# Really stuck handlebar stem



## bentpedal (Aug 16, 2010)

I am unable to get the stem out of the head tube. It's a 52 Schwinn with a springer fork. There's very little rust on the chrome or paint. It's not the binder bolt wedge nut, I finally got that free. Although the top of the wedge bolt might of broke off & is still stuck. I'm down to just the frame & fork. I've used a 1ft 6" long piece of "all thread" & 4 nuts & 4 washers to act as a stabilizer/hub for the fork ends. I've taken the bars off so as not to bend them & replaced them with a 6" long piece of threaded pipe & screwed giant nuts on and up to the sides of the stem to stabilize that.  I've put penetrating- SiliKroil and Rust Buster fluid down the head tube, turned the bike upside down & squirted some in the hole under the fork crown. I've done this over a period of days. I've used a heat gun too.  The stem was pushed as far down as it will go so I even used a hacksaw to score the underside of the stem extension where it starts curving out so I had just enough of a gap to loosen the lock nut a fraction. I've also used a rubber mallot & beat on the bottom of the stem to try and Jar it loose. Rather than risking damaging the fork, I think it makes most sense to cut the neck off so at least I can pull the fork off and find another way to get it out. Anyone have suggestions or methods? 
Thanks.


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## bikeriderx (Aug 17, 2010)

I feel your pain brother! Here's what I did to free a stuck stem on my '56 Schwinn American: First I used 'PB Blaster' as my penetrating oil. (Not shilling...It's just one good product of many...) I sprayed it from top and bottom, like you, turning the bike upside down, until the stuff dripped out, for several days. Periodically beating on the stem with a plastic dead blow hammer. Now here's the intense part: I already had the front wheel off...So then I took a 2x4 and put it between the fork lags and braced it against the frame so that the fork couldn't turn. Then I put an iron bar in the handlebar clamp (be sure to screw the clamp screw closed to improve leverage) and then took a 3' pipe to use as a breaker bar and slid that onto the iron bar...Now, turning the forks until they stopped against the 2x4, I began to twist that stem with the breaker bar one way and then the other way, re-positioning the 2x4...And I REALLY had to lean on it! I worked that stem back and forth until it finally broke loose!! After it broke loose I beat it out by hammering up on the underside of the handlebar clamp with my dead blow hammer. Be sure to position the 2x4 right up to the fork crown and pay attention so as not to tweak the fork. Good luck!!


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## Strings-n-Spokes (Aug 17, 2010)

I took the handle bars off of my last bike with a stuck gooseneck then secured the gooseneck itself in the vise.  a few turns of the fork loosened everything up. Its all about the leverage.  securing the forks or the wheel( if still attached doesn't do it, but immobilizing the  gooseneck did the trick.  Also have you taken a long stembolt put it in the gooseneck  to make sure the wedge/nut dropped down you gotta pop them down with a hammer sometimes if they are rusted in place.  Let us know how it goes.


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## bentpedal (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks, Nice Job. yeah sometimes a screwdriver, a pair of pliers & a can of W D40 just doesn't get it done, does it? LOL! The 2x4's sound like a good is way to keep the fork from turning. On the Schwinn springer fork, the fork crown is just that sleeve that holds the horizontal pivot bolt. I am just not sure how much torsion that & the bolt can take. Replacing a springer fork is kinda spendy. I'm sorry for your toil, but I'm happy to know I'm not the only one attacking this problem using the same kinda logic. I'm going to try the 2x4's & give it some more time & effort & see what happens. Thanks for the advice.


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## ridingtoy (Aug 17, 2010)

Thanks for this thread and tips! My 24" 1950s AMF Shelby Flying Cloud has a similar problem. The binder bolt was missing completely when I bought it, so I have no idea what's holding the gooseneck in so tight. I've tried pounding the undersides of the handle bar with a rubber mallet while using penetrating oil around the gooseneck and in the binder bolt hole. My fear is that someone did something really dumb like gunk some super epoxy adhesive in there before setting the gooseneck in, instead of going to a bike shop and getting a replacement binder bolt.

Dave


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## bentpedal (Aug 18, 2010)

Just thought I would share some tips I got from a bike shop owner/mechanic. An old guy who actually knows about old bikes.& has faced some stuck parts problems over the years.  Put a cork in your stem tube hole. Turning the bike upside down, then heating up the head tube with a torch or heat gun, either of witch could/would toast your paint  and the pour ice water in through the bottom of the fork., The old temperature differential trick. Another, filling it up with Coke. The other more scary one is using a mixture of automatic transmission fluid and Acetone. They don't mix well & you have to keep shaking it up- wiggling the bike etc. Very caustic stuff and not something to get on yourself. The problem with that is even though if something is rusted enough- it is as good as "welded" there is probably a gap between the stem and the inside wall of the steerer tube somewhere and any type of fluid would overflow from the inside of the plugged stem and run down and out the head tube. You could use water to do a test. I think an experiment with the acetone & transmission fluid combo would be good to try on some other pieces of metal before pouring it down a steerer tube though.


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## bikeriderx (Aug 19, 2010)

bentpedal said:


> The other more scary one is using a mixture of automatic transmission fluid and Acetone. They don't mix well & you have to keep shaking it up- wiggling the bike etc. Very caustic stuff and not something to get on yourself.



Yikes! :eek: I think I'll stick with the PB Blaster and a breaker bar!


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## JLarkin (Aug 19, 2010)

White vinegar will help loosen corroded metal-to-metal surfaces also.  Cheap as it gets and safe.


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## Gordon (Aug 19, 2010)

When I have exhausted all other methods, I just give up and cut the crook off the stem so I can get the fork out. Then I have a fork with a stub of stem sticking out. I heat the whole works red hot with a torch and then plunge it into cold water. Usually only have to do it once and the stub will turn out with a pipe wrench.


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## bentpedal (Aug 19, 2010)

I'll remember that. Sounds better that taking the fork with the stem stub to a machinist & having him cut a gap down the length of the stem witch is what I thought I might have to do. I was just about ready to cut the crook off but decided I'd give it one more shot with the leverage bar. I heard that creak! yeah! it's loose, I could get it to move an 8th of an inch. After much toil I could only get it to move back & forth less than a half inch, much less up & out. I just figured I'd put the bars back in, turn it enough to center it up & leave it and get some different style handle bars. I was trying to muscle it back toward the center & it finally started turning from side to side & eventually I got it out.....I looked at it and it seemed there was no rust on it whatsoever. After running my fingernail up and down, I felt some small bumps. I looked at it under a magnifying glass and it seems there are some little pockets of rust under the surface of the chrome, -moisture gets under chrome, rust expands, pushes chrome against tube. There was know where for it to "flake to" and the rust dissolving fluids couldn't penetrate the chrome. Hope I remember to sand the  bumps off before I push it back in. Then all I had to do was screw a bolt into the underside of the wedge nut, using the hole in the bottom of the fork and pound the bolt with a mallet to push the nut out the top. I'm happy.


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## bikeriderx (Aug 20, 2010)

bentpedal said:


> I was just about ready to cut the crook off but decided I'd give it one more shot with the leverage bar. I heard that creak! yeah! it's loose...I was trying to muscle it back toward the center & it finally started turning from side to side & eventually I got it out.....I'm happy.



Right on!!! Yea leverage!! Some grease on that stem & wedge wouldn't hurt either...


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## ratdaddy (Aug 20, 2010)

we just use a air hammer we bought at home depot for 15.00 it has a hammer bit for it.alittle pb blaster and a few hits has gotten out the worst stems ive seen.


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## bikeriderx (Aug 21, 2010)

ratdaddy said:


> we just use a air hammer we bought at home depot for 15.00 it has a hammer bit for it.alittle pb blaster and a few hits has gotten out the worst stems ive seen.




Yea air hammer!!


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## bentpedal (Aug 21, 2010)

ratdaddy said:


> we just use a air hammer we bought at home depot for 15.00 it has a hammer bit for it.alittle pb blaster and a few hits has gotten out the worst stems ive seen.




By air hammer, do you mean a pneumatic tool that you run off an air compressor?  Is there a brand name?  I have my stem out now, but could you explain a little bit more as to how you used it. There seems to be plenty of stuck stems out there. And where can I buy pb blaster? Thanks.


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## ratdaddy (Aug 22, 2010)

yea iam the plumming pro at home depot,plus we build ratrod fords.harleys and most of all vintage bikes.you can get the pb blaster at home depot or most any auto parts store.its the best deruster ive seen.i mean we tear down motors thats been sitting in the rain for 40+ years.yea it a pneumatic hammer.its 15.00 and a bit set is 13.00.it comes with darn good little spike bit as well as a hammer end and 2 different metal shears.and its adjustable for the amount of power you need.just flip that bike over and put that hammer head on the bottom of the stem where the handlebars go thru and watch it just come right out.of course soak it down with the pb first.just look in the air tools at your local depot.


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## Bikephreak (Aug 22, 2010)

Just to add another approach... A couple of years ago when working in the bike shop, I had to remove a stuck stem out of a very fine vintage English road bike. I ended up having to cut the stem off above the headset (after days of soaking, etc.). Then I took a saw blade that would fit inside of the stem remnant & very slowly and carefully incised the wall of the stem. Once it was basically cut through, just a squeeze on the top that protruded and the remains of the stem bifurcated & came right out. One must be very careful as to not cut into the steerer tube. The brute force method can damage the fork. Always use caution. Congratulations on getting it fixed!


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## bentpedal (Aug 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the input folks. this has been a great thread. I've learned allot & I'm sure it will help other people as well.


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