Hitchcocks Forum

Hello I have tried to fit a Redditch chain stay or swinging arm to a Indian frame and come across the following issue.
The frame is true and angles of alignment within 0.5 degree , but my Redditch chain stay is 8.5 inch width at the wheel end and this is causing the shock absorbers not to be vertical to the frame. My standard bullets have a 8 inch width chain stay at the rear.

Anyone have any constructive ways of correcting this issue as i hoped to use a wider chain stay, I attach photos.

Cheers ng

The only thing I can think of is increasing the distance between the top mounts on the frame, but you would probably have to get into cutting, heating, bending and welding to achieve that.

I do wonder if 1/4" each side is worth worrying about?

You could probably have the brackets on the bottom of the shock cut off and welded back on with a 1/4" offset, or even just mill/file 1/4" off each side.

If I understand this right, the slightly greater width of the Redditch swinging arm is spreading the shock absorbers off vertical (outwards) at the bottom by ¼" each side.

Why not just shorten the inner side of the bottom mounting bush of each shock absorber by ¼" to compensate? You can use a spacer (or pile of washers!) if that leaves you with insufficient thread on the outside of the bottom mounting stud to tighten the nut up fully.

I have had the opposite issue using an Indian swinging arm in a Redditch frame, the narrower swinging arm bringing the bottom end of the shock absorbers inwards by ¼", I tackled this the same way as above but in reverse, using a spacer between the swinging arm and the shock absorber and shortening the outer side of the bottom mounting bush in the shock absorber. Seems to work just fine.

A.

thanks all for your replies , i will try to cut the shockabsorber mounting bushes to create a vertical straight shockabsorber.

cheers ng

Hmm - Adrian has a point, but you could go further and cut the top and bottom bushes of the rear shocks on opposite sides, for even more gain.