62 Corvette Assembly

[Chris]

I don't know if we should start from scratch or not, this is where I mentioned to pre-tension the jockey wheel cage. If the tension spring was unhooked when the derailleur was removed then the cage would spin around freely. When reinstalling, it has to be what I call pre-tensioned or in the correct position or the tension spring won't work properly.

1. Remove the chain from the derailleur.
2. Unscrew the limiting screw that's on the face of the derailleur housing so it lets the cage retract fully so that you can rotate the wheel cage without it hitting the freewheel.
3. Unhook the tension spring from the lug.
4. Rotate the jockey cage counter clockwise letting the lug grab the spring hook.
5. Keep rotating until the bottom wheel is at the bottom and hold it there while you lace the chain back thru the derailleur.
6. With the chain in position you can let go of the jockey cage and it should have plenty of tension.
7. At this point the tension spring will most like be in the top lug and I usually reposition the spring to the bottom lug being the weakest tension. I do the tension adjustment later while setting up the derailleur.

I suck at typing instructions so I do not endorse this post.

That fixed the derailleur tension issue, but I had to remove the derailleur from the hanger to clear the freewheel while turning the jockey change. I held the derailleur in the increaded tension position, threaded the chain through the derailleur then reattached the derailleur and released. The slack in the chain is now taken care of by the derailleur tension. Couple of concerns:
1) Is it ok that the chain rubs/touches the inside of the jockey cage? From the attached picture you may be able to see that the chain is rubbing against the top inner jockey cage and the lower inner jockey cage when exiting.
2) What is the shifter lever position when the chain is on the smallest gear, position 5 as shown, lever all the way forward? If the lever is pulled backwards to 1, the derailleur expands to move the chain under the largest gear on the inside.

 

[GTs58]

In this shot I can see that the bottom wheel races are real lose and ready to fall out with little balls lost. Yikes! These basically have the same set up as front wheel bearings. There are tiny balls on races and they can be adjusted like the bearing cones on your front wheel. Adjust to were the races are tight but the wheel spins free. Keep the adjusted position while attaching to the jockey cage. There is usually little or no wobble slop on these wheels and the chain should never touch the cage. And keep these oiled. The derailleur should also be in a perfect plane with the gear cluster, not angled or twisted. Not sure where you're at here, but the jockey wheels can be removed with the derailleur on the bike but it can be a real PITA. Both jockey wheels should be checked, cleaned/lube and adjusted and centered in the cage.

The gear numbered decal is not used as an actual position placement for the lever. There is a forward stop for the shifter lever and that's were I set the lever when running the cable, and with the derailleur relaxed in 5th gear and limit screw backed out. Not sure if that's the way everyone does it but it works for me.
Please cover up the chain stay when messing with the drive train, I'd hate to see that new paint chipped up.

 

[Chris]

In this shot I can see that the bottom wheel races are real lose and ready to fall out with little balls lost. Yikes! These basically have the same set up as front wheel bearings. There are tiny balls on races and they can be adjusted like the bearing cones on your front wheel. Adjust to were the races are tight but the wheel spins free. Keep the adjusted position while attaching to the jockey cage. There is usually little or no wobble slop on these wheels and the chain should never touch the cage. And keep these oiled. The derailleur should also be in a perfect plane with the gear cluster, not angled or twisted. Not sure where you're at here, but the jockey wheels can be removed with the derailleur on the bike but it can be a real PITA. Both jockey wheels should be checked, cleaned/lube and adjusted and centered in the cage.

The gear numbered decal is not used as an actual position placement for the lever. There is a forward stop for the shifter lever and that's were I set the lever when running the cable, and with the derailleur relaxed in 5th gear and limit screw backed out. Not sure if that's the way everyone does it but it works for me.
Please cover up the chain stay when messing with the drive train, I'd hate to see that new paint chipped up.

View attachment 1276095

I changed out the lower jockey wheel and positioned the derailleur under the smallest gear with the adjustment screw. Turning the crank forward, the chain goes around and through the derailleur fine (although it’s close to the inside of the jockey cages). When the crank is turned counterclockwise, the chain comes off the front sprocket. Does this mean there is too much chain and I need to remove a link and try again?

 

[GTs58]

There shouldn't be any chain problems when back pedaling. From your picture it looks like the derailleur is tweaked just a little. It's twisted, not in plane with the gear cluster. The chain is real close to the inside cage on the bottom wheel in the front and then real close to the outside cage in the back. So the derailleur needs to be adjusted inward at the front, outward in the back. Doesn't look like it needs very much though.
The Jockey wheel cage should be in the same plane an perfectly vertical with the gear cluster. To adjust the twist, get a 12" or larger adjustable wrench and tighten it up on the main housing near the bottom. Support the wrench end with the palm of your right hand and pull the wrench to the front of the bike with left hand twisting the housing inward at the front. Piece of cake! I hope you don't have to make any in/out adjustments for vertical position!

 

[Chris]

There shouldn't be any chain problems when back pedaling. From your picture it looks like the derailleur is tweaked just a little. It's twisted, not in plane with the gear cluster. The chain is real close to the inside cage on the bottom wheel in the front and then real close to the outside cage in the back. So the derailleur needs to be adjusted inward at the front, outward in the back. Doesn't look like it needs very much though.
The Jockey wheel cage should be in the same plane an perfectly vertical with the gear cluster. To adjust the twist, get a 12" or larger adjustable wrench and tighten it up on the main housing near the bottom. Support the wrench end with the palm of your right hand and pull the wrench to the front of the bike with left hand twisting the housing inward at the front. Piece of cake! I hope you don't have to make any in/out adjustments for vertical position!

Fixed the derailleur, chain no longer touching inner sections of the jockey cage. The chain was still coming off however, so I hauled the bike into the local bike shop, and they fixed it. Old chain had stiff links that was causing the chain to come off. After some adjustments and a new chain, the derailleur goes through all gears with smooth action and the chain stays on.

I also fixed the kickstand issue, found my original Corvette kickstand, cleaned it up with steel wool and put it on. Stance now with kickstand down is good, before and after with old kickstand attached.

 

[Chris]

Assembly complete! Here are a few pictures, the last couple are with the “new to 62” deluxe rear rack installed. I’ll have to get replacement fenders at some point, the stainless steel ones for 62 with chrome braces are hard to find, and the width changed after 62...not helpful. Thanks everyone for the education along the way, especially @GTs58!

 

[Goldenrod]

Glad I didn’t pull my fenders yet, turns out the fender purchase I mentioned was a scam, looks to have been going on for a while on the site, I didn’t know as I don’t read all areas of the site, especially the “Forum Issues” section...but there it is, the long thread of members getting scammed by a guy who establishes a new account, trolls the Wanted adds, then sends members a PM referring a second person as someone who has what they need. I got taken, feel stupid, won’t happen twice. That new member now shows as “Suspended”, but shows he is actively trolling the parts section of the site. Oh well, guess I’ll learn to live with my dented fenders and file dispute with PayPal.

 

[Chris]

@Goldenrod, Looks like your post/reply changed, you originally posted “what about a good fender roll”? I reached out to Smoopys who rolls fenders, but they said they outsource the work to Bicycle Bones. I sent him a message about doing mine but never heard back. I’ll have to circle back at some point and find another person who rolls fenders. I have a couple other bike projects waiting, so I’m letting this one sit for a while, fenders aren’t as good as the rest of the bike but they are not horrible.

 

[Rivnut]

@Chris, check out 10 18 Kustoms (use Google to find the web address.) Under "restoration and gallery," he advertises rolling fenders $15 each, $25 for a pair. I know this price is for fenders without braces. You pay freight both ways. I've used him before and I've been very pleased. He did both of the fenders in this picture. They were a mess when I got them; looked like a kid took a ball-pein hammer to them.