Chrome Swingarm install on softail
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Tourer
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Chrome Swingarm install on softail
I will be installing a chrome swingarm on my deluxe next week. I was going through my service manual and it talks about a snapon adapter needed to remove the shock nut/bolt..Is this adapter actually needed or does it just make things easier. Usually one can get by with something else. I'm not a home so I can't take a look at the situation...Thanks for your help.....
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From: Atlanta
RE: Chrome Swingarm install on softail
You should only have to remove the rear shock bolts, but here is part of an article on lowering a Deuce, this part you might find helpful.
So let's get to the installation. It's as straight forward as a tech can be, but it's time consuming. First, stand the bike straight up and jack up the body of the frame. Keep in mind as you do this that the jack should be toward the front of the frame enough to allow you access to the nuts holding the front of the shocks in place. Jack up the bike enough so there's no tension on the shocks, which can be tricky. My rule of thumb is to raise the frame until the rear wheel is off the lift or pavement, then slip a sheet of paper under the tread. Lower the bike until you can't pull out the paper and you should be close. Now undo the two bolts on the bow end of the shocks, which will require digging through the tool drawer to find just the right 3/4 open/box end wrench. The bolts are on tighter than **** and have right-hand threads. (I point this out because these bastards were so tight I thought for awhile that I was going in the wrong direction.) I used a brass mallet against a box end wrench on one side and a 3-foot section of 2-by-4 board wedged against the wrench on the other side to break them loose. The factory pointed out that Snap-on tools makes an adapter, Part No. SRES 24, that can access the bolts. Once loose, the tedium begins with short strokes of the wrench unless you have the costly Snap-on part.
If you have to fight to turn the bolts as you back them out, adjust your jack to relieve the pressure. This will prevent damage to the threads as the bolt exits the frame. (The problem is sometimes caused by not spinning off the bolts on the front of the shock enough to relieve the pressure.)
Here is a link to the article.
http://www.bikernet.com/harleydavids...duecetech1.asp
Hope it helps
So let's get to the installation. It's as straight forward as a tech can be, but it's time consuming. First, stand the bike straight up and jack up the body of the frame. Keep in mind as you do this that the jack should be toward the front of the frame enough to allow you access to the nuts holding the front of the shocks in place. Jack up the bike enough so there's no tension on the shocks, which can be tricky. My rule of thumb is to raise the frame until the rear wheel is off the lift or pavement, then slip a sheet of paper under the tread. Lower the bike until you can't pull out the paper and you should be close. Now undo the two bolts on the bow end of the shocks, which will require digging through the tool drawer to find just the right 3/4 open/box end wrench. The bolts are on tighter than **** and have right-hand threads. (I point this out because these bastards were so tight I thought for awhile that I was going in the wrong direction.) I used a brass mallet against a box end wrench on one side and a 3-foot section of 2-by-4 board wedged against the wrench on the other side to break them loose. The factory pointed out that Snap-on tools makes an adapter, Part No. SRES 24, that can access the bolts. Once loose, the tedium begins with short strokes of the wrench unless you have the costly Snap-on part.
If you have to fight to turn the bolts as you back them out, adjust your jack to relieve the pressure. This will prevent damage to the threads as the bolt exits the frame. (The problem is sometimes caused by not spinning off the bolts on the front of the shock enough to relieve the pressure.)
Here is a link to the article.
http://www.bikernet.com/harleydavids...duecetech1.asp
Hope it helps
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Tourer
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RE: Chrome Swingarm install on softail
Well I got it finished tonight. Took about 4 hours. Everything went well with the excpetion of the following.....
Had to off V&H big shot longs to slide out swing arm bolt.
Got away without using that snapon adapter for the shocks by using a ratcheting wrench. It worked well and it didn't take forever to take them out or put back in.
The worst part was getting the bearings out of the old swingarm. The clips that hold them in were a bear to get off. Then I had to knock out the bearings using a 1" socket. After I reformed the clips I pressed the bearings into the new swingarm using a vice....
The look is great and the price from Chicago 460.00 wasn't too bad...I'll post some pictures this weekend......
Had to off V&H big shot longs to slide out swing arm bolt.
Got away without using that snapon adapter for the shocks by using a ratcheting wrench. It worked well and it didn't take forever to take them out or put back in.
The worst part was getting the bearings out of the old swingarm. The clips that hold them in were a bear to get off. Then I had to knock out the bearings using a 1" socket. After I reformed the clips I pressed the bearings into the new swingarm using a vice....
The look is great and the price from Chicago 460.00 wasn't too bad...I'll post some pictures this weekend......
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RE: Chrome Swingarm install on softail
Bill- Getting ready to do the same switch. How did you get the clips off? What other advice can you give me? I have ratcheting wrenches. Did you use straight or offset? I have straight. One more thing...PICTURES!! Thanks for any help/advice you can give me.
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Tourer
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RE: Chrome Swingarm install on softail
All I had was a small pair of snap ring pliers which will not work on the size clips that hold the bearings in...If I was going to do it again, I would buy two new clips so I wouldn't have to hammer them back into shape...I'm sure they are cheap....I had to use a small flat head and a hammer to get underneath them, then worked my way around until they finally came out. I used a strait racheting wrench.. The only thing I ran into using it was on the right shock. You can only back it out so far until it gets too close to the frame to get the wrench off the bolt. I had to use another wrench to turn it back in a coupe of turns to get the box end off of it...sheesh...Anyway I used the open end to get it the rest of the way out.....If you can use a vice to press the bearing out and in if you have one....Here's a pic...Good Luck I'll try to post a pic tonight....
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I am up against two sieze or frozen pivot bolts trying to get the swing arm off my 91 FXSTC. Along the coast we get a lot of corrosion - salt air- Anyone have an solutions? I used a 4' breaker extention to no avail. Penetrating oil soaking tonite, maybe a air ratchet wrench??? thanks
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