Triumphrat

The fork seals on my '96 Trophy have been leaking pretty badly, so it's time to replace.
Does anyone know what size and/or shape the recess is that holds the fork leg retainer inside the lower leg? I have the hex driver for the bottom and I can make up whatever tool I need for the inside, but it would help to know what it looks like in there, since it's impossible to measure down inside the tube.

Thanx,
Neil

ClassiclyMobile

If you are referring to the damper rod, the Haynes manual recommends a 30mm nut on the end of a 14 inch steel bar to hold the rod so the bolt can be unscrewed. Hope this helps.

Thanx.

I tried a 3/4" nut on the end of a bar, but the hex was a bit small and slipped over the points under torque.
I guessed it might be a nice even number like 30mm, so I drew it up on CAD and overlaid various shapes and sizes that I knew I'd find laying around. Not having any metric fasteners (at least not that big), I found a piece of 1" square stock would fit into 4 of the 12 points if I filed off the corners slightly. Being square, it was easier to hold onto (in a vise) while I wrenched on the socket head screw on the other end. It all came apart nicely.
I found a few nicks - probably from stone chips - on the tubes. I polished them out as best I could. I can still feel a slight spot or two, but nothing like it was. With the price of new fork tubes, it's worth a try.

Now I just have to make up a sleeve that I can slide over the tube to press the bushing and seal into place. Hopefully, I'll have it back together this weekend.

Per various recommendations, I'll try a 1-1/2" spacer over the spring to increase preload, and use 20W oil to improve stiffness and handling. Although, I'm sure some of the mushiness was due to the fork oil being low from leaking.

Neil

[ This message was edited by: swampyankee on 2004-07-29 20:53 ]