ugh forks from ebay

[freak_leg]

Ok so here is the deal guys I bought a rebuild set of forks from ebay. while putting the axle in i ran across a problem...

at some point some on broke the stud off the left fork. they drilled and tapped it. kinda. so when i was tightening the bolt i experienced the all to familiar feeling of tight tight loose!! Son of a.... it stripped out, not the bold that would be easy to replace, oh no the hole in the fork.

Anyhow does anyone have some experience here?? could i just re-tap it with a bigger bolt? I fear this would just strip out again. Could i cut the head off a bolt and weld it into the hole??

Help PLEASE!!

Happy / Safe ridding everyone
Tony

[tinman905]

You can use a helicoil to repair the threads and replace the bolt with the proper threaded stud.

[DGXSER]

Yep, the aluminum is softer than the bolt so it will strip out first.

Helicoil kit or drill and tap next size up.

[latexeses]

There is the option of taking it to a welding shop and having the hole welded up, redrilled, tapped and.......$$$$$$$$

[tarzan]

+2 on the heli-coil.
You can get a little heli-coil kit at ace hardware.
Well, at the one by my house anyway.Easy fix and just as strong as original.

[Rasputin]

+3 on the heli-coil. It is a much stronger fix than drilling and tapping by far and does not cost a lot either.

[crazy steve]

...replace the bolt with the proper threaded stud.

DO make sure you use a stud; even with a helicoil, running bolts into/out of aluminum isn't that great of an idea. I'd also give very serious thought to 'stacking' two inserts in there to increase thread strength, seeing how this helps hold on the front axle.

Just my .02

'78E original owner

[jmnjrpa]

Forget the helicoil if

You can get a Keensert it will be much better.

[bikerphil]

If all else fails, you can take your old left lower fork leg and swap it out (assuming you have one) with the damaged unit. If you need an extra lower Standard left fork leg, I probably got one.

[bikerphil]

Just to add, if you use a 5/16 - 18 UNC tap, that works perfectly, it's just a bit larger than the stock metric stud. BTDT, HTH

[mxmikie]

i have a lower leg for a standard

[Pat Kelly]

Best advise I have is to give the bike to me and you won;t have to worry about it anymore

[freak_leg]

Thanks for the offer pat

I talked to a buddy of mine about it. His exact words "No problem give me the good fork and the old one and i'll just swap the studs. You'll never know it was broken." Thank god for good friends who also happen to be mechanics!!

Thanks guys!

[fabricgator]

I have a spare set of standard forks that I bought...

I thought I was going to be able to replace the tubes on my special, I think the tubes are shorter then my special. It has been a few years since I looked at them.

[skids]

I guess I missed something here. You said you broke the stud? I stripped the threads off of the stud and replaced it. I would attempt to remove the remnant of the broken stud and replace it. It could be an easier process than you might think.