[DHidiot]

I'm going to be sprucing up my neighbors bike for him including replacing (or helping him to replace) his messed up FSA 1.5 headset. I can craft up a pretty decent press for installing one back in his frame but that leaves me with the problem of getting the present one out. I don't think that fluted punch that you normally use for 1 1/8" headsets is wide enough for the 1.5" headsets - am I wrong? I could try bending the flutes a little bit outwards but with my luck they'd contract a little bit before I hit it with the hammer and shoot it out the other side of the headtube and across the room, but anyways...

Is there any safe and reliable "ghetto" method to removing a headset? My next best idea would be to find some sort of a punch and lightly tap around the innermost lip of the headset in the same way you would use the fluted tool. I wouldn't want to scuff up the contact surface for the press fit surface on the headset cups though. Any other suggetions?

I'll also be checking to make sure the douche REI employees who haphazardly built his bike to begin with faced the headtube and BB - are the facing tools for a standard size headtube wide enough to be used with a relatively thin 1.5" headtube? I should probably mention that this work is going to be done on a Gemini with an FSA 1.5 headset and a Sherman fork.

 

[mx_599]

I'm going to be sprucing up my neighbors bike for him including replacing (or helping him to replace) his messed up FSA 1.5 headset. I can craft up a pretty decent press for installing one back in his frame but that leaves me with the problem of getting the present one out. I don't think that fluted punch that you normally use for 1 1/8" headsets is wide enough for the 1.5" headsets - am I wrong? I could try bending the flutes a little bit outwards but with my luck they'd contract a little bit before I hit it with the hammer and shoot it out the other side of the headtube and across the room, but anyways...

Is there any safe and reliable "ghetto" method to removing a headset? My next best idea would be to find some sort of a punch and lightly tap around the innermost lip of the headset in the same way you would use the fluted tool. I wouldn't want to scuff up the contact surface for the press fit surface on the headset cups though. Any other suggetions?

I'll also be checking to make sure the douche REI employees who haphazardly built his bike to begin with faced the headtube and BB - are the facing tools for a standard size headtube wide enough to be used with a relatively thin 1.5" headtube? I should probably mention that this work is going to be done on a Gemini with an FSA 1.5 headset and a Sherman fork.

you could make your own tool out of pipe and a hacksaw and cutting slits.

i would use a long drift/alignment "punch". if you don't mind the cup of hs getting a little banged up. nothing should happen to frame ht.

i don't believe the facer will work. park makes a special one. the 1 1/8 might might be wide enough, but what about the reamer/bushing alignment part? you can't face it without the part that goes into the ht.

 

[Hardtails Are Better]

I agree, I'd try to make my own extra special 1.5 headset removal tool. Get a piece of pipe about 1.25" in diameter, hacksaw some slots in it and then figure out a clever way to bend it out. As for reaming the headtube, I think mx_599 covered that pretty well. Even if the cutting bit is wide enough, there's nothing to keep it going in perfectly straight. Park makes a different tool for 1.5 HS. It's hella expensive. Its probably worth getting a shop to do it, since the tool's so damn pricey, and there isn't a very good ghetto way to do it, at least that I can think of.

 

[mx_599]

I agree, I'd try to make my own extra special 1.5 headset removal tool. Get a piece of pipe about 1.25" in diameter, hacksaw some slots in it and then figure out a clever way to bend it out. As for reaming the headtube, I think mx_599 covered that pretty well. Even if the cutting bit is wide enough, there's nothing to keep it going in perfectly straight. Park makes a different tool for 1.5 HS. It's hella expensive. Its probably worth getting a shop to do it, since the tool's so damn pricey, and there isn't a very good ghetto way to do it, at least that I can think of.

here is the ghetto way i have done HTs and BBs before i bought tools. it makes a nice surface but only in one plane. it doesn't make the two surfaces parallel or perpendicular to HT, but its better than nothing. most frames work out fine without it expensive tool facing, but it's certainly a nice thing to have done. many shops probably don't even have the 1.5 inch facer.

my ghetto way:

you need a nice flat plate. i used a thick piece of glass that went to a 5x6 pic frame from walmart. the kind that has two layers of thick glass where pic slides into. squeeze it together and they split apart nicely into two flat glass plates. then get fine sand paper and use the glass as a sanding block. you can use a tacky 3M spray to hold paper and water or cutting fluid as lubricant to keep the grain clear...especially clear of paint.

don't forget to lightly chamfer inside edge of HT with file.

incidentally, this glass block has been handy for many things. i end up using it a lot. like to take off small amounts of material on things. i have reused sealing washers, etc... whatever, once you have it and fine grades of paper, you'll find yourself using it.

like i said, basically you're doing nothing above other than a nice surface. good for cleaning the metal up and taking paint down. my cups have sat onto this surface well.

not a substitute....but better than nothing

 

[sriracha]

vice grips
flat head screw driver and a hammer
JB weld

 

[davec113]

vice grips
flat head screw driver and a hammer
JB weld

Duct Tape and Baling Wire might be good to have around "just in case"

 

[Hardtails Are Better]

Duct Tape and Baling Wire might be good to have around "just in case"

WD-40 should probably come in there at some point too.

 

[davec113]

WD-40 should probably come in there at some point too.

Oh, and a propane or oxy-acetylene torch... you might need to heat up the ht to get the races out...

 

[Hardtails Are Better]

Oh, and a propane or oxy-acetylene torch... you might need to heat up the ht to get the races out...

Then you could make a flame thrower with the WD-40 if you get bored. Good call.