Hey all.The spacer that comes for the rear mount does not fit against the seat tube on my bike,would it be possible to "shim" it down make it a little wider so that it will fit? I don't have any machinery tools of the sort just the basic hand tools drill etc. Any options out there would be great! Thanks
Spacer for rear mount question
- Thread starter AaronF
- Start date
are you saying your seat tube is wider than the clamp?
if that's the case, then yeah, you can grind out the mount to fit. if you've got a drill, you can find grinding bits at any hardware store.
if that's the case, then yeah, you can grind out the mount to fit. if you've got a drill, you can find grinding bits at any hardware store.
The clamp that goes behind the seat tube fits around it perfectly,the spacer that goes over the rear engine studs does not fit because the frame tubing is a little wider than the center of the spacer.On the spacer,there is very little room to shear or grind off so making it even harder to do so.
Picture at the bottom if your not sure what I'm talking about..Thanks again
Picture at the bottom if your not sure what I'm talking about..Thanks again
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here's the big question; do the studs on the engine fit around the seat tube? if they don't, then you'll have to find or make a custom bracket. search around this site, there's plenty of options.
if they do, you should still be able to grind away at the sides of the mount to make it fit.
if they do, you should still be able to grind away at the sides of the mount to make it fit.
Yes the studs fit right around the frame but for some reason the spacer will not even fit close around the frame.Believe me I've looked through this forum many i mean many times (lol) for different motor mounting options there is a few that fit to my needs but lacking the tools an not knowing anyone that has the tools to customize mounts is getting on my nerves!
Since i joined the forum,its been quite a addictive daily checking routine for me!I noticed that Manic Mechanic finished his mounting kits and are for sale but i don't see them on his website? Thanks Bairdco!
Since i joined the forum,its been quite a addictive daily checking routine for me!I noticed that Manic Mechanic finished his mounting kits and are for sale but i don't see them on his website? Thanks Bairdco!
Yep - I had that exact same problem 
Nuthin' a lil dremel time wont fix - grind away! Just be sure to keep it a nicely rounded shape, any flat spots or out-of-round could dent yer seat post a lil under torque.
Nuthin' a lil dremel time wont fix - grind away! Just be sure to keep it a nicely rounded shape, any flat spots or out-of-round could dent yer seat post a lil under torque.
Alternately you can fill the gap with an epoxy product like PC-7 or any epoxy "steel" mix. Not JB Weld, it's too thin.
Mix the putty and put a large gob in the space, with a piece of aluminum (like a soda can) Between the putty and the tube. Put the clamp piece on and tighten just enough to start mashing the putty out and then let it cure until hard, and finish tightening.
No tools required.
Mix the putty and put a large gob in the space, with a piece of aluminum (like a soda can) Between the putty and the tube. Put the clamp piece on and tighten just enough to start mashing the putty out and then let it cure until hard, and finish tightening.
No tools required.
I used a barrel sander in a drill press to open up and work the rear mount for a perfect fit to the seat tube, and a more level install. Maybe 3-5 degrees carb tilt on a Point Beach.
Please don't laugh at me..Well today for about two hours I tried hand sanding down the spacer to a proper fit,it removed some but not much.Next i got the drill out and started using a few different drill bits to act as a grinder after bout an hour of "drill grinding" i got the spacer cut down just a little but it still does not fit around the seat tube! I appreciate the ideas Joe,I'd still rather have a proper fit from using just the spacer itself if i can get the darn thing to fit.
Sorry for asking,is there a actual drill bit to grind things down with? What would you recommend (cheaply) yet reliable? Cheap grinders out there? My drill is my only power tool! Thank you for the advice all.
Sorry for asking,is there a actual drill bit to grind things down with? What would you recommend (cheaply) yet reliable? Cheap grinders out there? My drill is my only power tool! Thank you for the advice all.
For aluminum - sanding wheels tend to work better than grinding wheels, the latter tend to load up with gobs of aluminum.
Here's an example for drill sanding wheels;
https://www.hardwareworld.com/Assorted-Drum-Sanding-Kit-1-inch-p5GDSL5.aspx
but I would very much recommend gettin' yerself a Dremel - not just for this project, it's a very handy tool indeed!
Dremel 100-N/7 Mulitpro Single Speed Tool with 7 Accessories
There's a bunch of different Dremel kits available with prices to match, the one I linked is a good starting kit at a reasonable price and the bits are available at just about any hardware store. Speaking of which you could ofc use a sanding wheel for a Dremel in your drill should you choose - it'd just be slower is all
Here's an example for drill sanding wheels;
https://www.hardwareworld.com/Assorted-Drum-Sanding-Kit-1-inch-p5GDSL5.aspx
but I would very much recommend gettin' yerself a Dremel - not just for this project, it's a very handy tool indeed!
Dremel 100-N/7 Mulitpro Single Speed Tool with 7 Accessories
There's a bunch of different Dremel kits available with prices to match, the one I linked is a good starting kit at a reasonable price and the bits are available at just about any hardware store. Speaking of which you could ofc use a sanding wheel for a Dremel in your drill should you choose - it'd just be slower is all
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np man! Hose clamps, zip ties, and Dremels - could we even build our bikes w/o em?
Jus a lil tip... Tho not for your current prob the cutoff wheels for the Dremel are great for many things, bolts, shaping & cutting pieces etc. - but the ones supplied w/the tool are extremely fragile. They work well and it's nice how thin they are, but they sell cutoff wheels with reinforcement fibers in them, I'd pick some up when you get the tool to save on some frustration later
Example of Dremel awesomeness;
Jus a lil tip... Tho not for your current prob the cutoff wheels for the Dremel are great for many things, bolts, shaping & cutting pieces etc. - but the ones supplied w/the tool are extremely fragile. They work well and it's nice how thin they are, but they sell cutoff wheels with reinforcement fibers in them, I'd pick some up when you get the tool to save on some frustration later
Example of Dremel awesomeness;
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np man! Hose clamps, zip ties, and Dremels - could we even build our bikes w/o em?
Jus a lil tip... Tho not for your current prob the cutoff wheels for the Dremel are great for many things, bolts, shaping & cutting pieces etc. - but the ones supplied w/the tool are extremely fragile. They work well and it's nice how thin they are...
double them up. i got sick of those little cut off wheels exploding all over me, so i tried putting two of them together, and it works. they'll still explode, but they'll cut through more stuff before that happens.
He talked me into getting the dremel, and now I don't know what I would do without it. Many usesFor aluminum - sanding wheels tend to work better than grinding wheels, the latter tend to load up with gobs of aluminum.
Here's an example for drill sanding wheels;
https://www.hardwareworld.com/Assorted-Drum-Sanding-Kit-1-inch-p5GDSL5.aspx
but I would very much recommend gettin' yerself a Dremel - not just for this project, it's a very handy tool indeed!
Dremel 100-N/7 Mulitpro Single Speed Tool with 7 Accessories
There's a bunch of different Dremel kits available with prices to match, the one I linked is a good starting kit at a reasonable price and the bits are available at just about any hardware store. Speaking of which you could ofc use a sanding wheel for a Dremel in your drill should you choose - it'd just be slower is all
Well I got a dremel a couple of weeks ago The pieces that came with it are rather junk as you mentioned.Is there a certain brand of cut off disk for cutting down the aluminum spacer you'd recommend getting? Something locally would be better! Thanks
The pieces that came with it are rather junk as you mentioned.Is there a certain brand of cut off disk for cutting down the aluminum spacer you'd recommend getting? Something locally would be better! Thanks
erm... they're not junk actually, just the wrong application is all (the bits in the kit are for tiny stuff) - a combination of the fiber cut off wheels and the sanding drums mentioned above is the best for this.
A coupla tips tho - you'll wanna "rough cut" leaving a healthy margin for error with the wheel, then sand to fit with the drum. Also remember this is a very scaled down tool - yes it's like a die grinder, but a tiny one so don't force it - no pressure, let the tool take the material off. Not only can you break the tool and/or the bit - but aluminum is soft, too much pressure and you'll load up the bit and it won't cut anymore (particularly true with the sanding drums).
With that in mind you can use the bits that came with the tool - it'll just take that much longer
A coupla tips tho - you'll wanna "rough cut" leaving a healthy margin for error with the wheel, then sand to fit with the drum. Also remember this is a very scaled down tool - yes it's like a die grinder, but a tiny one so don't force it - no pressure, let the tool take the material off. Not only can you break the tool and/or the bit - but aluminum is soft, too much pressure and you'll load up the bit and it won't cut anymore (particularly true with the sanding drums).
With that in mind you can use the bits that came with the tool - it'll just take that much longer
Aaron,
Go to your local hardware store and look for a 'sanding drum' of the same diameter as your seat tube. They come with a 1/4" shank to fit most electric drills. Use care and keep the angle the same as the original and you'll get it right. It might take a couple of drums depending on how much material you have left to remove. Most of these tools (drums) have replacable abrasive sleeves that go over the rubber drum part so buy a couple of extras. Let us know how you come out on this. I'll look in my tool drawer and if I find what I'm talking about I'll edit this post with a photo you can take with you to the hardware store. Not all hardware store people are as helpful, as they would want you to believe.
Tom
Go to your local hardware store and look for a 'sanding drum' of the same diameter as your seat tube. They come with a 1/4" shank to fit most electric drills. Use care and keep the angle the same as the original and you'll get it right. It might take a couple of drums depending on how much material you have left to remove. Most of these tools (drums) have replacable abrasive sleeves that go over the rubber drum part so buy a couple of extras. Let us know how you come out on this. I'll look in my tool drawer and if I find what I'm talking about I'll edit this post with a photo you can take with you to the hardware store. Not all hardware store people are as helpful, as they would want you to believe.
Tom
