1973 CT70 Handlebar Welded In

B

bholland80

New Member
Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for all the input and advice! An update:
  • You're right that it wasn't a weld, but had been punched. That was my ignorance in knowing that was even an option (I just assumed welding was the only way it could have been "attached" in there). After thinking about it, there was some play/wiggle (very slight) in the bar which confused me if it was welded in place. It all made more sense after reading that post.
  • I went to the machine shop today by my house. It's a small one-man place where no one answered the phone so I just drove down and found him working in back. He told me to just get a torch and heat it up and pound it out and that's what he would do if I paid him. Then he turned and walked back to his work. So i guess the conversation was over :)
  • I went to the hardware store, but they were sold out of the torch I'd see online so I found some "forstner" drill bits (didn't know what those were) and brought them home. Managed to drill it out with a hand drill and a 5/8" bit and then worked up to the 3/4". Managed to not trash the threads! I didn't drill the whole thing out, but enough that it was possible to use a punch and drive the handlebar out. It caused some of the metal streaks/grooves down the inside of the clamp, but didn't see too bad or deep.
Anyways, long way of saying it was a success and thank you. Slowly learning and acquiring the tools and knowledge along the way. I realized I have a bunch more questions so going to start a build thread in the the other area where I can post/ask lots of dumb questions :)



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6

69ST

Well-Known Member
Congrats! (y)With this level of resourcefulness, you'll do fine with the project. The carbide bur I had in mind has the same profile as the drill you used, it's just a lot smaller. Never considered using a Forstner bit, figured that a wood drill would be ruined but your looks to have survived. Creative solutions are like that, sometimes...suddenly coming to mind, combining bits & pieces gathered from any number of sources. With restoration type repairs, trial & error is often part of the process and there's usually more than one "right answer".
 
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