Viscount restoration

[wonderdog]

I took a chance and ordered a couple of sealed ball bearings and from a company called Bearingboys. Very cheap and nice quality.
Fitted them to the spindle today and pressed the whole lot into the BB shell. Went like a dream and the spindle runs really smoothly.
Cleaned up the forks, new ball bearings and grease and fitted them into the frame, so far so good. Will post a few pics to show the progress.
Thanks for the sealed cartridge link....l will keep that info for future builds

I'm not sure that a sealed unit would fit into the Viscount bottom end ... the seat tube and down tube protrude into the housing space and I think it would compromise the frame's integrity were they were ground down ... popular legend has it that the bottom bracket area is prone to cracking but, as I've said previously, I'm not the power sprinter that might hasten its demise so can't confirm.

 

[woodbutcher]

I'm not sure that a sealed unit would fit into the Viscount bottom end ... the seat tube and down tube protrude into the housing space and I think it would compromise the frame's integrity were they were ground down ... popular legend has it that the bottom bracket area is prone to cracking but, as I've said previously, I'm not the power sprinter that might hasten its demise so can't confirm.

Yep, l agree the bottom bracket seems quite delicate, l can't get over how thin the steel is but hey its survived intact for 40 yrs or there about so they must have got something right when it was built. Perhaps some of these stories of desperate failures in Viscounts were encouraged by envious competitors

 

[woodbutcher]

Today started well enough ......Viscount cleaned and ready to be re assembled as per attached photos.
Spent two or three hours taking chainrings off, cleaning and polishing crank arms and rings, re assembling and fitting to bike.
So what you might say ? Left hand side went easily but when l fitted the right side and tightened the retaining bolt I SNAPPED the bloody thing off inside the spindle.
That was bad enough but the chain rings appear to be bent when l spun the crank arm . What joy and a waste of a morning so back to square one l guess !

 

[biggs682]

Today started well enough ......Viscount cleaned and ready to be re assembled as per attached photos.
Spent two or three hours taking chainrings off, cleaning and polishing crank arms and rings, re assembling and fitting to bike.
So what you might say ? Left hand side went easily but when l fitted the right side and tightened the retaining bolt I SNAPPED the bloody thing off inside the spindle.
That was bad enough but the chain rings appear to be bent when l spun the crank arm . What joy and a waste of a morning so back to square one l guess !

oh dear not a good day then

 

[woodbutcher]

oh dear not a good day then

You could say that so l have decided to have a short break from affairs Viscount and instead have a go at this one

 

[wonderdog]

Today started well enough ......Viscount cleaned and ready to be re assembled as per attached photos.
Spent two or three hours taking chainrings off, cleaning and polishing crank arms and rings, re assembling and fitting to bike.
So what you might say ? Left hand side went easily but when l fitted the right side and tightened the retaining bolt I SNAPPED the bloody thing off inside the spindle.
That was bad enough but the chain rings appear to be bent when l spun the crank arm . What joy and a waste of a morning so back to square one l guess !

You are aware of the joys of Ezi-outs then? How far into the spindle is the break?

 

[woodbutcher]

You are aware of the joys of Ezi-outs then? How far into the spindle is the break?

I would say that three quarters of the thread is buried in the spindle. I might just buy a new spindle , bit of a shame though because l cleaned it up and polished it and it wasn't in bad nick. So yes the joys of Ezi-outing don't appeal much at the moment !

 

[biggs682]

I would say that three quarters of the thread is buried in the spindle. I might just buy a new spindle , bit of a shame though because l cleaned it up and polished it and it wasn't in bad nick. So yes the joys of Ezi-outing don't appeal much at the moment !

Just box the whole bike up and send it back to blighty if you don't want it any more

 

[woodbutcher]

Just box the whole bike up and send it back to blighty if you don't want it any more

Funny you should mention boxing it and blighty bound because l think it will be on the big side of huge for me. However l am determined not to be defeated by the resto. and l want to ride it just to get a feel of how the bike handles, after that who knows.....watch this space !

 

[biggs682]

Funny you should mention boxing it and blighty bound because l think it will be on the big side of huge for me. However l am determined not to be defeated by the resto. and l want to ride it just to get a feel of how the bike handles, after that who knows.....watch this space !

They ride fantastic take it from me

 

[tyred]

They are a great bike to ride. I tour on mine (although as I just got a bare frame I built it with modern wheels, wide range cassette and 50/36 Stronglight chainset and also a dynohub on the front).

I didn't find the BB difficult to work on, I think I paid just €2 each for the bearings in a local engineering shop and about 5,000 miles later I haven't had to touch them.

I'm not sure what type of steel alloys they used but they don't appear to rust. Mine has a lot of chips and it's never corroded over like most frames would do.

 

[stevevw]

I am sorry to say you are not going to just go and buy a new spindle. If you are lucky you may find a s/h one. Also be careful with the bolts I think you will find they are some strange thread pitch. A for now fix would be a threadless BB they can work well or be a total PITA. The bike is well worth the effort they ride so well. Good luck.

 

[wonderdog]

I am sorry to say you are not going to just go and buy a new spindle. If you are lucky you may find a s/h one. Also be careful with the bolts I think you will find they are some strange thread pitch. A for now fix would be a threadless BB they can work well or be a total PITA. The bike is well worth the effort they ride so well. Good luck.

Wood Butcher, I did mention earlier that a Klein spindle will do the job ... like the original, they're 17 mm diameter but don't have the circlip grooves cut into them. One might be able to lock the sealed bearings into place with a grubscrew tapped through the bottom bracket tube.

 

[stevevw]

You are not exactly going to be able to pop in to your local bike shop for a Klein spindle either. There is the Phil Wood replacement but again would have to be a special order from the USA http://www.philwood.com/products/bbpages/spindles.php
I still think a good threadless BB is the easiest route. Velo Orange have a good name and even at £60 would be much less than a Phil spindle. http://freshtripe.co.uk/velo-orange-grand-cru-threadless-bottom-bracket/
Infact I have a threadless BB that I used as an interim on my Pro that you are welcome to for postage.

 

[stevevw]

Just had a thought about your wobble on the chain ring. If the crank is not seated properly on the spindle or the spindle has been abused with a club hammer you may well find that when the spindle or BB had been changed the ring will spin well. If it is the ring that is warped you can normally persuade it back with the use of a large G clamp and a bit of brute force.