Front axle is binding on springer front end

Front axle is binding on springer front end

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pan50head
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Front axle is binding on springer front end

#1

Post by pan50head »

The front drum began rubbing against the edge of the backing plate so I replaced the excessively worn brass bushing in the center of the backing plate. I re-installed the parts. Before tightening the brake sleeve nut, I had to gently drive the axle through the brake sleeve and left rocker. After tightening the brake sleeve nut, the axle was very tight. The shackle was hard to install in the fork shackle mount. The shackle was crooked in relation to the mounts. Because everything is so tight, I am concerned that the rocker system will not allow the front wheel to go up and down. I am thinking that the hole through the backing plate is not in alignment with its proper axis. Has anyone tried aligning the hole? What is the best way to do this?
Robert Luland
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Re: Front axle is binding on springer front end

#2

Post by Robert Luland »

Start building your own machine shop.
nifty
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Re: Front axle is binding on springer front end

#3

Post by nifty »

Pan50head, unfortunately Robert Luland is right, from my personal experience:
Apart from obvious condition of pins & bushes...
1. End tips of front or rear springer legs often misaligned, they both need to be "plumb" fore & aft and side to side as well as correct width from C/L. Legs could be bent, or just flattened tips tweaked, best way to confirm is 2 accurately machined steel bars bolted to leg, bars must sit flat on surface table/mill bed in both planes. Brake link/shackle tab on rear legs must also be "plumb/square" to rocker tips. Re-tweak as required.
2. Rockers must have parallel bores which are also "square" to axle ears, many old rockers are bent from decades of pounding, some new repop rockers are also made with misalignment right out of the box, Re-tweak as required.
3. Brake link/shackle bores must be both parallel and not wrongly offset (check with machined bars, calipers, blocks & surface plate) Re-tweak as required.
4. Brake backing plate often distorted, axle bore must be "plumb/square" to brake plate and parallel to cam, shoe pivot and link/shackle pin. Re-tweak as required.
5. Ensure brake drum runs true to hub & axle, ensure drum not tapered (mount wheel in stand, check with dial gauge etc)
6. With good new oversize brake linings on straight, good shoes, assembled to straight brake plate (cam & pivots addressed), and shoes shimmed + .020" each at cam, mount brake plate on an accurate mandrel, machine new good linings to same OD as drum ID, remove shims, chamfer tips of linings. brake shoes will slide into drum, linings will properly contact drum when brake applied etc etc.

Plus pins & bushes and many more details etc etc

Tedious and thus expensive if you pay someone who knows what they are doing, but the difference between a "put together" springer and a "properly built" springer is like night & day.

Nifty
pan50head
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Re: Front axle is binding on springer front end

#4

Post by pan50head »

Thank you very much for the good and thorough advice. I guess I should have posted a reply sooner. When I reinstalled the shackle, I installed it pursuant to the parts manual with the zerk fitting pointing up. My particular shackle has the zerk fitting pointing down. I determined this by looking at some old photos of my bike. When I installed the shackle with the fitting pointing down, everything was fine. I was told that my shackle is from a 45 ci. I will plug the hole for the existing fitting and tap a hole for the fitting in the correct location.
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