BRAKES
Title: Stock
front brake cable tube and adjuster
Ok. I got everything I was suppose to get.....I am assuming the top of the tube is supposed to be threaded to accept the adjuster's screw?
IT's NOT! >
Or am I missing something? I have the cable which obviously fits into the adjuster nicely....where does the adjuster screw go? The frikkin' tube that goes into the brake backing plate does not have any threads inside the top. Is it suppose to?
Dave
Post by dj on Oct 30, 2004, 6:36pm
I finally found a good pic of the setup.
Taiwan Tedd! >
The tube is suppose to be threaded.Re: Stock front brake cable tube and adjuster?
Post by Toymaster on Oct 30, 2004, 6:40pm
Interesting.. I believe the tube is NOT threaded? The 'adjuster nut' on the top rim of the tube keeps it where you want it..My 62 isn't threaded there.. [or is stripped.. I doubt that tho]. Where is this pic? can you post a link?
Thanks!
Charlie
Edit just went out and looked at mine.. it'll lift out of the tube [I can't see the inner tube whether it is threaded[or stripped] without disassembly ] there are 2 nuts on the adjuster[to lock it..] also..
Looked at a few pics and manuals they all call for the adjuster nut AND a lock nut, [which if the tube were internally threaded at the top it would only need one 'lock' nut.. not 2 nuts?]
the bottom end also is like a 'flare' fitting that screws into the brake backing plate right?
I really doubt that tube could be properly threaded [too thin..]at the top
Maybe some repops are tho?..
Post by dj on Oct 30, 2004, 7:24pm
ToyMaster
Yes. Maybe you are right. I'm not at the garage so I can't see how it's suppose to go together. I shouldn't have jumped the gun.
Thanks.
Dave
Post by DuoDave on Oct 31, 2004, 11:04pm
The tube is not threaded at the top. The brake back plate should be threaded. What you should have is the tube, an adjuster screw with nut and lock nut and also a nut that slides down the tube and locks the flared end into the back plate.
Post by dj on Nov 1, 2004, 5:48am
The problem I have is that the adjuster screw does not fit down into the tube. It's too big. This is why I assumed it should be threaded, which seems like a good idea anyway, if the tube were a little thicker. I didn't understand that the screw should just slip down into the tube....which it does not...... The tube does have the bend and the fitting at the bottom, but the screw will not fit in the top at all. Therefore it is not possible to have any adjustment at all.
I checked, and there are no burrs on the rim that could be filed down to fit.
I'm going to return it to the shop I ordered it from, and they can deal with V-Twin about it.
Thanks for your replies because it did clarify how it should be.
Dave
Post by DaveJ on Nov 2, 2004, 4:19am
I found a solution! I found a slightly larger pipe that has OD threads at each end and about 3" long. A compression fitting on one end allows me to clamp on to the tube that I have, and the adjuster screw will slip down inside the pipe.
Not "correct", but it will work. I don't want to wait for the correct part to put my front wheel on.
Post by gordon on Nov 6, 2004, 3:52am
Yes the tiwain parts never want to fit right , mine had the same problem the way I fixed it was I put the threaded adjuster in the drill press (not too tight its hollow) and at medium speed I used sandpaper to take down the threads a little till it fit in the tube (the top of the tube had to be de-bured a bit also) the two adjuster nuts were a little loose after all this but they tightened down just fine.
Post by dj on Nov 6, 2004, 9:15am
gordon.....
Thanks...It let's me know I'm not the only one who has had this problem. I might wind up doing it your way because the idea I had is not going to work like I thought. The compression fitting I have is not going to work because the tube is metric or something, and it won't squeeze up tight.
My son actually suggested grinding the threads down also....So I will probably go that route.
Thanks again.
Post by gordon on Nov 6, 2004, 9:43am
yes i had a problem also with the brake cable tube being loose in the backing plate after i tightened the furel nut but i found out i left out the front brake cable tube seat ( HD part # 45207-49) It's a very small part easily overlooked
Post by Toymaster on Nov 6, 2004, 6:41pm
So where do you think the problem actually was? the adjuster or the tube? Are you using the original adjuster? Is the tube chromed?[could be the prob..]
I have to change mine soon and want to get a tube and adjuster that fit [ I have got a NOS adjuster on the way, but need a tube still]
Thanks..
Post by dj on Nov 7, 2004, 8:13am
The tube is chromed but its way too smaller than the thickness of chrome. Do yourself a favor and order yours from NOS PARTS. I now see the ones they sell are made in the USA. I should have ordered from them in the first place, and will probably do so if I can't get it to work right.
You would think that when you buy a kit it should at least fit together. JUNK!
Post by Cotten on Nov 7, 2004, 3:32pm
As I have posted before, I don't care if a part is made on the moon as long as it is quality,...
But Tedd's stuff has taken quite a turn for the worst in the last couple of years: simple hardware that I would stock with confidence has now been replaced with garbage, and I must shop elsewhere. I used to buy $300 a week from V-TWIN weekly for years, but now I might make a minimal order once a month, maybe. And then, only for items with recognized brand names (Beware "Sifton" and "Gary Bang" have been reduced to very bad jokes.)
Beware also of intermediate distributors that only put out a catalog of their own, and then send you the same crap. J&P and Fog Hollow come to mind.
The up and coming vintage providers such as NOS Parts and 45 Parts Depot have much more at stake, and value their reputations accordingly. It pays to shop around; You get what you pay for; and bigger is not always better are truisms that still apply.
Your best insurance is to find a local reputable independent shop that will order for you, and absorb the grief of returns and 'quality control'. You may spend a little more, (sometimes less,) but the savings on your stomach lining will be worth it. Playing with your machines should be fun.
(Disclaimer: Liberty does almost NO across the counter sales! I got outa that bag for obvious reasons.)
Post by Plumber on Nov 16, 2004, 1:48am
;D Wait a minute...hold da phone...hold da phone. Whazza matter your front brake cable? The all-threaded cup has ....a-w-w-w-w. It's too hard to explain. Let me know if you want to see a pix of it. That's a procedure you better get right from the git-go or you'll be dealing with trying to re-thread a frayed cable into a series of holes and for sure poke your finger.
Post by dj on Nov 18, 2004, 9:49am
I fixed it.
I used a 3" small galvanized pipe that the adjusting screw will fit down into...with a compression fitting to clamp onto the existing tube. I couldn't get the compression fitting to clamp down on the tube at first, but a couple of wraps of duct tape did the trick.
Like I said before, not correct, but it does work. I wish I had a digital camera.
Plumber
Yes. I poked my finger on frayed cable anyway. >
Post by Plumber on Nov 18, 2004, 10:09am
Galvanized pipe!...clamps?....wha' tha':DWha' tha :'(?? ??? :'( ;D :'( (laughing and crying then grinning like a fool) ;D Over-amped my receptors most bitterly. I'll post some pix (aka: re-pop central), that show the tube, the cable, the spacer you don't want, the donut you need, and the cable on the clevis. Plus I'll throw in the lever connection whether it's wanted or not, if you just won't use the word "duct-tape" anymore. Warning: I cut my tube's to 12." There is no law against this. I had to chop it. Forced by form. Fit and function were never a question. H & D had other interest in mind. Jockey-dom had not arrived. I got lucky, my first tube was crushed and I saved it's life in the only way I knew how.
Post by dj on Nov 18, 2004, 12:23pm
"Galvanized pipe!...clamps?....wha' tha' ?"
That's the difference between a pipefitter and a plumber I guess. ;D;D;D Or the difference between a plumber and Red Green....*sorry to those who don't know who he is*
Pipefitters leave all kinds of stuff laying around at work and it was the best I could do with the junk "replica" parts I have. But....I have brakes! and locktight on the compression fitting with another pipe nut on top of the small diameter, 3" length of yes....galavnized pipe, *Plumber shakes his head*..... with a washer on top of that that the adjuster screw goes into and everything is snug. The ID of the pipe is only slightly larger than the adjusting screw. Like I've stated previously the screw will not fit in the tube, so I cut the tube shorter and made an extension that fits. Maybe I'll scrap the you know what tape and use feeler guage strips instead. The tube I have is metric! It has to be because an SAE compression fitting won't clamp to it.
Junk I tell ya, junk.
What I really need are correct parts (or just build a rat)! I've got the donut in the original backing plate that the cable goes thru because the original nut and a piece of the old tube were there. I've got the cable on the clevis correctly so I'm good to go....or stop as the case may be. For now.
.......and will be looking for your photos on the re-pop forum. Have enjoyed them in the past.
Post by dj on Nov 19, 2004, 7:28am
Plumber...
You already put those pics w/captions up back in Oct. I wish I'd seen them earlier.
Judging from your pics, it looks like it is quite possible that the adjusting screw I have may be the problem and not the tube itself. I now believe that I have the wrong adjusting screw, (oversize)!.....and will probably wind up re-doing the whole thing eventually.
Thanks for your input.
Post by Plumber on Nov 19, 2004, 9:48am
Oh man, I need help. Talk about being on a loop. Glad you found it. Yeah that threaded-adjuster is made by Colony®. I wish Colony made every part on a Big Twin. I never found out what that long bushing that comes with a brake cable is for. It's not early Glide, that's for sure. That donut doo-dad you absolutely need. God, I love a Panhead.
Post by Cotten on Nov 19, 2004, 12:57pm
Although '49s were unique, all of the Pan adjustors that I have encountered were not hex. They were round with two flats milled on them.
The only hex ones I find are latemodels that are indeed, too big to enter a HydraGlide brake tube.
And as far as Plumber's methods in the link,... the difficult strong-arm needle-nose visegrips method is not necessary. The shoes can be held one in each hand with the springs in place (on the backingplate-side spindles) and then "clam-shelled" onto the top pivot, and gently spread to clamp the bottom spreader. If a spring pops out of position on the spindles, it can be easily pried back to the backingplate side with a screwdriver.
Post by Plumber on Nov 19, 2004, 2:10pm
Just be sure the spring hooks connect to the inside (next to the backing plate) positions on each anchor bar. There are two possible places. Puting the hooks on the outside will make the shoes rub the drum. The reason I use needle-nose Vise-Grips® is because the wheel is off, and the left leg will spin at will. A couple of attempts trying to spread the already attached springs on the shoes, onto a moving leg, and having the assembly fall apart, caused me enough angst to try something different.
Post by Cotten on Nov 19, 2004, 3:10pm
Your "Inside position" is exactly what the backingplate-side spindle means.
"Inside" is very confusing, as the position is actually outboard from the center of the bike to prevent scraping upon the drum.
Please remember that many readers of this forum may not have been raised with 'Muricun Englich as their primary language.
If you are able to stretch the spring that far by hand, I'd fear it was fatiqued. Brakes are a safety concern, and positive disengagement is every bit as important as engagement.
And the trick to preventing from pricking yourself on the frayed cable is to cut it to length with a torch first; it welds the strands together, and makes future servicing much easier, and cheaper than replacing the unwound cable every time.
Post by Plumber on Nov 19, 2004, 3:38pm
Nope. Springs are nos. The operation can be completed with a tight-jawed squeeze and concentration. You need to "will" the bottom spring onto the anchor post (and it helps to wrap your left leg behind the side plate and you are able to "point" the side plate directly at you, making the "lemon" of the "left leg swivel", into an "aide") as part of the Zen and M/C maintenance program. ;D
On the translation thing. I have to lay it down as it comes out of my head and then edit it later. I tried keeping a lid on it, but it's takes too much mental work. I have to write the book with no "jargon"...and the human mind can only handle so much..."turn the screw C.C.W" Thanks for the tips on the cable and shoes. Any are appreciated.
Post by Cotten on Nov 20, 2004, 1:00am
Do you think the Factory did it that way??
Post by Plumber on Nov 20, 2004, 1:29am
If they did....they didn't write about it....or did they? :-/
