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11-01-2007, 7:50 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. - - Solved. Well, I’ve used up all my tricks. I’m hopping someone here, has one that I don’t know about. The front link (or arm, not the swing arm) pivots easily around the frame bolt holes, but the bolt/nut pivots with it. I can turn the bolt relative to the link if I apply ~70 pounds of torque. I sure wish that I had tried to remove the nut, with my fingers, after the first full turn! You would think that ~7 full turns would break any seizure. After the nut fell free. I put it back on ¾ of the way to protect the threads, while I gently taped using a hammer and a punch, with the punch placed against the wide base of the nut. No go. I thought about it a bit and decided that maybe the frame wore groves into the bolt (unlikely, because these bolts are MUCH harder than the frame). So, I tested for slop (~1/8") and positioned as close to center as I could and gave it a few good raps. No go. Then I broke out the big guns; a crowbar and a 3lb sledge. I can not get it to budge at all. I don’t understand how it can be turned, but it can not be driven out. I can not get a press or a puller on it. So I can only hope that spraying it with something that will eat the crud. Maybe BreakFree? Carb cleaner? I don't care about the frame paint, at this point. The really odd thing is, that the other bolts were in fine shape. Three collars, so far, were removed with finger pressure. I did have one short collar on the rear link that wanted to bring the bushing out with it, but nothing close to a bolt seized to a collar. The mono-shock upper came out easy. (I know not to try to remove the lower thanks to this board). I’m perplexed. Do I have to replace the frame? Please help me if you can. RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-02-2007, 4:41 AM chip Joined on 03-15-2006 Woodford, VA Posts 194 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. ( I know not to try to remove the lower thanks to this board ). Guilty, as charged!!! Check out the Post by Don in Oz in this thread; http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/15379/ShowPost.aspx He gives a dreadful senerio if that bolt is allowed to sieze in place. I would give both ends of that bolt heavy doses of PB Blaster and make use of your BFH. It's possible that heating the bolt may be of some help .... though I personally wouldn't do it unless I spoke with someone who had success with it. And it may be that the bolt and collar will come out together (probably not a bad thing). It's telling that the other bolts and collars came out with such ease. I suspect the PO lubed those as they are accessible without removing the exhaust. I guess if we're gonna work on these bikes, we might as well do it RIGHT!!!  .... less headaches in the future. HTH    Report

11-02-2007, 5:32 AM DAVID Joined on 05-16-2007 FORNEY TX Posts 937 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. I have the same problem but I don't have any slop, I just can't get the bolt out. Not sure what to do at this point other than keep spraying it with penitrant. I don't want to try too hard to remove until I have something to replace it with because I know it is going to tear up the bolt and bushings. Let us know what you figure out. 82 GL500 81 KDX175 If all else fails, read the instructions    Report

11-02-2007, 10:45 AM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. (“Get that front bolt out NOW - there are many cases of these bikes having that front bolt so rusted into the collar, that a 20 ton press won't move it.  If the bushes "pick-up" on the collar - due to lack of lube - then the frame and lower link are doomed to stay together forever - and the frame will eventually be a write-off, due to the bolt rotating in the frame holes with each up/down movement of the link. -- Don in Oz”) Yea that was the, kick in the butt, that convinced me to service the whole thing. Before I read that, I just wanted to get the squeak out. Initially, I figured that since the front link moved so easily, that it was likely, not to be the squeaky one, till I saw the bolt turning with it. I’ll be checking this on any CX/GL that I buy from now on. (“NOT SUPPOSE TO COME OUT!!!”) http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/21838/ShowPost.aspx No ambiguousness there! I wrote in my shop manual. Thanks. (“And it may be that the bolt and collar will come out together (probably not a bad thing).”) I strongly disagree. There should be some frame between the nut and collar, or it just doesn’t work. I will give the PB Blaster a try. I’ve always used WD40, not that it ever did much good, as a penetrating lube. Still is good for cleaning stuff. Oh, and it does wonders for shining up whole vehicles for photos to place on CraigList. lol  - you can remove ten years with it! With only 29K miles, I don’t believe the PO serviced the rear link, because they were bone dry. Except for the one I pressed out. It had baked on gummy crud. I guess a mix of water and rust. The complete absents of rust on the bolts, makes me think that they are not made out of ‘normal’ steel. I do know, not to replace them with bolts from a local HW store. David, Can you turn the bolt relative to the link? If the bolt is turning relative to the frame, you are wearing out the frame with every ride. Since mine does turn, technically, it is not seized. I think that the trick, will be turning the bolt while prying on the nut. At least this should work enough to get bolt out about an inch. This might take two people. Credit goes to my buddy that rides a GL1500. Thanks Marty. From email (" Depending on how hard it is to reach, we can probably get it out.  One of us can apply pressure on the threaded end (with a protective nut in place) while the other uses a box end or breaker/socket to twist the bolt one way then the other.  That should gradually back it out, because the extraction pressure will be there at the same time that the twist breaks the static friction.  It has to move then, if only a few mils per twist, because once the static is broken it moves in the direction of the sum of the forces.  Unless there’s a ridge worn inside or something else that prevents axial movement.  Hopefully it will get a lot looser once it moves a little. -- Marty") RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-02-2007, 2:31 PM Eurovee. Joined on 12-29-2006 Euroland Posts 513 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. Cut that sucker out with a blade. Not a nice job,unless the frame is bare,and upside down....... Pic: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/ofapars/images/frame%20seize.jpg CX650 Eurosprout CX500 Eurospurt GL650 Silverthing CX/GL 500 CX-periment 24 years and 140,000 miles a CXian...    Report

11-02-2007, 7:52 PM DAVID Joined on 05-16-2007 FORNEY TX Posts 937 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. "Cut that sucker out with a blade. Not a nice job,unless the frame is bare,and upside down......." That was my next step. I think I can get a small air saw in there but I need replacement parts first. RustyTec, if you get it apart, we can fix your frame if it has a wallowed out bolt hole. I have a nice MIG welder in the garage and I'm not afraid to use it. 82 GL500 81 KDX175 If all else fails, read the instructions    Report

11-02-2007, 8:19 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. OMG! That looks like something you would find at the bottom of the Sea. Funny that it has a zerk on it. Cutting it out looks to be a viable alternative as a last resort. It beats replacing the frame. Thank you. I like that PB Blaster stuff! Well worth its price. It smells terrible, but it works good. I sprayed it, waited 30min, sprayed it again, and tested it. The bolt now turns with only 5-10 pounds instead of 70! I still could not drive it out. So I modified my crowbar by placing a 5mm socket near the tip. Placement was critical, so I used precision duck-tape. lol. I place the tip behind the side-stand frame with the socket wedged between the crowbar and the pivot bolt nut and pressed hard. No budge. So, I used lesser precision tape to bind the hooked end of the crowbar to the rear tire where it could just clear the tire. This was just to hold it there, while I got on the other side of the bike. I got the torque wrench in place and at-the-ready. Then grabbed the crowbar and pulled on it, while turning the bolt. It came easy! (All of my fears about slots and ridges evaporated)! I would not have been able to do it without the PB, as it was taking two hands to develop the 70 pounds of torque. Thanks. I had read about PB here, but never wrote it down and ran out and bought it till you recommended it. Then I could use a very-small flat prybar between the head of the bolt and the frame, and repeat for another ½ inch. I stopped there, because it became apparent that the H-box was going to have to come off after-all. (I had hopped that that was just required on the 650).  So, I sprayed some more PB and tore into the exhaust. (yet again). This is getting to be just way-to-much fun. lol. An unexpected opportunity came up, so I did not get to complete the job. What the hell, I’m the OP so I can go OT. - I got alerted to a very fresh CraigList posting for a single seat, one owner, dual-motor, vehicle in pristine condition, with a working 34AH 12v Gel-cell, for FREE!!! I am now the proud new owner of a  motorized house-chair. – I sure hope that I never need it.   Thanks Marty. (If I ever break it down. You will be given one of the ~100W motors, for a  wind turbine project). Now there is a thought; Mount a wind turbine in front of the bike just below the headlight. It sure would look cool, if the 12v generator could be concealed. The only problem would be above 60mph. A 500W unit has less than 3' diamiter blades. Cagers would not want to pull out in front of that, because they would want to see you take flight! -- I better go to bed. To be continued………. OK I can post pictures with FireFox now. I sure don't know what changed. RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-02-2007, 11:58 PM chip Joined on 03-15-2006 Woodford, VA Posts 194 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. (" Funny that it has a zerk on it.") That was my first thought also. Congrats!!!!! It's just a matter of time, now. And once the bolt is out, you can work at removing the collar. I assume that you won't be pressing this one out with just finger pressure, so a machinists press will come in handy. I was able to 'beat' out my smaller collars without major damage to them, but the longer ones were stuck ( some of that dried black goop you were referring to earlier ). That's why I said that if the collar came out with the bolt, it may not have been a bad thing ... two birds with one stone. It's the bushings that you don't need to slide out ... that WOULD probably mean that there was some frame loss. I pray all goes well with the remaining work. Keep us posted. .... Where would any of us be without DUCT TAPE!!!    Report

11-05-2007, 9:30 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. David, Thank you for the offer. However, it’s not that bad. It’s about 1/6th of a wallow, that equals 1/8 slop. I still have plenty of frame-metal to wedge between the bolt face and collar edge. Now, if you would like to help me re-key my tall trunk lock, I’d sure be interested it that. I could also use a new riding buddy. The bolt and collar is out and almost ready for some Moly 60. When I checked the shop manual, it specified Moly for the upper mono-shock collar, but seemed to spec lithium for the rest of the linkage. I don’t know if Moly is as waterproof as the Lithium that I have. I had already greased thew rear linkage with Lithium, but took it off after reading everything here. The consensus seams to be 1. NeverSeize 2. Moly60 and 3. Lithium. I haven’t been able to find the NeverSeize. The only collar that looked like it had had Moly was the upper mono. What is best, is still a bit up in the air. Method of removal. Somehow the torque required to turn the bolt, the next day, went up to about 50lbs. This was despite me spraying it every 8hrs or less. Maybe the goop piling up on more goop. I used the same trick as I used on the crowbar. A very small socket taped to a small flat pry-bar. Placing the tip of the bar under the head of the bolt, with the socket wedged against the frame. As it came out, I graduated to larger and larger sockets. I averaged about two inches of bolt length per hour, taking lots of breaks. Two people would have made it much better, as it is hard to concentrate on both tasks, at the same time. I eventually allowed the socket to slip off the bolt. Thereby smashing my hand and rounding the top of the bolt. I immediately switched over to using 6-point box-end wrench. I should have began with that and a cheater-bar. When I finally got the bolt head, even with the center-stand spring, I thought that I would have to remove the spring. (I don’t think the penny trick works for removal lol). However, I just barley managed to use the springs upper attachment pin? As the fulcrum to finish the extraction. I tried various methods to extract the collar. What worked for me was buying a three-armed gear puller. I was worried that I could not get the lips over both the link and the bushing. I could have used a washer to hold the bushing place, but I decided to test it without it first, using only moderate pressure. It worked! As it came out, I used small sockets between the collar and the threaded driver of the puller. It was a “Piece of Duck Soup!” I cleaned and buffed a bit with red rouge. It was obvious that it was going to take more than that. So, I bought a 6” course steel wire brush for my bench grinder, along with the recommended 12ga brass brush for the bushings. The steel wire brush did not seem the remove any metal. That kind of surprised me. Another surprise is that after I had it nice and shinny, I could see that the frame had indeed scored groves into the bolt. I would have thought the bolt would be 10 times harder. So, make that 1/32th” wallow in the frame and 1/32th” wallow in the bolt, equals 1/8th” slop. I’m good to go. Dam, I want that bike out of the garage soooo bad. However, while I have it off, I really should do something to restore the H-box. Last time I used Navel Jelly and BBQ paint. It looked sweet for about a month. The rust is coming back with a vengeance. Marty offered to sand blast it for me the day before his crash. OT The wheelchair is way-cool. New it retails for $3K, referbs are $1500. I could quickly flip it for $1K and buy another bike to keep mine company lol. It took a full charge. I clocked it at 4.1mph w/ GPS. I found that it had a second 34AH battery, no wonder it was so heavy lol. 201lbs w/ and 136lbs w/out batteries. Rated 4.5mph and 25miles/charge. 29.5” turn radius. 12 degree climb. It has wheelie bars. . Of course; Marty gets full use of it if he wants it. Chip, Avoid Wal-Mart DUCK tape at all cost. It is not worth the effort to unwrap it. Much less the savings over real DUCT tape. That is lead sheet in the vise protecting the link frame. Fluff n buff ain’t enough. I hate it when I personalize my bike by accident. Thank goodness for wheelie-bars! RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-06-2007, 11:22 AM DAVID Joined on 05-16-2007 FORNEY TX Posts 937 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. Just give me an address and a day/time. A re-key should only take 20-30min. If you use this email link, it goes to my work computer so I can only see it during the weekdays. 82 GL500 81 KDX175 If all else fails, read the instructions    Report

11-06-2007, 5:02 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. David, E-mail sent. Thanks. RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-07-2007, 9:20 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. David, Thanks for stopping by. Not only, did you get my trunk-lock re-keyed well (3), you got me to clean up my workshop. I thank you for both, and I hope to return the favor soon. I could bring my crowbar, and my Precision-Duct-Tape to your workshop, anytime. I have a lot of time on my hands and I'm not afraid to use it. BTW those 3 really big round pecans are hickory nuts. I had never had any before Marty pointed them out to me. He made them sound so good, I had to pick some up. He did warn me that you could starve to death trying to get the meat out. He said you had to hit them with a hammer. I might add, that you need to do it outside, on concrete. I’ve only opened one. I used channel-locks. NOT recommended. It landed in four different rooms! Now, I have BTDT. PS the pecans have been thoroughly washed. The hickory nuts were not. - I’d be interested, to know, if you find any bad ones. I culled them by weight, That dose not mean that, they are all, this year's crop. Especially the small ones.     Everyone, there is a bumper crop out there just waiting for you. RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-07-2007, 9:52 PM dozer1 Joined on 05-26-2007 Frederick, Maryland Posts 612 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. Rusty i belive you sent me an email saying you had a parts bike and were willing to part with the handlebar part i need. if you have emailed me back i havent gotten it, and if not i am curious if you still do have the part or not. 1980 CX500 Ratbike "Stella" 1979 CX500 Deluxe(Parts) Dozer1 AKA Snowplow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TK5VY90ILs&feature=related    Report

11-07-2007, 11:40 PM RustyTec Joined on 08-26-2007 Dallas Tx. Posts 606 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. Sorry, try a differant Rusty. I am not the one. RustyTec ’81 GL500. Dallas Texas. RustyVape Electronic Cigarettes Local NE Dallas, Texas    Report

11-09-2007, 8:46 PM R80Dave Joined on 03-03-2006 Appleton, WI Posts 851 Re: Can’t remove the front Pro-Squeak bolt. Rusty, 15 lbs of shelled hickory nuts will pay for a new tire ... but it is labor intensive. Use a small vice to crack them open and you should be able to get out whole nut meats. The same thing will work on those pecans too, but I prefer a big pliers squeezed softly. David in Wisconsin    Report

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