I think I use 1/2" rod.
I've never felt a need to use hot n cold on these. I have run into aftyermarket bushings that weren't sized correctly but not recently.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Is there powder coat inside the tube? If so, that’s a problem.

 

[Myuncles650]

Is there powder coat inside the tube? If so, that’s a problem.

No, powder guy did a nice job making sure it’s not where it should be

 

[cra-z1]

Make sure the inside bore is clear of paint and also the edge where that bushing will fit against. Put the bushing in the fridge and if you want leave the swing arm in the sun. Lube the bushing and bore and press them in. Some guys use all thread with large nuts and washers and pull them in. If you have a press you can press them in. Don't pound them in. I would check the bore and OD of the bush to see if there is excessive interference fit. I have had a few that were pretty tight and adjusted the fit

 

[5twins]

I've always driven them in with a BFH and a block of hardwood, but being in the construction industry for many years, I'm pretty good with a hammer, lol. You can at least start them with the hammer and hardwood. They go in pretty easy for about half way. Then you could switch to the all-thread, nuts, and washers to pull them in the rest of the way.

Yes, power coating is pretty thick compared to paint, so make sure there is none in the bores or on the outside edge where the lip of the bushing is going to sit against. That would most likely make the swingarm/bushing assembly too wide or too long, longer than the pivot tube.