I got to this job today and all in all it was a success and I think it came out great. I gotta say CWC made a fine quality product using good materials that stands up to time and abuse. And it is remarkably still malleable and machinable!
Notes:
Fairly certain now the shoot for number on steering tube length is approx 6 5/16 to 6 3/8". This is important because if it is too short there will not enough room for the truss plate stack and top nut engagement. If too long there is a risk of the top nut bottoming without exerting clamping pressure. Good news is this length works for many bikes with 5" headtubes.
I made some calculations and I went with a 7/8" truss rod section to achieve the desired 8 1/8" men's length. I did this because the threads are originally rolled not cut with a die. The diameter of the threads is .024" larger than the diameter of the rod. You won't get a good result simply running a die down these. I learned this from experience ruining a pair of ladies Shelby truss rods a couple years ago. In any case to follow this out I made a small v shaped piece out of .012 shim stock to use as a step up in the v block for the rod end to rest and lined it up on center with the threaded end to tig.
If anyone out in Cabeland needs a similar mod done to their fork please feel free to PM or call to discuss.
And this one is now for sale here:
New work! 1940 CWC Shockmaster fork complete as shown with 6 5/16" men's steering tube length, ready to install! Precisely adapted from a low milage un- abused og paint ladies length fork! Steering tube was re threaded to exact men's depth and trimmed to length for standard men's 5" headtube...
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