A65 Lightning project......

[JulianS]

 This US service bulletin from December 1966 gives the angle of the drilling/reamimg.

This refers to the 1966 type forks with damper rods.

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi All,

I think the problem is a bit more fundamental.  Is the front hub a 1/2 width 'Goldie' type?  If so, I am fairly sure that the wheel should be built with an offset to the centre of the hub so that it sits centrally in the forks when fitted.
Ask the wheel builder what offset he used and if he can adjust it on the spokes.
The illustration in the workshop manual shows the spoke flange on the brake drum and the spoke flange on the other side are not equidistant from the fork legs.  The is no mention of the offset but it must be written somewhere.

Dave.

[Talisker]

Thanks for the information. I have had a look at my Firebird this afternoon and its deffo and re strip down of the Thunderbolts forks. Regards Jim

[DAVE BRADY]

Hi Jim,

Is the wheel in your Firebird central?  Is it the same type of hub as in your Thunderbolt?  If so try the Firebird wheel in the Thunderbolt.  If it sits right then the problem is with the offset in the Thunderbolt wheel.  If the wheels are of the same type and one is correct take both of them to the wheel builder and he can measure the offset and fix your wheel.
You could diplomatically suggest that he writes it down for future reference.

Dave.

[geraldhattrick75]

Yeah, mine has forks with no spindle caps, the spindle slides through holes in the bottom of the fork legs, and it has a half width 8" brake drum.

The wheel builder built it according to the 'donor' wheel that came with, and was fitted in, the bike, and I've got great confidence in him.

I've just e-mailed him asking what is necessary to move the rim 5mm over to the drum side of the forks.... (I'm expecting the worst)

Bummer.

Not sure if this helps you Jim, but given the amount of information available from these good folk, I reckon we will both come out of this with good results.

Thanks for your help and advice folks.

Regards,
Dave.

[DAVE BRADY]

Found another page that refers to the offset.
It says "quick-release front wheels are built with the edge of the brake drum 1-15/16" from the centre line of the rim."

Dave.

[geraldhattrick75]

Just had a reply from the wheelbuilder who said:

Oh no...sorry about that.

Nothing to worry about. 5mm is easy to rectify and shouldn't need any new spokes or a rebuild. Just need some loosening and some tightening. I should be able to do that whilst you wait if you can bring it down with the tyre off.

The offset information is a nightmare to be honest. Most of the time I have to rely on wheels supplied or info off the internet which is dodgy most of the time.
Fortunately I must be lucky and have only had a few back for tweaking.

I can be in all of this coming weekend (Fri, Sat, sun, Mon) if you want to nominate a time. No charge obviously.

Which shows just what a top guy he is.

I'll get the wheel down to him sometime next week.

[DAVE BRADY]

Don't forget to mention this from the workshop manual when you go.

"quick-release front wheels are built with the edge of the brake drum 1-15/16" from the centre line of the rim."

Dave.

[geraldhattrick75]

Not sure if mine is quick release.... Mind, you only have to unscrew and pull out the spindle to release the wheel, so maybe it is.

I'll drop the tyre off and do a quick measurement over the next few days.

I know that the rim needs to be moved 5mm in the direction of the brake drum to enable it to sit centrally between the fork legs.
And the fork legs are symmetrical.


Thanks.
Dave.

P.S. Dunno about progress. Two days ago I had a frame with two wheels.
Now I have a frame sitting on the floor with no wheels.
(I've stripped and sprayed the rear brake drum, and the front wheel needs stripping down for er, moving the rim 5mm.) If I make much more progress like this I'll have a total 'basket case'.

[geraldhattrick75]

Right, the wheel is back and I need to fit the tyre and tube.
However, I noticed when I removed the tyre, the inside of the brand new chrome rim was starting to go rusty- obviously from my use of washing up liquid and water to slide the tyre on originally.

Any suggestions for a lubricant that won't cause corrosion please?

[chaz]

I probably would have just used washing up liquid in the old days, when I was in the car garage we used swarfega. But you
can get a product Pro Clean tyre lube, available from m&p or Ebay, I use in the workshop.

[geraldhattrick75]

Thanks for that Chaz.

Duly ordered.

Regards,
Dave.

[geraldhattrick75]

Don't forget to mention this from the workshop manual when you go.

"quick-release front wheels are built with the edge of the brake drum 1-15/16" from the centre line of the rim."

Dave.

Just measured it dave..... And it's spot on.

Thanks mate.

Re your wheel issue Jim, confirm how far out it is then find a friendly wheel fitter and ask him/ her  if they can adjust it in.  (Joe Brown ( staffordshirewheelworks.co.uk ) re-did mine for nowt (well a gave him a thank you- twould've been churlish not to...)

Thanks again for all your help......

[geraldhattrick75]

Er, I'm back again for more advice... Please.

The front brake plate seems to sit a bit proud on the half width hub. ie There is a 3/16" gap between the plate inner edge and the drum, meaning that the brake is open to lots of water ingress.

I've whacked the lock rings in as much as my butchery method will allow, but it's as though I haven't screwed them in far enough and the brake plate centre is resting on them.

The brake plate also locks up with the hub (tries to go round with the wheel) when I tighten the spindle.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[JulianS]

Do you have the correct shoes? 1966 on half width hub brake is wider.

Half width hub up to and including 1965 season the shoes are 1 3/8 inches wide. 1966 season shoes 1 5/8 inches wide.