Author Topic: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers  (Read 2904 times)

canuck750

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Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« on: March 15, 2019, 09:17:50 PM »
I have a couple sets of Ceriani shock absorbers that are period correct for many Italian motorcycles including my Laverda 750 SF1 and Benelli 650 Tornado to name a few. A couple pairs of these vintage shocks have suffered decades of corrosion to the hard chrome plates shafts. I tried several hard chrome plating shops in town but unfortunately these shops are not set up tp hard chrome the tiny shock absorber shafts, One shop quoted me $200 to set up their tooling and at least $100 to plate each shaft, Yikes!!

A shop foreman suggested I make new stainless steel shafts to match the originals, brilliant!

This is the shape of the original shock shaft after I cleaned the rust off



I was lucky to find 7/16" hard stainless steel rod and cut new sections to length and milled the ends and threaded the tips to match the originals.



I have a professional welder friend willing to TIG weld the stainless shafts to the carbon steel top caps,

I cut the old shafts off the caps, ground off the remnants of the old shaft and then made a jig to hold the new shaft in place to the original cap





Once welded up I powder coated the caps again and these shocks will last a life time



The stainless rod cost me under $15.00 and I used scrap steel to make the jig



It took a couple hours of machining, welding and painting but saved $100's!

oldbike54

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2019, 11:34:15 PM »
 Very nice work Jim , I am seriously impressed  :bow:

 Dusty

Offline Knuckle Dragger

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2019, 12:52:36 AM »
Magnifico!
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Offline Muzz

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2019, 04:23:33 AM »
I knew a winter project would come along sooner or later. :grin:  Nice work! :thumb:
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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2019, 04:23:33 AM »

Online Chuck in Indiana

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2019, 06:19:19 AM »
Quote
It took a couple hours of machining, welding and painting but saved $100's!

 :smiley:
Chuck in (Elwood) Indiana/sometimes SoCal
 
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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2019, 09:51:07 AM »
Very, very cool.  Thanks for posting.
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Offline SED

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2019, 12:26:43 PM »
Nice work - great ideas there.  Thanks!    :thumb:
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canuck750

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2019, 03:34:04 PM »
Finished up the reassembly, Wolfgang Haerter at Columbia Car and Cycle in Naksusp B.C. had the new seal kits

The new stainless shafts are a tiny bit wider than the original so I had to ream out the centre of the cast slider a few thou, it's the part that moves with the shock action.



I filled them with 70cc of 5 weight fluid



And a repro decal to just smarten them up



And the loaner pair (much longer) can go back on the Laverda



Now the Benneli rear end sits like it should and the bike no longer wobbles on the centre stand. :thumb:

Offline jas67

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2019, 04:54:26 PM »
Wow, nice job!
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Offline huub

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #9 on: March 16, 2019, 05:48:54 PM »
nice job, next time you might try hard chromed shaft, over here it is easily available at 20 euro/meter,
it is more durable than the stainless 

Online Chuck in Indiana

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2019, 07:20:01 PM »
nice job, next time you might try hard chromed shaft, over here it is easily available at 20 euro/meter,
it is more durable than the stainless

Maybe so, but I'll bet it would be a bear to turn down and thread.. :smiley:
Chuck in (Elwood) Indiana/sometimes SoCal
 
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Offline John A

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #11 on: March 17, 2019, 08:49:24 AM »
Beauty :thumb:
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Offline Stevex

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #12 on: March 17, 2019, 09:27:53 AM »
Neat  :thumb:

canuck750

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2019, 11:01:38 AM »
nice job, next time you might try hard chromed shaft, over here it is easily available at 20 euro/meter,
it is more durable than the stainless

Good tip Huub, I may look for that for a pair of Ikons I have in need of new shafts. Do you know if it is available in metric diameters?

Offline Tom H

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #14 on: March 17, 2019, 11:22:53 AM »
Nice Work!!

For the Ikon's, maybe try Ikon for new shafts rather than making them.

Good luck!
Tom
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Offline huub

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #15 on: March 17, 2019, 11:38:21 AM »
Good tip Huub, I may look for that for a pair of Ikons I have in need of new shafts. Do you know if it is available in metric diameters?

actually , over here ( netherlands) , that is the only sizes available

example;
https://www.indi.nl/nl-nl/p/aandrijftechniek/staal-en-kunststoffen/stafmateriaal-staal/as-materiaal-hardverchroomd/Hardchroom-as-12mm-3m-45836


metric sizes are probably harder to find over there, but it is available
machining it is no problem , if you have to cut threads you are in the base material,  not in the chrome layer
« Last Edit: March 17, 2019, 11:39:35 AM by huub »

Online Chuck in Indiana

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #16 on: March 17, 2019, 03:03:37 PM »
The only thing I *know* about in the states is Thompson Shafting, used with linear bearings. Good luck turning and threading that..  :grin:
Chuck in (Elwood) Indiana/sometimes SoCal
 
87 AeroLario
95 Skorpion tour
22 Royal Enfield Classic 3 fiddy
 "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
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Offline Knuckle Dragger

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Re: Restoring Vintage Shock Absorbers
« Reply #17 on: March 18, 2019, 03:25:53 AM »
The only thing I *know* about in the states is Thompson Shafting, used with linear bearings. Good luck turning and threading that..  :grin:

Hello sailor!  In need of a good (Thompson) Shafting are we?  What a classic name.....
Severus bastardis

 

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