Rear Brake Cross-Over Shaft

[King]

Hi All

Does anyone have experience with removing the rear brake cross-over shaft. On my 51FL the nut on the left side is pretty hard to access as it sits behind the inner primary and I am having a hard time getting a wrench to seat. Also the shaft has a lot of play in it. Is there a way to secure it to give more stability as you try to wrench off the left side nut?

The reason I want to replace it is that I snapped off the square stud on the rear brake operating shaft (the thing that expands the shoes) during a panic stop. Fortunately in the death throes it slowed me down to where the front brakes actually stopped the bike. That incident got me to thinking about the integrity of the other two square studs in the system on the cross-over shaft.

King

[Cotten]

King!

There is a lock tab on both nuts on both ends of the shaft.

If you are going to take up the slop by replacing the bushings, then you will want the primary removed anyway.

....Cotten

[King]

Cotten

On closer inspection I found a large burr on the cross shaft nut, thus the wrench seating problem. Therefore, removal of the primary cover will be necessary. As you noted the bushings should also be replaced as I can feel some slack in the shaft. I think I will go on a general bushing replacement campaign this winter anyway. So the question is how does one remove bushings such as the crossover shaft ones and the seat post one where they can not be pressed out?

King

[Guest]

if it were me, i would just leave the old bushing in, unless it was so bad it needed to be changed. a little wobble wont hurt any, my bike stops just fine. those brass bushings are finicky and if you press it in wrong or force it "out of round" then your in for some problems. if your going on a bushing replacement spree then the first rule is to "keep all mallets away from bushings" and then ask someone who's done them before. they may suggest to break the entire bike down.

[Cotten]

King!

They can be pressed in and out with a simple screw-press, if you have a lathe handy to make the appropriate pucks and cups.

Myself, I cheat.
Here in the the Land of the Yellow God (Caterpillar), large taps are plentiful junk. Twisting in one of the appropriate size will then let you bang it back out with the bushing from the other end.

....Cotten

[mbskeam]

you can use the end of a hack saw blade and cut the busing long ways till you just cut thru and use a pointed punch to roll it onto it self.
to get the bushings in you can use a driver that has the about the same ID as the bushing
its, like a dririft , but it has a machined step to it.
as to reaming it if you can find a ajustable reamer and go from there, but the trick is to get them both in line to each other, so you need a long reamer with a shank on it that you can bush or in my case use glass tape till it just fit the 1st bushing you just reamed ,that way it keeps it in line to the 2nd bushing.

mbskeam

[King]

Many Thanks Guys,

I too have a source for junked out taps so I will begin squirreling them away in prep for the Great Bushing Bash.

King