Rear axle 1978 Sting-Ray BX

[Cul-de-sac Hero!]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I will spray it and retry every day this week and see what happens.

HAPPY FRIDAY FORUM MEMBERS!

Today the nut did not budge. I heated and quenched it three times. No movement. The nut is so small, this cannot possibly be corrosion. So forget the week-long trek.

If the axle is damaged beyond repair anyways, hack saw it off near the jam nut, center punch, and drill with a step drill until the nut falls off.

I would not know of damage other than the stripped end. But, with the other methods failing, I followed this advice, cutting the axle and using a regular drill bit to drill the axle and nut. With the nut off, the expander rotated right off. So the end of the axle was bent from all of those fun cement cul-de-sac crashes as a kid. The axle assembly is apart, serial plate and expander unharmed!

I ordered NOS axle nuts and BB_15 jam nuts. How do I spec the clearance? I read in Bendix instructions that the square end of the expander should be 1-1/8" from the axle tip. I am reading generic advice that a BMX & coaster brake bike should measure 110mm between the outsides axle nuts. Is this valid for my Sting-Ray BX?

There were two jam nuts together. The bike had never been worked on except one tire replacement. Did the tire guy see a problem with the bent axle and decided to add the space of an additional nut? Or that came from the factory? Seeing one nut in the Bendix build but two on the bike, I think I should include only one.

I am unemployed, highly stressed, and riding this too-small childhood bike around the neighborhood for some exercise, fun, and relief. So that joy that some of you pro techs get with restoration and builds and such...this is even more important to me. Note that my gratefulness for advice that is second nature to you is huge. Thank you.

 

[WillWork4Parts]

Here are some service bulletins that address CPSC requirements starting in 1976.

I want to say I have an illustration of the washers on a rear hub, but can't find them at the moment. If I do, I will post them. Can't remember if it was just one washer on each side or two inside the frame.

I'm pretty sure the locknut was the same thickness as the washers. I believe the extra nut was just another way to satisfy this requirement. It would be easier to take on and off without jumbling up what side of the frame the washers went on.

My main takeaway would be to reinstall the wheel with enough washers(or locknuts) between the frame to keep the wheel centered without side to side play and to not interfere with the install...aka make sure that you dont need to spread the frame every time you reinstall the wheel. The amount of axle protrusion was reduced so that the rowdy BMX kids didn't have axle sized gouges in their bodies after wrecking and landing on the bike or having the bike land on them. I welcomed the battle scars....but maybe I don't have any axle holes in me because I rode bikes made after requirements were reinforced.

This may be an interesting read, or not...
It seems as though enough Dealers saw these CPSC requirements as "Mickey Mouse" or cheesey...enough to warrant a letter about how serious they were. Lol

So long as you aren't jumping boards on cinder blocks in the streets, I wouldn't sweat the small stuff, the same way the dealers initially felt about washers and axle protrusion.

 

[Cul-de-sac Hero!]

My main takeaway would be to reinstall the wheel with enough washers(or locknuts) between the frame to keep the wheel centered without side to side play and to not interfere with the install...aka make sure that you dont need to spread the frame every time you reinstall the wheel...So long as you aren't jumping boards on cinder blocks in the streets, I wouldn't sweat the small stuff, the same way the dealers initially felt about washers and axle protrusion.

THANKS! I will repeat exactly what I was given, knowing that the wheel slips in and out easily.

This is crazy stuff! So, there was a significant worry that a biker, who had flown through the air and landed on concrete or such, might get a stab wound from the....axle tip?

One side had almost zero axle protrusion and the other side had significant protrusion. Ignorant, I wondered do I reassemble this to center that? Then I figure, accessories may have gone on one side. And then I found the brake side spec, so I will follow that. Now I learn there are government stabbing regulations as well.

What a rabbit hole that I would not have imagined.

 

[Archie Sturmer]

For the question of how far to thread the left side cone & expander, (and then to lock it in that place with the thin jam nut), on a replacement axle, what I usually do is a dry-fit of the contributing parts and then measure the distance at both ends.
Make any adjustments and re-measure.

The dry fitting should include any planned use of additional flat washers, such as underneath the thin left side locking nut, (just like Shimano does).

 

[Cul-de-sac Hero!]

coasterbrakejunkie1969 thank you for your kind message! I am unable to reply. Per instructions that I found, I submitted an email request to [email protected] to be able to message. I have not heard anything.

I will soon have the jam nuts and axle nuts. Should I need another part I will post it here in the thread first. Thank you very much.

 

[Cul-de-sac Hero!]

The rear hub is back together. I had to assemble it a couple of times. Once, it was turning tension free. I flipped the bike, got on it, hit the brake, and it bound slightly. The correct tension of the parts, rotating the sprocket in the drive direction for attachment of the brake, getting this dead on is somewhat of an art for a noob.

The one squeak is gone and now that I know the score, that was probably produced on rotation from the bend in the axle. Also, I thought I was merely out of shape but pedaling was more taxing than expected. All of a sudden the bike is coasting freely and the effort is a lot less. Simple things which I did not think about other than "maybe the bike's first hub maintenance will stop that squeak."

These smoking hot and humid days are not good for even being outside let alone riding. It was early in the morning that I finished, and I had a fun ride, but quickly got drenched in sweat. Oh well, July here we come...

Thanks everyone! I do think when I get a job I may get a 24" or 26" BMX bike, perhaps even have it custom made for me. For now I can continue to enjoy some brief riding on my favorite toy.