Combat Fork Collars

Fork Frustration!

Looking for ideas on how to remove fork collars from a 72 Combat barn find. The problem is it was outside the barn............................ for 20 years!

I have tried a strap wrench, pipe wrench, heat, penetrating oil and I am running out of ideas. I am not worried about damaging the stanchions or the collars since they will be replaced with new.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Regards,

Gordon

Boy, they must be stuck really good! You might try to very carefully grind some flats onto the collars and use one of those large adjustable wrenches on them. Or put the flats in a vise, and use the axle as a tommy bar to turn the fork leg. I've also had great luck with Kroil, when ordinary penetrating oil won't get it.

Heat.

You should have both legs removed from the bike, then wrap the collar with crocus cloth and clamp it into a vise. Use the axle as a tommy bar to unscrew the lower from the collar. The collar is steel so you can heat the lower leg if necessary.

Gellignite !

Er . . .

Heat Cycle / Penetrating oil , and PATIANCE , and a firm grip on the subject . :|

Im loath to put spindle mount in torsion , particularly if the lever is ill fitting . OR Crush the thing at the Guard mounts .

A points Spanner ( 18 in shifter ) Firm across the axle boss is as good as any , if available .

NO wobbly bits .

Don't mess around get a serious air impact and correct socket then hit it with heat till its scary smoking hot then, wait a few breaths then pull the trigger. AFT/Acettone is better that store bought pentrating lube.

hobot said:

Don't mess around get a serious air impact and correct socket then hit it with heat till its scary smoking hot then, wait a few breaths then pull the trigger. AFT/Acettone is better that store bought pentrating lube.

Click to expand...

Socket for the collar… did not know...

Unless a barn find bike that's been sitting outside for 20 years is equipped with the type of new collars that Fred at Old Britts is selling, a socket won't mean anything. I go back to the OP and my response. He's tried heat, pipe wrenches, etc, and still not able to grip the collar without it slipping. He's prepared to buy some new collars. The crocus cloth thing won't work if it's seized to the fork leg, although that or a hose clamp is usually all you need. Someone on this site had posted something about collars with two flats on them for sale, IIRC, someone's response was that they just milled their own collars with two flats. Fred's have a hex milled into them, and look very clever for about $20 a pop. I still think the next step - since he's tried a lot of the easy stuff will be to grind two flats into the collar, hold it in a vise, heat fork leg, and see if that will free it up.

I can think of 2 possible ways to try

1) Get a cold chisel (for metal) & a big hammer. Mount alloy fork leg in a vice so that it is gripped where the flat part is for mudguard bridge piece, so that it can't turn. Apply heat to alloy where collar is. Use the chisel to dig inot collar so that you can hammer it round to loosen it.

2) With an Arc welder, weld 2 blobs on the side of the collar 180 degrees apart. This will allow you to put the collar in a vice without it slipping round. Then try the heat & using something to turn the alloy legs. Maybe a large adjustable spanner on flat for mudguard bridge.

With either method try & protect polished part of alloy leg.

Good Luck.

Ian

Ron L is absolutely correct, grip the collar in a heavy vise, use the axle to give some purchase on the alloy fork bottom and heat the alloy around the area where the collar penetrates, the alloy expands at a greater rate than the steel collar and using the axle to unscrew the fork bottom off the collar has always worked for me, including on forks that were left outside for 30 years!

fork legs are already off. Maybe I am missing something but how about buying a different set ? Seems like a lot of energy expended for what I would think to be a replacable part.

Thanks Everyone,

Got them off !

I was afraid to use the axle but that and a lot of heat and muscle is what it took. I placed the stanchion in the vice and used a pipe wrench on the collar while a friend held the slider using the axle bolt. I was nervous about damaging the sliders but it worked. Getting the fork tubes out of the sliders was no picnic either!

Like my father used to say, if it was easy anybody could do it!

Appreciate all the help.

Great forum!

Thanks again,


Gordon