Tightening fork drain bolts.....

[markwhitelock]

I thought that I had assembled my forks properly and tightened both fork drain plugs fully, it appears not. No, I obviously didn't fill them and have oil on the garage floor, I checked them before hand! One Side I was able to put a 14mm socket in the bottom and a bolt through the side hole to stop the damper rotating, but the brake side is too small and no socket will fit in. Why are they different!?!?

How do you guys tighten your drain bolts?!?!?

[Mick D]

Hi

The damper bolts are normally tightened by putting a screw, (the one from the tool box lid is the correct thread), into the drain plug hole to stop the damper rotating and a socket or box spanner on the damper bolts. If your slider castings are different you will have to find a suitable thin walled socket or box spanner to allow you to tighten the smaller, or attack your socket with a grinder.

The bolt size is not 14mm, I'm pretty sure it's 1/4" WHIT and a good quality socket will probably fit.

Regards Mick

[SPRIDDLER]

Hmm, just to be pedantic the fork 'drain bolts' are slot head set screws located either side of the slider and don't need the damper to be prevented from turning in order to tighten them.

I guess you are referring to the damper rod end bolts in the axle recess where a thin walled socket is needed. You've managed to do one so if it's the second one of those that you mean I wonder if you have mismatched sliders, although I don't think they differ year to year in that respect and presumably it all went together previously and you managed to get a socket on there when you stripped the forks.
If the pointy tool box screw doesn't hold on the damper rod a rattle gun will tighten the bolt or just 'shock' the socket bar with a good tap so that the inertia of the damper rod inhibits it from turning until it is tight enough to hold whilst you fully tighten it conventionally.

P.S. I'm sure you know that the bolts should have fibre washers...…..
Could someone have bodged by using metric bolts?

[markwhitelock]

It all seems pretty original, the bottom bolts are exactly the same, it is just that the walls of one fork bottom is narrower than the other, very weird! The actual forks themselves are identical but for this strange difference!

I will persevere!

[clive]

When these bikes were sold thin walled or indeed any socket was not the sort of kit most people had at home. What you need is a box spanner, they fit easily.

[markwhitelock]

When these bikes were sold thin walled or indeed any socket was not the sort of kit most people had at home. What you need is a box spanner, they fit easily.

I found a 1/4” whit box spanner on eBay for 3 quid

[alanengineer]

I found that the 3/8" square drive sockets have a thinner wall section and fit.

[electrajohnt]

I found that the 3/8" square drive sockets have a thinner wall section and fit.

Second that, I did mine with 3/8 drive socket.

[56G80S]

My Britool socket fits.

I only have metric 3/8 and 1/4 drive, how far can you go in having tools! I recently bought two new torque wrenches, a 1/2 and 1/4 so I could get down to the low value settings and stop using the very old Norbar wrench.

Personally I now use Tracy Tools if I need odd single pieces. I found them helpful and prompt.

Johnny B