I am restoring a 1949 B31 frame. When I fit the upper and lower steering head cups, I find they are about a thou loose in the frame.
What would be the advise for mounting these. I was thinking of glueing them in place using "Loctite" super bearing mount, and then assembling everything, so they end up sitting straight until the glue sets.
This product has a high sheer strength, and is able to fill gaps of a thou or so.
Any thoughts on this.
Thanks Keith

email (option): keithatkinson@hotmail.com

Sounds like a reasonable solution....should work just fine...Locktite is our friend...

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

Hi Keith,

Bearing fit Loctite will work fine, but use a length of screwed bar and 2 large washers the size of the outer dia of the new cups. This will seat them correctly as the loctite cures. Make sure the headstock is clean before fitting them as they will not be easy to remove after.

Tim W

email (option): t.j.walker@btinternet.com

Hi Keith,

Yes, I sell quite a lot of this kind of product.

Go for the best name possible, either Loctite or Permabond. Not one of the cheap alternatives, clean the metal with thinners first to totally degrease and Robert should be your mothers brother.

If things do go wrong, don't worry too much as a little localised heat ( use a cooks blowtorch with a fine flame ) and the shells will knock out easily.

Good luck
Darren

email (option): dwrudd@lineone.net

Are you screwing them in all the way? The tool I made works great for that. I believe Ron Pier has some left for sale.

I had a Triumph Trophy frame, and used that tool to remove those cups, and they match those on my M20!

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Yes I think the M20 cups have an internal thread for removal.
The ones for my B31 frame don't. Anyway, normally they press in with slight interference fit.
In this case, the bottom of the recess where the cups sits, was chewed up a bit, also the the cup just dropped in with no interference fit.
I cleaned up the recess as acuarate is I could, then glued in the cups, then assembled everything together, so the cups would align with the cones on the stem, whist the loctite set. Does that all make sense??
It seems to have worked. I was just concerned, that over time, the loctite "bearing mount" or "Retainer" as they now call it, might fail.
The product seems to have good strength characteristics, according to the data specs.
Thanks keith

email (option): keithatkinson@hotmail.com

You should be OK with that method Kieth..Retaining fit loctite is very durable so you won't have a problem tere either.. Your B31 should also have the internal threads for removing the cups..Certainly late rigid, plunger and swinging arm models do. Not absolutely sure about the very early one (45/46) which had smaller cups...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Amazing stuff, that Loctite! A good friend was working for the Dutch importer, and gave me lots of samples. Among them, was a large bottle of green stuff that hardened to kind of concrete. I always put it in my luggage going to countries were you could find your car standing on the brake drums when you woke up. So before leaving, I secured all the nuts and bolts with the Green Giant, and not the strongest local could get them loose, even with a hefty crossbar tool. But I also carried several cigarette lighters in case of a flat, nuts came loose again after a few minutes, bolts were sometimes a problem....
Hans
PS: the bottle is still 1/4 full

email (option): viaconsu [at] planet [dot] nl