I've done a silly thing... (forks) *mission accomplished*

[RichardL]

If we agreed that a little scratching at one end of the bushing doesn't really matter, here is a puller idea. Stiff wire with a pre-bend clamped between nuts on all-thread. May be a bit draconian.

Richard L.

P.S. Yes, I'm enjoying this too much.

[*nick*]

ok so I was up til midnight last night working my pea brain silly trying to come up with ideas, I ended up calling my mate Pete who's been working as toolmaker longer than i've been alive (i'm 24), he's keen on the long hook idea so will turn up a thin piece of rod with a short stiff 90 degree bend at the very end to get under the bottom lip of the bush. At the opposite end from the hook we'll put some thread on the rod with a decent nut and a few big washers, as well as a loose heavy sliding collar to work as an improvised slide hammer, should the bushes be really stuck hard. Pete and i have a good thing going, he's the guy i go too when i botch things up and i'm the kid he comes to when he cant work the VHS or his new iPad ha! I think I get the better end of the arrangement!

I'll report back tomorrow after we've made the tool and had a crack, many thanks for the pearls of wisdom, i reckon keep them flowing, someone might have a better solution lurking in their grey stuff just waiting to come out!     

regards,
Nick

[RichardL]

In the grey stuff and under the grey hair.

[orabanda]

Try a length of round wood (fat broom handle), which is same / similar size as staunchion.

File a taper on the end, say 30 degrees.

Push and tap at the same time, the tapered end into the bush. Rotate the handle clockwise say a turn, and hopefully it has locked into the sharp edge at the top of the bush. Pull out, but slowly rotate at the same time (as the actress said to the bishop).

The softer the wood, the more likely it is to bite into the bush.

Good luck,
Richard

[bsa-bill]

In the grey stuff and under the grey hair.

Some of us don't have both in abundance - I'll leave it to others to judge my ratio (although my usual at the barbers is a grade 2)

[KiwiGF]

If nothing else has worked maybe try expanding a rubber bung into the bush and pulling it out, using a tube, length of studding inside the tube, steel washers, nuts and of course a round rubber disc that's just fits inside the bush.

Super glue on the rubber if it won't grip first time.

[iansoady]

There's a thought. Pour oil in till it's 1/2 way up the bush. Plug the end of the stanchion and insert into the bush and give it a good whack. The pressure of the oil might move it.
Cheers

That's like the old way of removing blind gearbox bushes etc which often worked.

The other thing that springs to mind is a rawlbolt (you know, with the expanding sectors: http://www.rawlplug.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=25). Find one that expands to the inner diameter of the bush, replace the central bolt with a long length of metric allthread and it may work......

[duTch]

 The 'cast in damper taper' at the bottom will impede some ideas(do they not have a securing grub screw up the bottom ?), also just remembered some ceiling fixing butterfly type do-dads that also won't work with the cast-in taper
 Otherwise, has anyone suggested gently heating the bottom of the tube and then do the inverted knock on wood?? and maybe dry or wet ice inside(which I know won't last long, but maybe enough to do the job)?

 Just had another flash idea as I was posting- how about a water pipe 'riser' they have a slightly tapered thread, you know- what your garden tap may be screwed onto that comes out of the ground- go to an irrigation shop maybe a 1-1/4"-1-1/2" waterpipe is measured differently (nominal bore), take in the slider- slip it on the riser, and see if it grabs the bush, even a poly one may work

[Gavin]

I watched a mate of mine do a smart thing which may help.... to expand a poly pipe that will fit inside the offending part, he used the pressure of a threaded inner rod with a secure nut and small washer at the bottom covered the poly pipe and a rubber sleeve. the poly pipe was cut on a long line across it so that when the threaded inner was taking the pressure of the top nut being wound down on it, the pipe slides along the cut and effectively expands, gripping the inner surface of your bushes then you can tug away to your hearts content..... I understand it may not be feasible in the  area you have to expand it in. But it sure as heck worked for getting my A10 forks up into the top yoke.

[RichardL]

Nick,

Please, deliver us from the madness and get the dam* things out already.  

Richard L.

[muskrat]

 Richard, I'd plug it with a bit of timber (broom/pick handle) in the bottom thread. This method would be least likely to damage any parts.
Cheers

[RichardL]

I wasn't arguing against Orabanda's idea, or any of them, or politicking for mine. I'm just saying, with so many ideas, shouldn't the bushings be out by now? (Nick, just playin' .)

Richard L.

[townsends20]

Hi Nick
         We have all done things like this. This is what I would do if all else fails, this works in the same  way as a push bike handle bar adjusting stem. If your friend is a tool maker he will have no problem knocking this up.
      Steve

[bsa-bill]

A variation on a couple of themes in case the long hook method fails

gather as many electric kettles as you can ready filled with water, take them down the shed or wherever you do you tinkering, stick your broom handle down and wedged in the bush, gently grip the leg in a vice then slowly pour boiling water over the bottom of the leg (kettles plugged in in relays to keep the boiling water coming) and steady pressure on the broom handle, hopefully the leg will expand enough before the heat gets through to the bush.

 and yes Steve is spot on few if any of us have not done something a little  nonsensical at times

[*nick*]

Mission Accomplished...

my mate Peter the tool maker got a 700mm ish long piece of roughly 4mm steel rod, at one end he heated the rod with the oxy and hammered a very small 4mm long right angle lip, at the opposing end of the rod he cut a thread and screwed on a nut and large washer, along the rod was a large loose bush from a price of scrap brass which he found floating around his work.

All we had to do was grip the fork legs in the vice horizontal to the floor, i held a good LED torch with a fixed beam down into the leg while Pete got the hook in behind the bottom on the bush and we simply used the slide hammer do dislodge the bushes and drag them out.

On closer inspection the inside walls of the legs are pretty scored up from probably having water in them at some stage, today i'm going to get some old broom handle and cut a slot in it, wrap some emery cloth around it and put a big screw into the dowel, with the cordless drill i should be able to clean up most of the inside of the legs, i got all the rust off from having them in some molasses/water mix for a week but they're still pretty rough inside.

Hopefully by the end of the day the bike will be all together to complete the final mock assembly, i'll get it running next week have a quick ride around the block and check the set up on everything then i'll be pulling it down again for paint and chroming etc before I rebuild the motor and gearbox. This project has been one of the biggest challenges of my life, not one component has simply gone together as it should, everything required some amount of fettling or restoring and it doesn't help the bikes is a complete bitsa and all this stuff is all new to me, hence mistakes like the bush in forks fiasco, anyhoo i really appreciate all your help and advice, you certainly meet the nicest people on motorbikes, especially old bikes.

many thanks,
young Nick