Seized Swing Arm Spindle

OK so i went to fit my upgraded Spindle/Bush set and low and behold, Spindle is seized to the bushes, snapped the locking screw (as i found it) and the bugger wont budge. Spindle spins in the cradle now.

My solution is to upgrade the cradle with the Keglar Mod and hopefully this will give me enough purchase on the spindle to free it from the low-grade bronze bushes thus allowing a light drifting from the primary side. If that doesn't catch it its cradle out and press job. Might be up for some repair on the spindle hole thingy.

the spindles are threaded to the timing side on the interior suggesting a puller could be utilised but i have not seen nor found a puller that would do the job.
Why is this threaded?

The intention is to thread a bolt in and pull it out. Being siezed would require the usr of a slide hammer and heat.

bwolfie said:

The intention is to thread a bolt in and pull it out. Being siezed would require the usr of a slide hammer and heat.

Click to expand...

issue with heat is the cradle is in situ. Will the spindle expand slower then the bushes and swing-arm? i'm guessing that would be the case as the hardened spindle should take longer to heat?
Thanks for the reply brett

Most likely it's just rust or bad wear holding it in. Shouldn't need heat or press to take out, just perseverance. You have taken the center bolt out? I suppose it could be bent from wear, but unlikely, spindle is hardened.

Dave

The intention is to thread a bolt in and pull it out. Being siezed would require the usr of a slide hammer and heat.

Click to expand...

yes, that is exactly what Heinz Kegler had to do to remove my own seized spindle some 17 years ago

first, Heinz threaded in a bolt he had attached to his slide hammer and gently coaxed it to come out

then he cleaned out the cradle tube, lubed it with some light anti seize, and put a light hone on the bushes to remove the high spots before reassembly

he then fitted the very first set of his aluminum "rings" to my swingarm cradle, still in place to this day!

Heinz felt that even the 140 weight oil Norton called for was too thick to find its way down those two
1/16th little holes in the spindle, he told me to just use a little regular motor oil with no need to "overfill"
as it just find its way out either of the end caps anyway

I made a puller out of a fully threaded half inch bolt (fine threads) about 3.5 inches long and some suitable half inch drive sockets and a half inch fine nut. Can get all at McMaster Carr on the web. That is why the threads are there. Worked great. It will take a lot of force if it is rusted in the cradle.

All the above should work as expected, unless.
1. the sheared off center top bolt is left a bit proud of the spindle, so must drag it plowing a path in the cradle tube rusty crusty pitted surface.
2. Rust is so extensive in area and swollen, plowing with a sheared bolt is less straining.
3. Spindle rust has broken through the hardened surface so bushes have worn significant lips, sharp edges, in two locations around spindle, so just twisting one to clear fouls on the other.
4. Crashed to distort swing arm and crade.

Likely only a couple Cdo's ever that bad so shouldn't need enough pulling or banging nor ugh, pressing to distort cradle as well as swing arm. If a smear of motor oil works ok then a smear of grease even better I say. Its mainly the rust inhibition that matters most as even rusty crusty the road going loads will allow shocks to work just fine and maybe better than new with some constant friction dampening like old school shock and fork dampers. You can not cause wear on a spindle hard surface by brooze rubbing on it, as a good drill hardly scratches it till surface stoned off or masonary bit used, but let a bit of oxidation start ant size biting it away, opps there goes...

Spindle and bushes have less than 1500mile on them. No rust to speak of. It was one of the dodgy set with m5 lock bolt.
I'm at a bit of a loss really. Pounded the crap out of it from the primary. Can't find a slide hammer with a 1/2" bolt or even something to modify. Pulling plates and attachments that could be adapted are made from spring steel. Would take me a week and a $100 drill bit.
Ordered the shaft couplings from mcmasters in the hope that will stabilize the spindle so I can free up the bushes and get some movement between the bush and spindle.
If the cradle is damaged on the spindle retainer then will need to get it machined or maybe modify the later mk3 cradle and swing arm to take a drum rear.
Sheezus

I think the transmission lower fixing stud is the right thread so a nut, washer and some spacers (sockets as Baldy says) should work.

Cheers Rene. I totally missed the point of what baldy said until I re-read the post. Sheez I must be tired

Oh Dear, DKt, sounds like my "Blank Staring British Iron States. ... ... ... ... ...

May have to face harsh facts and decision point.
You are the only other i've read of being stumped by a really truly stuck up spindle. IIRC manual says either the front axle or the front iso bolt has correct threads many use to ease their spindles out but I'd not risk a good part destroyed in this case or mine. I lucked out to have a PU truck shock bolt the spindle threads were its smallest section so could use bigger threaded side to put tension on while I used 3 lb sledge on blacksmith size drift I beat on with all my might, to point mushroomed drift over to grind back a number of times. After a few days of this my aim got bad so broke hand bones through heavy glove, but didn't stop me, just stop to put breaker bar on the puller side and get brutal again. I plowed the broken stud and crushed rust to a lube powder finally freed it. Ruined Swingarm though and even GT Enterprises couldn't get ti to pass spindle again to instal. Got an 850 arm to replace. Went a few years reading how easy all others came out till got Trixie Combat that was as stuck up as pre-Peel - but now a lot smarter, got out torch and cut off swing arm then took cradle and swing arm remains to a dozen shop that took 16+ tons of their 30 ton press to push it out, held only by rust clusters. 4x4 wood to back up cradle looked like hard rubber and cradle too. Some say they have threaded the swing arm through frame to get to a serious press. Hope you don't get like me over one of the most simple of Commando tasks. As you've not even begun to move it with somewhat hard efforts so far, I fear the worst but best not tell anyone but me how ya did it or get similar slip shod incompetent reputation like me.

I hear ya hobot. I've done one before and yes it was inconvenient and took some patience but this one ain't playing fair.
Gonna leave it in for a few weeks as I need to get to work.
Top of all that, mcmasters emailed me and said they arnt allowed to export to new customers. Something about export laws in the US. Same part that cost $9 in the US cost $70 odd in Aus and takes 2 weeks to get in. So $18 keglar upgrade now looks like $140ish here. If my cradle is damaged (which I strongly suspect) then I'd be better off with a mk3 setup or the new Andover mk2 cradles with mk 3 cotter pins. £495 elbows tho so mk 3 is more cost effective.
Always the way. Small job to upgrade from bronze bushes to turcite type stuff turns into whatever the bloody hell this is.
Not having a win today

I think it needs more single malt scotch, the project that is.

Im there.Scotcho. :| The bushes dontwear out. It's the spindle in cradle issue. :?

The cradle tube of my '71 Roadster had 23 thou wear. A local engineering firm replaced the tube with a mk 3 type with cotter pins. They also addded a fitting so I could run a flexible tube under the seat to top up oil. Cost $150 NZ.