Early 50s La Gazelle - Eau-de-Nil 🛠️ The Merlot Aftermath 🍷

[chickendrumsticks]

The DS cotter-pin came out easy enough with a hammer and drift. The NDS was stubborn as hell.

Almighty "CRACK" is an understatement. Almighty "CLANG" too.

View attachment 684659

This is the 2nd vice I've broken this year I knew this one was a bit under dimensioned; it really didn't like being wound up with a long steel seat-post on the handle.

Oh well, at I got the cotter-pin and pedals off the cranks eventually with a blow torch.

One would be bad luck - but two! That's tough.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

The DS cotter-pin came out easy enough with a hammer and drift. The NDS was stubborn as hell.

Almighty "CRACK" is an understatement. Almighty "CLANG" too.

View attachment 684659

This is the 2nd vice I've broken this year I knew this one was a bit under dimensioned; it really didn't like being wound up with a long steel seat-post on the handle.

Oh well, at I got the cotter-pin and pedals off the cranks eventually with a blow torch.

You're only supposed to blow the bleedin doors off

 

[Woz]

Steel is real, and so is a blow torch Nothing like the sweet sweet smell of 40 year old grease melting and paint burning.

My only other vice is a very small Record 00 which I've had since the age of 16. There was no way I was going to attempt to get the fixed cup out without having all the chance on my side. I would literally cry if I broke the Record vice.

Came out a piece of cake and cleaned up really good. You can never have too many obsolete spare parts

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Steel is real, and so is a blow torch Nothing like the sweet sweet smell of 40 year old grease melting and paint burning.

My only other vice is a very small Record 00 which I've had since the age of 16. There was no way I was going to attempt to get the fixed cup out without having all the chance on my side. I would literally cry if I broke the Record vice.

Came out a piece of cake and cleaned up really good. You can never have too many obsolete spare parts

View attachment 684671

Heat always wins.

 

[Woz]

You're only supposed to blow the bleedin doors off

.... you think I'm doing something wrong In honesty, wrenching on this old tat is not easy going on the tools.

I still haven't dared to take the cotter-pins out of the Stronglight cranks on the EdN to fully service the BB.

There must be some sort of invincible tool surely? Wondering about a mechanics G clamp or something?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

.... you think I'm doing something wrong

No way mate, French, seized, obsolete, cursed, reluctant bastard parts that laugh at you when you approach with a spanner. Ive tried creeping up on them, but they know the bastards, they can tell.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

.... you think I'm doing something wrong In honesty, wrenching on this old tat is not easy going on the tools.

I still haven't dared to take the cotter-pins out of the Stronglight cranks on the EdN to fully service the BB.

There must be some sort of invincible tool surely? Wondering about a mechanics G clamp or something?

Try a ball joint splitter with a pocket ground in it for seating the pin.

https://www.ccw-tools.com/Sealey-AK3811---Ball-Joint-SplitteR-20mm__p-697.aspx

 

[Woz]

^ Now something like that looks very interesting!

Also seen a thing called a MO-Clamp, looks beefy but probably not enough room to tighten it up on the DS.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

^ Now something like that looks very interesting!

Also seen a thing called a MO-Clamp, looks beefy but probably not enough room to tighten it up on the DS.


View attachment 684680

That would possibly do it, reliant on the screw to provide force though. You get some leverage with the joint splitter which may be more beneficial and provide more force. Of course nothing beats a cotter pin press like the VAR.

Edit I think that clamp is meant to be clamped to a car body and pulled by a hydraulic chassis straightening jig.

 

[Woz]

An intolerable scenario - the world comes crashing down around me!

So, what seems umpteen fiddling hours over several weeks of accumulated Mafac Racer centre pulls, I thought I cracked it until I noticed this:



The front brake blocks would have a little arrow on them (presumably to help amateur bike wrenching retards), and rear would be the real deal with nothing superfluous as it is supposed to be. I'm already stretching period correctness by a handful of years and directional arrows on brake holders is not going to happen on this bike. Ever. I'm very mad at myself for not seeing this earlier.

Nurse Ratched tells me I should move on to other things, but she always tells me that when I get focused and in my prime. What I will actually do is re-arrange +50 year old rubber blocks in +50 year old rubber block holders until I'm satisfied and can hear Enya before I get strapped in bed.