Cleaning Leading Link Bushings

If you remember how these leading link bushings looked from Phase 1 you'll agree that they needed a good cleaning. A wire brush and Scotch Brite pad worked great.

Cleaned Up and Ready to Install

Here are the bushings after being cleaned up. They're ready to be lubed up and pressed back into the fork assembly.

Pressing in the Bushings

Here is a shot of one of the bushing being pressed back into the fork using the hydraulic shop press and a 27mm impact socket. All of the metal surfaces were greased with white lithum grease which, I like because it is cleaner to work with and fairly waterproof.

Job Complete

A shot of the fork assembly with the bushings pressed back into place. In the background is about a decades supply of white lithium grease.

Sans Grease

Another shot of the bushings. This time without the tub of grease.

Link Arm Assembly

Here the lower shock mount bushings have been pressed back into the link arm assembly.

Re-United

The link arm and fork assembly have been partially reassembled.

Upright

Shown in the upright position. All of the parts were cleaned well after they were returned from the powder coater to ensure all the blasting media was removed from the internal surfaces. This shot shows that the upper fork cap threads have been cleaned and lubricated.

Forward View

Forward view of the link assembly. The powder coat came out very well and gives the metal surfaces a consistent and smooth finish.

Underside View

A view of the assembly underneath and behind.

Underneath and Forward

Another view of the front suspension from underneath and forward. The shocks and triple trees will be installed next but final assembly will have to wait until the has been straightened and repainted.

Engine Delivered

Here's confirmation from Roadway Express that the Dnepr engine was successfully delivered to the engine builder, Ken Ulrich of U-2 Cycles.

Starting Body Work

Here's a shot of a dent in my kit bike's tank. Before I repaint the the tins I need to do some body work.

Top of Tank

Another small dent in the top portion of the tank

Overall View

A perspective view of the tank looking from the left rear.

More Minor Damage

This is the top rear portion of the tank which is very rough and has some deep scratches.

Preparing the Surface

Here I'm sanding down to bare metal using an ordinary random orbit sander with a 120 grit sanding pad.

Dented Area

A slightly better view of one of the damaged areas.

Touch-Up Work

Touching up the damaged area with a stainless wire brush to remove the last bits of paint, primer, and dirt.

Stud Welder

After checking with a few local body shops, I decided it was cheaper to purchase a stud welder from Harbor Freight Tools and fix the dings myself. The welder worked great because the dents were relatively smooth and the metal wasn't creased.

Ready to Weld

The process of welding the stud is fairly simple. First you locate the stud where you want to pull out the dent. Then you press down so the gun's collar is in contact with the metal surface. Then you just push the button for about one-half second. This melts the tip of the stud to the metal surface and forms a perfect weld.