Has anyone any experience in replacing the 5 rubber dampers that are pressed into the rear wheel ? I want to get the wheels powder coated but the shop told me I had to remove the dampers first as they dip the wheels in a acid solution at 200 degrees and it would melt them. I tried hammering with a drift- did not budge. I then tried pulling them out with a threaded bar, this just pulled the center collar out and left the outer diameter and rubber in place. Any help appreciated.
When mine were removed for powder coating most came out using heat and a Blind Bearing Puller. One stubborn one had to have the rubber drilled until the inner could be removed, the outer was sawn with a hack saw blade until it could be collapsed with a cold chisel. There are YouTube videos showing how.
Wish they all came out like that ; ) have done a few sets over the years and every one's been a pig ! I've always drilled and cut out the rubber bit then cut through the steel ring with a hacksaw blade, just take care you don't damage the wheel with the blade...
If you use the threaded rod method, the washer at the back of the rubber needs to be as large as possible (yes, I know the hole in the wheel restricts the size).........however, take a look at this which I found when I removed the cush drives from one of my wheels......it seems some previous owner had a spot of bother too. I ended up junking the wheel because I found the bearings had been spinning in the housing and had seriously mis-shaped the housing....
Yep, utter nightmare. Mine wouldn't shift until we lit the wheel up with oxyacetalene, then wedged a bar inside to "spin" them loose and drag them out. Still two wouldn't come and had to be hacked out. And yes, I recognise that modification AL Mick..
Thanks to Chrisw, I watched the video and was a bit sceptical . Gave it a try and all 6 popped out easily ! Well chuffed as I had resigned myself to drill and hacksaw the fu¥¥ers. If you try, make sure the puller is at the max diameter, keep it under load when you apply the heat and be patient, it takes about 3-5 mins before the heat soaks in and expands the bore enough to release the bush.
