[Rik]

I've a crazy idea, I just thought I'd run it by a few 's to help me out here:

I'm in the middle of stripping and rebuilding my '02 Super T's, they're getting painted in the process too. When I pulled them apart, I was suprised that the lowers were so easily to slide apart from the arch. I know they're a 3 piece design, but I was under the impression they were bonded, or at least pressed securely... alas, these slid apart easily by hand.

I've decided to stick the forks back together, as I don't like the idea of them being easy to pull apart. I will be using some loctite adhesive that's been reccomended to me by an engineer, he reckons this stuff holds like nothing else. I know I could get them redone by the importers of Marz, but why send them away when it's something that I could do in my shed...

Now, in this rebuild, I've decided to do a slight amount of body work to the forks, sand a few things down, give them smoother lines and make them look a whole lot better in the process.
A thing that really annoys me, is the horrid brake mounts. They stick out and really wreck the look of the forks. But I know the brake bolt is crucial to holding the forks together....

So, the question:
I'm wondering, if I was to grind the mounts off, and just rely on the loctite to hold my forks together, if I'll have any major issues? Am I crazy for wanting to do this? If the loctite is as good as it's supposed to be, then I could get away with it, yeh?
I need some advice (and professional help too ) So, is it doable? Or should I just ignore the fact that these are ugly forks, and move on with my life?

Edit: Loctite 680 I'm using, for those who know how to decipher data sheets, check here http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/680.pdf

 

[Frankenschwinn]

You can NOT remove the brake bosses. The bolts that go through them hold the arch and the sliders together. Loctite is not designed to bond items together, it is to bond threads together...

Maybe some JB Weld

 

[RaID]

Originally posted by Frankenschwinn
You can NOT remove the brake bosses. The bolts that go through them hold the arch and the sliders together. Loctite is not designed to bond items together, it is to bond threads together...

Maybe some JB Weld

loctite makes other products then just to bond threads
so which include adhesisves to bond together stuff

 

[Frankenschwinn]

But I still would not glue my fork together.

 

[RaID]

oh yeh forgot to add that
yes i would also not glue my fork together

although that stuff they make is pretty bloody tough

 

[Kornphlake]

if your fork were plastic I'd say you might as well glue it but you just won't get acceptable strength without a bolt going through the boss. I'd suggest gettting a button head cap screw and call it good. I don't really thing the '02 forks are that ugly though.

 

[MikeD]

You have 2 options with the bolts: Spring for the $12 disc only marzo bolt kit, or hacksaw/grind the posts off the current bolts. Both work just fine.

Dunno about the bonding compounds, but I'd make sure the drops were parrallel for sure before anything sets...obviously, inserting the axle will do the trick.

 

[KL]

Originally posted by Rik
Or should I just ignore the fact that these are ugly forks, and move on with my life?

Yes, do that. Don't take a chance just for the "looks" of the fork. If it fails it WILL NOT be worth it.

KL

 

[bomberz1qr20]

Originally posted by KL
Yes, do that. Don't take a chance just for the "looks" of the fork. If it fails it WILL NOT be worth it.

KL

If you do ride this fork, buy extra dental insurance.

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by Frankenschwinn
Loctite is not designed to bond items together, it is to bond threads together...

Obviously you didn't read the product info I linked to. 680 is a "high strength anaerobic retaining adhesive designed for cylindrical joints".

Anyway, I've already had the brake bosses cut so they're low profile, but I still think the bits sticking out are ugly. I know it's a long way to go just for aesthetics, but I can be pedantic about some things

 

[MikeD]

I think you should call Marzocchi and tell them how easily the lowers slid apart...see what they say. I thought the arches were tightly bonded, aside from the bolts...if there's a problem with the bond, they'll probably service them for free or a nominal fee. At that point, though, don't repaint them, at least until you get the lowers back. They probably wouldn't touch them once you've painted or (especially) powdercoated.

And if the aesthetics of the posts bother you that much, just buy the zocchi bolt kit.

MD

 

[monkeyboy424]

i went to my local hardware store and found bolts that were the same thickness of the marz brake bosses and just suck those in there. it worked great for the wekk i used the fork. (the internals were ****ed)

oh BTW it was an 01 or 02 marz z4.

 

[Rik]

monkeyboy, just a note, you should be using the Marzocchi bolts. If you look at them, they have a bigger diameter where the slide through the brace part, this acts as a sleeve fitting to help give a bit more surface area to keep the forks together.

MikeD, I thought they were a tight bond too... I have a feeling this is an early production model, as where (I assume they're later) other ones had an O ring between the lower and the brace, this doesn't. When I cleaned the sleeve, it appeared that there was no sign of bonding material used at all. Weird...
The only reason I have stopped myself from sending them back to the marz importers to get them redone, is the guys here have just moved warehouse and haven't set up the workshop, so we're looking at a fairly long turnaround... and I thought, well if I don't need any special tools to do this, I might as well do it myself. And then I was inspired to go a step further and grind stuff that I shouldn't be grinding. Anyway, I have an idea... I'll test the strength of the bond by itself without the bolts, and if it holds up, then I'll follow through with it. if it lets go, then I'll clean it all up, redo the bond, then leave the bolts in. I think I need to find something more productive to do with my time