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Ambassador Universal joint carrier bearing install

gbund71ambassador

gbund71ambassador

Just got it firing!
Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
7
Location
Los Angeles
Hello All,
I'm new to the forum and somewhat new to bike building. Actually very new to bike building. I've recently inherited a somewhat complete and recently rebuilt engine of a 1971 Ambassador.
The engine seems like it's in good shape but the rest of the bike is in pieces of varying condition.
I stripped the bike down to the frame to get it powder coated and am now looking into reinstalling the swingarm. My u-joint carrier bearing is in good shape and I got it out of the arm with the circlip.
But now I want to put them both back in and am kind of stymied. I've never worked on anything with a shaft drive and am unfamiliar with how to get the bearing back in the arm. Do I need a special tool? Will a dead blow hammer do the trick?
Thanks all.
-geoff
 
Also important is how the bearing was removed. It may have been damaged on removal. That said, make sure no powder coating is where the bearing goes. Place the bearing in a freezer for a few hours. Heat the swing arm area with an electric heat gun so you won't damage the powder coating. Hopefully you have found a suitable piece of pipe (metal of plastic) that is about the same diameter as the outer race of the bearing. If the heating and freezing works as planned, the bearing (I'd use a new one even if you think the old one is good) will just about fall in place, maybe a little light tapping with a piece of wood and hammer. All force needs to be applied to the outer race. If not, then bring out the pipe for a little more force. Good luck.
 
John,
Thanks so much for the response. I currently have the whole thing in the freezer. I made a piece of pipe that spans the outer race of the bearing and put a bit of grease on the bearing the the swingarm. I began tapping it into place with a dead blow hammer and now it won't go in further and it won't come out.
I'm hoping the freezer works but it looks like I'm stuck again on this build. Any ideas or tool suggestions for lodging or dislodging the carrier bearing would be much appreciated again.
Thanks!
-geoff
 
I use a 1/2 inch threaded rod with washers. On the bearing end, use a washer that bears on the outer race but not the center race, then stack smaller washers on double locked nuts to retain the stack. On the swing arm end, use a piece of 1 inch thick board with a hole for the rod, small washer, and nut to draw the bearing in. I rest the swing arm on a table so that its vertical and hold the rod plumb and turn the nut by hand till the rod stops moving. This take a little while to get the rod centered and plumb - a custom made turned piece of aluminum would get it done faster but I don't replace these often enough. The wood prevents the washers from marring the mating face of the rear drive. Once the bearing gets started it goes in straight.
 
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