Having trouble with clearance on rear axel.

[Sidehacker]

I've just cleaned up my frame and have redone my wheels completely , and am having trouble fitting the stock axel spacer,hub,brake drum,and axel sleeve, between the frames rear axel plates on my 46 frame. It says in the book that the distance between the axel plates should be 8 & 3/4 inch +or- 1/8 inch. Mine measures 8 & 5/8 inch which is on the low side of the allowable limits. I should also say that I made sure I seated the brake drum on the hub and I torqued down all five Allen bolts in the correct cross star pattern. I also had more than one axel spacers and they were all the same length. I'm stumped any ideas? FNA

[Robert Luland]

How can anybody here help ya with out a picture. Lay it out in a line as your assembling. Bob L

[diesel55]

Hello ........... are you using real harley parts or repo ? also as Bob said a picture of what you doing would help. Merry Christmas

[harleytoprock]

Using some hydraulics, I would spread the frame to the 8 3/4" specs. Can you calculate if all you need is another 1/8" to get it to all fit?

[Hollywood]

Some basic questions:
Have you ever successfully installed a rigid frame brake assembly before? What exactly is the problem with the fit? Is the backing plate mounted to the frame with the brake stop seated properly in the frame's rear axle plate? Is the wheel with brake drum pushed in a seated properly on the backing plate? Is the rear fender on? Did you make sure that the rear axle sleeve slides into the hub properly and seats prior to attempting the installation?
Is the whole assembly mounted except the spacer and axle? Is the problem getting the axle spacer between the hub and frame? This takes a little doing sometimes when the fit is close. Are you assembling this yourself? Sometimes the wheel will cock a little from the weight of it without the axle.

[Hollywood]

Sidehacker,
This post motivated me to put the rear brake back on my UL today...My spacing is the same as you mentioned 8 & 5/8. It all went together easily. It is necessary to kinda wiggle the spacer in. Starting with the small diameter end against the hub, I move the wheel around a bit until I can slide the wider end in on the frame side. By the way I always install the backing plate (with shoes) to the frame first, then slide the drum onto the backing plate, then slide the wheel onto the drum (making sure the dowel pins are in the right holes in the hub), then the spacer and axle and the wheel lugs last.
Here are some pics of my UL install...
IMG_0702.jpgIMG_0705.jpgIMG_0706.jpgIMG_0707.jpgIMG_0708.jpg

[Hollywood]

IMG_0709.jpgIMG_0710.jpgIMG_0711.jpg

Here are three more pics. I guess they were too big to all get one one reply....
Good luck.

[Sidehacker]

S

First off I want to thank everyone for such a quick response. I've been doing last minute Christmas shopping tring to get crap shipped to the kids not at home and tring to get the hard to get toys for the ones still at home and thinks dad can get anything they ask for (or Santa depending on if they know who actually buys the stuff) .
Now to answer some of the questions. The p" to long. Its all original parts except for the axel and the axel sleeve which appear to be the correct sizes because I compared them with the original ones and measured them with a vernier caliper .i have done this many , many , times before which is one of the things that makes asking this kinda embarrassing, although this is only the second time with this bike and the first time with all the redone parts on. ie. rebuilt hub and freshly powdered frame and hub . I have not been able to get photos downloaded onto this web site. But I have a friend who's coming over on Tuesday that can help me in that dept. if I haven't figured out how to show pictures by then. And beings I've tried to do it a number of times during the last year without being successful , I'm probably going to have to wait until Tuesday when my buddy gets here. I am currently disassembling everything right now to make sure the shoes and backing plate fit properly. Everything else looks correct. So I will get back to you all on Monday or tuesday, when I can get you some pictures. Oh yea I almost forgot the rear fender is off the bike. Thankyou once again

[Lonnie]

If you have the full factory fender and don't want to raise the flip section, you will end up saying bad words that your children should not hear. But, unless you have a chopper-style fender like Hollywood's you will have to install it first unless you are a contortionist with small hands. In regard to the powdercoating, I had a '50 that was also on the low end tolerance-wise. I had to scrape off the powdercoating in order to get everything to fit. It was a big PIA without the powdercoat but impossible with it.

It may be a good idea, which is perhaps what you are doing, to trial fit everything before removing the parts to install the fender. I learned that from watching the Teutels on TV.

Good luck.

[poorbiker]

The Tuetels, now thats funny....
I would remove some of the powder. I almost always have to pull out on one of the axle plates to slide in the spacer, dont see that as to big a deal. Nice looking bike though.

[Sidehacker]

Ok guys here it is, first off where ever the powder interferes with moving parts I tape it before powdering or I remove it when I miss something. Powder is a great coating to work with if,like everything else you prepare the surface properly before powdering. Also my partner who does the actual surface preparation and spraying does a lot of work trying to match an antique paint look, where as most powder coater do not so I am very particular about how it's sprayed. Anyways I was sure this was not the problem, but I double checked anyways. And yes this is my first trial fitting making sure there is nothing I left out. The day I was rebuilding my hubs trueing my wheels and making sure my brakes were all put together correctly my thirteen month older brother( who I put together a 56 KHK for) was visiting and helping with some of the heavy lifting as I have a spinal cord injury, I can still walk and ride but my walking stance is not nearly as pretty as when I was young and I can't lift very much for very long. Well in his words he wants to keep me on my toes and not let me feel sorry for myself, so how he does this is to **** with me on a regular basis and we are both pushing sixty although he's an old ass cause hell be there thirteen months before I will lol. Haha anyways he slipped a couple of cardboard washers between the axel sleeve and the wheel hub and that is what was causing the interference fit. I removed them and everything went together in the usual awkward manor. I really appreciate everyone trying to help. I am always surprised with how many people try to help keeping these old treasures running. Whoever is a younger brother out there and knows of what I am talking about thanks . The brother rules are you can't leave any marks you can't kill them or have permanent damage but besides that everything else is legal in causing each other misery in a loving fashion. Sorry for wasting everyone's time. Next time I'll publish his private number. See ya FNA

[Hollywood]

Sidehacker,
My time was not wasted...I actually got something done that's been on the back burner for too long as a result of your post...

Jeff