Help required with vintage bike

[biggs682]

Thanks for that, I take it he's a forum member?

just checking in

thanks guys ,

cant really offer any to whats been said above other than give all stuck components a good soaking in Plus gas type of spray .

once quill retaining undone stem should move if still seized i have had to resort to drill a few stuck stems out , easy once you get going .

stuck seat posts are another story that i dont need to bore you about

 

[Gravity Aided]

Have to agree - I always hated cotter pins when I were a lad.....

I hate cotter pins now. Went cotterless on my Grand Prix build, mainly to be rid of cottered crank.

 

[LycraLout]

Thanks for all your help, it really is appreciated. I went at the cotter pins with a hammer this evening and they came out without too much trouble. The bottom bracket was easy to remove too. I don't think I've ever used a hammer so much when working on a bike!

The stem and fork are proving more of a problem, it seems to be stuck fast and it's hard to get enough purchase to try and twist the stem. I'm considering cutting the top off the stem so I can drop the fork out of the frame. I could then put the forks in a vice and try and pull the stem out with a stillson wrench (this worked for the seized seat post). What are your thoughts on this method? I know it sounds brutal but I'm not bothered about keeping the parts, which are in quite poor condition. If I can't separate the stem from the fork I could always get a new one.

 

[PatrickPending]

I think I had to put the forks in a vice - the engineering shop at uni did that for me - If you cut the stem off though I believe this means you'll have forks with a piece of stem stuck in it so you can no longer use them. I'd try all the methods described for stuck seatposts. Pop the handlebars in a vice, pop the wheel on and try and give it a twist. Mine came out - must have been in there 20 odd years (bike was 1974 vintage)..... £35 it cost me....and I still have it!

 

[biggs682]

@LycraLout i have chopped stems off a few time and then just drilled remains out of fork stearers using a 22mm drill bit , just means being brave and keeping the drill straight

 

[jagman.2003]

See my thread in vintage bikes section for another BSA. Luckily mine came apart very easily. Definitely upgraded to cotter less crank. I too hated cotter pins. I noticed some small dents on the frame, realised they must have been from where I belted the pins to get them out 20 odd years ago.

 

[LycraLout]

Thanks again for all your advice. I have now managed to completely strip the frame. I managed to get the stem out of the fork by clamping the fork in a soft jawed vice and working on the stem with a stillson wrench.

I could use some further advice on the build however. Firstly, the right hand side off the BB is partially enclosed as pictured:

I

I'm not sure if if this is all part of the frame, or a threaded part that needs removing. Any ideas?

The frame is about to go off for powder coating and then I'm going to start to build it up. I'm planning to use new parts but I want to keep things fairly cheap. Any advice about BB choice, wheels and stem? The steerer tube looks like this:

The relevant measurements are - Distance between rear dropouts = 12.1cm. Head tube diameter = 3cm. BB diameter (left side) = 3.5cm although the original BB was tapered. Distance between fork dropouts = 9.7cm.

Once again your thoughts and advice would be very welcome.

Andy

 

[Gravity Aided]

I think we are seeing the other bottom bracket cup in your last picture. But I'm not sure without more BSA experience, as to how to remove it. Most bicycles would have flats on the fixed cup, so you can put a thin wrench specific to this purpose on it and remove it. It also looks like you have 2-3 coats of paint in some areas of this bicycle, will the powder coater do the stripping of the paint for you, or will you have to do that yourself?

 

[I like Skol]

To remove the remaining BB cup is easy. Put a large nut and bolt through it (I find tow bar bolts to be perfect) then tighten the nut and bolt from outside the BB. As the thread is a reverse thread as the bolt tightens it should undo the fixed cup. It always worked for me back in the day

 

[sidevalve]

You appear to be looking at the bearing cup. It has a raised section across the middle which you can engage with a spanner to unscrew it. Use a good well fitting spanner and clean/lube the edges well first.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Re the fixed BB cup, read what Sheldon has to say on the subject here, which is pretty much what @I like Skol says above.

If you're lucky it will come out easily with a spanner and a bit of coaxing.

 

[LycraLout]

Hi, I tried the nut and bolt method this afternoon and it worked like a charm, genius.

@Gravity Aided, I'm planning on taking the frame to a place called TOC in Coventry. They specialise in bike frames and will strip off all the old paint.

 

[I like Skol]

Hi, I tried the nut and bolt method this afternoon and it worked like a charm, genius.

You're welcome

I thought I was a genius when I came up with that at around the age of 14 or 15 but it turns out everyone else already knew

 

[Gravity Aided]

Hi, I tried the nut and bolt method this afternoon and it worked like a charm, genius.

@Gravity Aided, I'm planning on taking the frame to a place called TOC in Coventry. They specialise in bike frames and will strip off all the old paint.

Very nice. Good to have someone who specializes in bike frames powder coating. Most of the fellows in my area just do not comprehend, and have no pricing structure for that sort of thing. I just keep on repainting, because I usually would be expected to do my own stripping, and by the time I've done that job, might as well get the paint gun and compressor out as well...

 

[LycraLout]

I only heard about TOC from a Google search, but they are quite local so it seems worth taking a punt. They are quite a bit more expensive than other places I looked at, about £95 to strip and powder coat the frame and fork, but it will save me the faff of stripping it and I would hope they will mask off the threads properly. From the website they also do spraying and frame builds/repairs so I would hope they know their onions. I will let you how I get on.