8Freight Cargo bike - restoration / project

[Joe_Rides]

Ey up

For various reasons (or excuses), I offered this to LunarBike on here who, despite having a couple already , kindly accepted, so it's gone!

A shame to not finish an interesting project, but realistically wasn't going to get done (and used) anytime soon, and I want to focus on getting the rest of my 'fleet' running sweetly and, ultimately, riding more when time permits.

Joe

 

[27motorhead]

Ey up

For various reasons (or excuses), I offered this to LunarBike on here who, despite having a couple already , kindly accepted, so it's gone!

A shame to not finish an interesting project, but realistically wasn't going to get done (and used) anytime soon, and I want to focus on getting the rest of my 'fleet' running sweetly and, ultimately, riding more when time permits.

Joe

Well that's freed up some space and created some more riding time (eventually!) Cargo bike are great, but also take up a lot of room too. Good luck with the rest of your fleet!

 

[LunarBike]

So, picking up where Joe left off....

I have added some photos of the fleet. Videos will appear from time to time on the @Bootsowen youtube channel. I have posted some repair videos on the orange one and a bit of a restoration series on the yellow one. It may be easier to search on YT as "bootoswen 8 freight" or similar as I have posted a few videos on my channel. Or they may be in an appropriate playlist.

My aspiration for this one is to get it running rather than have it in some kind of showroom condition. It looks to me like it has had a pretty bodgy restoration in the past and then been left in the rain for a few years. But the frame is sound and it should all come back together. I am lucky to have some parts and spares hoarded over the years.

I got the bike home and let it mature for a few days, but got stuck into the front brake today. Bad pitting rust in the steel liner. I have posted a photo of a good one from the orange bike for comparison. I gave it a brush and it is as good as it will get. I have pulled the shoes off my orange one, they were squealing on the orange one. It turns out that the are sachs 70mm brakes rather than sturmey archer 70mm pads. the sachs have a wider bearing surface on the cam that operates the brakes. The black bike seems to have a combination of the two types. The sachs uses an e-clip to hold the pads in place but the S-A uses a star clip. I dressed the second hand pads with a file so maybe they won't squeal. Then I moved on to the back wheel. the derailleur hanger is loose, the bits in the photo should be bonded together, but the bonding seems to have broken down. Worse than that is the threads are stripped on the hanger so a derailleur won't grip. the previous solution was a bodge with nut and bolt. I have a more recent 8freight hanger as spares but it is twisted so I might straighten it or I might keep the crusty derailleur and Joes 7 speed. Time will tell.

If you have an 8 freight or similar post a photo here please.

 

[Joe_Rides]

A majestic fleet!!

Interesting to see how each frame differs slightly.

Didn't realise that the mech hanger should be bonded rather than bolted.

Joe

 

[novocaine]

hanger repair options

timcert

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camrusic-Helicoil-M10x1-0-Stainless-Automotive/dp/B0BW94H43S

or helicoil

M10 X 1.0 Thread Repair Kit 15 Piece Helicoil Compatible 5mm Damaged Threads | eBay

M10 x 1.0 Thread Repair Kit. 10x Thread Inserts. 1x Drill Bit. 1x Break Pin Tool.

www.ebay.co.uk

I think the liner could be machined if you are willing to strip the wheel to hub only. better yet would be to machine it back and put an insert in (pressure fit) but that's pretty invasive really.

 

[LunarBike]

hanger repair options

timcert

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camrusic-Helicoil-M10x1-0-Stainless-Automotive/dp/B0BW94H43S

or helicoil

M10 X 1.0 Thread Repair Kit 15 Piece Helicoil Compatible 5mm Damaged Threads | eBay

M10 x 1.0 Thread Repair Kit. 10x Thread Inserts. 1x Drill Bit. 1x Break Pin Tool.

www.ebay.co.uk

I think the liner could be machined if you are willing to strip the wheel to hub only. better yet would be to machine it back and put an insert in (pressure fit) but that's pretty invasive really.

Thanks for that, a helicoil looks like a good idea. I thought about welding the one on the bike to a hanger from my spares, but the helicoil is easier.

 

[LunarBike]

so this was the workspace today. The garage is too small to work on this in there. You can see the blue clamp on the derailleur hanger mount.
So I'll talk about that first.



From my previous post I filed back the old adhesive. There was a pop rivet in there, hence the unthreaded hole. I used normal 2 part epoxy, aligned it with the pop rivet and then clamped it. After it dried I rebored the threaded holes and rethreaded in case the threads didn't align after the filing and bonding.



I had counter bored the pop rivet hole so it sits below the surface.

I could file the overspill and paint it, but that's not my nature, and it's plastic and aluminium. Maybe when all is done I will put some black on it. But I am not looking for showroom.

As I mentioned before, the Derailleur hanger is stripped, so I reckon a helicoil kit is the answer.

 

[LunarBike]

and so to the front wheel brakes. Joe had removed the old sachs type ones and bought two pairs of sturmey archer 70mm replacements. the brands have slightly different fittings, so some fettling was required. in the picture above the cam has been removed. and on the right you can see the pin. it has a hole in the end of it bored out and tapped for a screw. the sachs fitting uses an E clip, the sturmey archer uses a star clip and neither are appropriate here because of the screw.




The length of the cam pin are slightly different, so I had to do some grinding to make the hub boss thinner. Because it is ally when the cam lever is bolted on and you give it a little twist it polishes up the freshly ground surface so it is easy to see where to take more off.



the old pads have a wider bearing surface on the cam, so you have to replace the cam and the pads together if you are moving from one type to another.The old ones were in a bad way.



similar to the back drum , the front had been in a bath of wet snot for an eternity and had become badly pitted. so I wire wheeled it and it is as good as it is going to get. Of course the 70mm sturmey archer pads are bigger than the sachs pads so I had to file off about 1mm all round to get the drum to fit.

On my other bikes the axle shaft is loose and fits into the wheel on a machined hexagonal section of the axle. This one is bonded in.

You can see the hex shape and the glue on top. the photo is after some wire brushing. A screw and washer would usually hold it together. as it is it is probably unnecessary, but I put it back in anyway.



So onto the shaft within the drum you have a spacer ring, then a bearing, then the brown muligatawny soup coloured spacer, hten another bearing, (not shown) then a burrows special bit of chopped up cartridge freewheel spindle, then the cartridge, then a washer and screw to complete the ensemble.

The bearings are new, as are the brake pads, so now a bodge is in order....

the handlebars are about 3m, as the cable routes, from the rear brake, so a long cable is required, but only a regular rear cable sheath. there is a stop pop riveted to the main tube somewhere behind the BB. I have ordered some long cables but these things take time so I married up two shorter cables using bits of electrical strip connectors.





so that got both brakes working and I bodged the chain on as a single speed for now and took it around the block. It rides fine and handles as it should. The turning circle is enormous as it usually is, but it rolls and is now rolling well. I am waiting on a gear cable and I have to figure out the making of a jockey wheel to go halfway along the chain.

I have had a bit of a look at it. on the other bikes the diameter of the jockey wheel is about 1.5 inches. for the chain to clear the front bar of the load basket. the jockey wheels are made out of one piece of plastic, so I might just cut one on my lathe. This bike has two mounting points for this jockey wheel. why 2 is anyone's guess. one about 5" back from the front bar, that joe showed previously had been rubbed. and another about 7" back. on the other bikes it is about 3.5 inches back.

cheers for now.

 

[novocaine]

View attachment 841203
and so to the front wheel brakes. Joe had removed the old sachs type ones and bought two pairs of sturmey archer 70mm replacements. the brands have slightly different fittings, so some fettling was required. in the picture above the cam has been removed. and on the right you can see the pin. it has a hole in the end of it bored out and tapped for a screw. the sachs fitting uses an E clip, the sturmey archer uses a star clip and neither are appropriate here because of the screw.
View attachment 841207

View attachment 841208

The length of the cam pin are slightly different, so I had to do some grinding to make the hub boss thinner. Because it is ally when the cam lever is bolted on and you give it a little twist it polishes up the freshly ground surface so it is easy to see where to take more off.

View attachment 841209

the old pads have a wider bearing surface on the cam, so you have to replace the cam and the pads together if you are moving from one type to another.The old ones were in a bad way.

View attachment 841211

similar to the back drum , the front had been in a bath of wet snot for an eternity and had become badly pitted. so I wire wheeled it and it is as good as it is going to get. Of course the 70mm sturmey archer pads are bigger than the sachs pads so I had to file off about 1mm all round to get the drum to fit.

On my other bikes the axle shaft is loose and fits into the wheel on a machined hexagonal section of the axle. This one is bonded in.
View attachment 841212
You can see the hex shape and the glue on top. the photo is after some wire brushing. A screw and washer would usually hold it together. as it is it is probably unnecessary, but I put it back in anyway.

View attachment 841213

So onto the shaft within the drum you have a spacer ring, then a bearing, then the brown muligatawny soup coloured spacer, hten another bearing, (not shown) then a burrows special bit of chopped up cartridge freewheel spindle, then the cartridge, then a washer and screw to complete the ensemble.

The bearings are new, as are the brake pads, so now a bodge is in order....

the handlebars are about 3m, as the cable routes, from the rear brake, so a long cable is required, but only a regular rear cable sheath. there is a stop pop riveted to the main tube somewhere behind the BB. I have ordered some long cables but these things take time so I married up two shorter cables using bits of electrical strip connectors.

View attachment 841216

View attachment 841218

so that got both brakes working and I bodged the chain on as a single speed for now and took it around the block. It rides fine and handles as it should. The turning circle is enormous as it usually is, but it rolls and is now rolling well. I am waiting on a gear cable and I have to figure out the making of a jockey wheel to go halfway along the chain.

I have had a bit of a look at it. on the other bikes the diameter of the jockey wheel is about 1.5 inches. for the chain to clear the front bar of the load basket. the jockey wheels are made out of one piece of plastic, so I might just cut one on my lathe. This bike has two mounting points for this jockey wheel. why 2 is anyone's guess. one about 5" back from the front bar, that joe showed previously had been rubbed. and another about 7" back. on the other bikes it is about 3.5 inches back.

cheers for now.

Take a look at splicing a wire rope. We used to do it for rudder cables. Great trick.

 

[LunarBike]

Take a look at splicing a wire rope. We used to do it for rudder cables. Great trick.

That's a good idea. and maybe a drop of solder over it.