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Navigator fork oil seal fit

Submitted by nicholas_clarke on Fri, 02/03/2018
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Hi chaps, I am trying to finish off the rebuild of my 1964 Navigator forks and struggling to get the new stainless steel locking ring to tighten all the way down onto the fork sliders. I am using new stainless steel locking rings, fork seals, paper washers and upper bronze bushes all purchased from the NOC spares shop. Measuring them they all seem to be either identical or very close in dimensions to the ones I removed. The bronze bushes slip neatly into place and seem to seat happily in the sliders and although a slight interference fit the seals easily taps down past most of the threaded part of the slider. When I screw the locking rings down the thread is nice and free and tightens down onto the seals but ends up just over 1mm short of the top of the slider. I have been using a 'C' spanner to tighten them down but I am worried about applying too much torque for fear of damaging the threads or it slipping and scratching the new locking rings. Looking at the new seals they have a circa 1mm thick rubber rim on their lower circumference which rests against the paper washer / bronze bush when in place. Does this crush down when you tighten the locking ring or should I trim it off? I have ordered a strap wrench which should allow me to tighten them more with less fear of damage. Has anyone experienced the same problem with the club stainless steel locking rings / seals / top bushes and is this a common problem? If it is can anyone suggest a solution? Many thanks. Nick

Submitted by nicholas_clarke on Fri, 02/03/2018

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Thank you very much for that Dan, spot on, exactly the same problem that I am experiencing! Looking at the pictures on the thread the ones I received from the NOC are identical to the slightly oversize seals with the extra 1mm of rubber on the lower face which he was experiencing problems with and my old seals are the same as his old ones. I have ordered a set of seals from Norvil to see if they are a better fit - luckily they are less than £5 the pair. A close examination of the NOC seals suggests that the extra 1 mm of depth is purely rubber and not part of the metal surround. Once I have got the workshop temperature above freezing I am going to try trimming this off with a Stanley knife and see if the locking rings will tighten down fully. Sounds like I was right to be cautious over not trying to tighten the locking rings too much - poor chap ended up damaging his! I will report back once I know more. Keep safe and warm in this inclement weather! Nick

Submitted by nicholas_clarke on Sun, 11/03/2018

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Well my Roadholder frustrations continue! The new seals from Norvil lack the 1mm rubber rim round the bottom edge being all metal but are the same dimensions. I have carefully measured the new NOC locking rings and top bushes which are almost exactly the same dimensions as the original Norton parts - perhaps a fraction of a mm deeper but impossible to quantify. I have tried trimming the rubber off the NOC sills and grinding down the Norvil seals by 1mm but even using a strap wrench to tighten the locking rings down end up with a slight gap (less than 1mm but still obvious) between the locking ring and the top of the slider! Looking at pictures of Roadholder forks on the internet this seems to be the norm - is this the case or do others manage to close this gap completely? I am loth to trim more off the seal or start grinding down the bronze top bush - surely NOC parts should fit without recourse to that?

Submitted by robert_tuck on Mon, 12/03/2018

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Hi Nick, Without looking at parts or thinking too much!, I would probably use my bench grinder and take a mm off the bottom of the locking ring ,and tidy up with a file. Bodger BOB. PS, I have seen a washer used to fill the gap.

Submitted by dan_field on Mon, 12/03/2018

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Iâll have a look at mine later, but have you tried using your old lock rings and seals to see which is causing the problem?

dan

Submitted by robert_tuck on Mon, 12/03/2018

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Problem will be pattern parts not made to orriginal spec. Bush or seal. Bad quality control . If there was still a production line of new bikes it would have been spotted and faulty parts rejected and returned to supplier. We are now the quality control and we don't have the clout to get it sorted. Also suppliers hope that they can pass off the bad stock to owners who don't realise they have a problem or can't be bothered to send it back.

Submitted by nicholas_clarke on Mon, 12/03/2018

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I've tried every combination of seal, locking ring and top bush - careful measuring suggests that all the new components are fractionally too big by about 1/2" so the cumulative effect is a gap of 1.5mm. I have ground the seals down which is a vast improvement with a gap of 0.5mm and I may do the same with the locking rings or top bushes but want to avoid too much bodging! Sadly I suspect you are right - it is a Quality Control issue with pattern parts - disappointing but too common!

 



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