boy"O"boy's 1989 Serotta Off-road Pro-flex prototype

[27motorhead]

The best was to remove a fixed cup with leverage is this method below. I don't have to write anything because @rmwesley kindly created this thread!

Fixed cup removal (with pics)

Guaranteed I'm not telling anyone anything new with this post, but for the sheer satisfaction of removing a very, very fixed bottom bracket cup I'm going to post up a few pics of my Sheldon Brown fixed cup remover. The fixed cup in question... defiantly refusing to move even a gnat's chuff after...

www.retrobike.co.uk

Have used this many a time on fixed cups on old Raleigh Choppers from the 70s.

If you are having frame repaired due to corrosion then heat will certainly help remove it.

For cutting it out, carbide tipped hacksaw blade, die grinder, Dremel are all methods of attack. I suspect the stud & nut method will work if you can find a decent long leverage bar and are able to clamp the frame securely without damaging it in the process!

Amazed the seatpost came out as it did. Well done on that one!!!

Keep up the great work!

 

[boy"O"boy]

Assume you will need heat to fix rust holes so maybe heat for BB?

I slide a long seatpost over my BB spanner for extra leverage- works best when the bike has wheels on- undefeated! (touch wood!)

I'm not sure how many holes are still under the paint. Someone on here mentioned that steel frames that have been stored in damp conditions have a tendency to rust from the inside out.
It's looking more like the paint will have to be stripped as there's a lot of rust coming through.
The hole near the bottom bracket and the corroded cable guides will definitely need attention.

The best was to remove a fixed cup with leverage is this method below. I don't have to write anything because @rmwesley kindly created this thread!

Fixed cup removal (with pics)

Guaranteed I'm not telling anyone anything new with this post, but for the sheer satisfaction of removing a very, very fixed bottom bracket cup I'm going to post up a few pics of my Sheldon Brown fixed cup remover. The fixed cup in question... defiantly refusing to move even a gnat's chuff after...

www.retrobike.co.uk

Have used this many a time on fixed cups on old Raleigh Choppers from the 70s.

If you are having frame repaired due to corrosion then heat will certainly help remove it.

For cutting it out, carbide tipped hacksaw blade, die grinder, Dremel are all methods of attack. I suspect the stud & nut method will work if you can find a decent long leverage bar and are able to clamp the frame securely without damaging it in the process!

Amazed the seatpost came out as it did. Well done on that one!!!

Keep up the great work!

@27motorhead
Thanks for this. Absolute gold
This is definitely my next step to release the troublesome cup. I've been soaking the bottom bracket shell in Diesel for the last week in the hope it will penetrate it more.
Sprayed a good slug of release fluid when trying the vice technique. When it was heated, it started bubbling from the cup side suggesting there is a gap, but the fluid not getting all the way round.
Got the parts together to try the technique above.



Cheers
boy"O"boy

 

[boy"O"boy]

Finally..... The drive side bottom bracket cup has surrendered with some serious removal techniques! The method suggested by @27motorhead worked to a degree....but the inner tube wasn't big enough and forced itself through the hole in the stuck cup.
In the end...the technique was slightly altered with an M16 hex bolt, super glued to the inside to prevent slipping. The nut was then held in the vice and tightened with an Allen key/ leverage tube combo. The frame was then turned anti-clockwise and the cup released to a big cheer from the 2 work colleagues that had offered help.




Onto rust hole cable guide repairs next.
Being honest with myself, although saving the paint would be the ideal scenario to preserve some history, the photos are far more flattering to it than it actually is. The amount of rust on this is most likely going to mean the paint will have to be stripped back to see exactly what underneath. The comment that steel frames rust from the inside outwards worries me with the severity of some of the rust.

Updates to come.....and a drop into the paint shop for colour matching before any paint is removed.

Cheers
boy"O"boy

 

[27motorhead]

Another great result. It really is down to the size of your nuts!

Great to see the last piece of the corroded jigsaw come out.

I totally agree with what you're saying, these smart phones tend to flatter the imperfections on things and they always look so much better in photos than they do in real life. Guess that frame needs a bath in some rust convertor for a week or two and 100% get you on the respray.

Let's hope with the paint removal and frame repairs, there are no more surprises. You haven't quite reached "Triggers Broom" status yet...

 

[PhillB]

I totally agree with what you're saying, these smart phones tend to flatter the imperfections on things and they always look so much better in photos than they do in real life. Guess that frame needs a bath in some rust convertor for a week or two and 100% get you on the respray.

Totally! I've fallen foul of this on more than a couple purchases

I wish I had seen that method for fixed cup removal earlier - I've had one stuck in a Karakoram for months... I got it out eventually, but this method looks easier.

I'm not sure how many holes are still under the paint. Someone on here mentioned that steel frames that have been stored in damp conditions have a tendency to rust from the inside out.
It's looking more like the paint will have to be stripped as there's a lot of rust coming through.
The hole near the bottom bracket and the corroded cable guides will definitely need attention.

I am slowly restoring an '89 GT frame at the moment that was almost as rusty as yours...although no holes, all of the rust was on the surface and although it looked bad, it really only was the top 0.1mm or so. It's back to bare metal though. Hopefully, you will have already discovered the worst of it!

 

[27motorhead]

I am slowly restoring an '89 GT frame

Obviously for discussion elsewhere @PhillB but that sounds very, very interesting!