Front wheel

The front wheel- along with every other part of this bike is pretty filthy and corroded. I will get round to these things in order but I'm starting at the front wheel which I need to remove.

Firstly loosen the brake cable at the adjuster and disconnect it from the brake arm

 

I taped the sleeve onto the cable to save it for later- at this stage you can unscrew the cable adjuster from the wheel molding and release the cable entirely from the hub.

I taped the sheath onto the cable for safe-keeping.

Next unscrew the spindle pinch bolt on the RHS 12mm spanner- access a little awkward. An offset ring spanner just fitted.

There is a clamp on the lhs too- although in my case there was so much grease I couldn't find it! Seems like the speedo drive has been overlubricated or leaking.

Grease covered speedo drive- is this the remains of an oil seal? Need to check.

Whilst cleaning this lot off it looked like some fragments of an oil seal were detached so I think leakage is the most likely.

Unscrew the clamp bolt

Ah- there is the clamp nut! Release it with a 12mm C spanner.

Loosen the spindle nut- the rhs was corroded so I undid the lhs which in my case also held the tax disc holder.

Loosening the spindle nut (LHS) 19mm spanner

This was detached easily - note no washers beneath the spindle nut.

I could then tap the spindle out from the lhs (speedo side) towards the right with a soft mallet. Refit the spindle nut flush with the spindle end before tapping to protect the threads. Take over using a drift to continue tapping once the spindle enters the wheel hub.

Tapping out the spindle using a wooden mallet

Remove the speedo drive as it falls free. There didn't seem to be any oil seal beneath it but the parts diagram shows a thin foam sealing ring should be present. I photographed both sides as it came free

Speedo drive is greasy but looks intact.

Ease the spindle out from the rhs

Working out the spindle to the right.

Once this is removed the wheel is free however it may be stuck in the torsion slot so free it carefully...

The torsion  groove in my case was jammed onto the spindle bar lug and stuck with grime- it had to be cleaned and freed before the wheel would come out.

...and lift the wheel out.

Brake plate in front wheel- note torsion slot.

The brake plate just lifts out of the hub.

Brake shoes on rear of brake plate note pivot point is slightly corroded and large U spring holds the shoes in place.

I wrapped the shoes in masking tape to grease off them whilst I fiddle with everything. The shoes seem low but I think are still serviceable and the rivets arent corroded so I probably won't change them straight away.

The bearings are then visible inside the hub

... and below the speedo drive position (once the grease was cleaned off)

Both bearings are metal shielded sealed units- great news I hadn't expected that. Further both seemed in very good condition and turned smoothly with no grating or binding- so that seems to be something else I wont need to change.

The wheel is desperate for a clean- but its covered in road dirt and aluminium rust- it should clean up with a gentle rub in using fine wire wool in dilute vinegar or possibly a fine brass brush. I don't want to scratch the aluminium more than necessary to get this concrete-like material off- luckily this process was quite efficient but it took a lot of effort and was very fiddly. The alloy also emerged relatively dull from this treatment and will need a lot of polishing. I treated the spokes with rust removing gel but it wasn't a great success and they're going to need rubbing with Emery. Even then they will need painting or treating. Definitely best would be a wheel rebuild but hey- what a cost!

Turning my attention to the brake backplate I cleaned much of the corrosion off using diluted white vinegar and a fine brass wire brush. This did create some scratches but I hope to remove those in due course.

Cut the masking tape between the shoes as you need to slide one forward by levering with a screwdriver.

Until the shoe clears the retention stud

The shoes can then be lifted up and separated. My hub showed signs of light corrosion but nothing serious- they need a bit of grease in the pivot points.

Looking at the plate- I removed the nut on the brake arm

Note the nut is loosened and there is a washer beneath it. There is a rubber sealing washer under the arm.

Sadly the camera battery failed at this point but I was able to clean the back plate a little more and remove the actuating stud- refitting it with a smear of fresh copper grease so it could rotate smoothly. 

I reinstalled the brake shoes- smear of grease under the location feet. Its a little awkward to reassemble but assemble the shoes in a 'V' formation with the spring between, and then force them downwards. Use a screwdriver to lever the shoe feet into place.

Reassembled brake plate.

Refitting the wheel is, as they say, the reverse of removal but remembering to install the sealing disc under the speedo drive.