New wheel install questions

[Jdsmitty10]

I just installed my wheels on my deuce. front was a breeze of course. The back was a different story. The 180-55-18 wheels and tires were very tight to fit. here are my predicaments/questions. on the caliper, the (right) brake pad looks like it is pushed left not allowing my wheel to go as far right as i think it should go. here is a pic..



also, the caliper doesnt seem to be going on to the swingarm where it orignially was..look at pic to see the scrape where the caliper used to be..



this is causing the tight clearance of the pulley on the other side..as you can see i have paper wedged between the pulley and the swingarm for now until i get everything pushed over. and I may need an extra 1/16-1/8" spacer on the outside of the pulley depending..



Can someone tell me what i need to do to get everthing pushed over to the right? I think its mainly held up by the brake pad..

 

[HDDon]

When you purchased the new wheels did the supplier supply you with new spacers? If you used the old spacers are you sure you got them back on the right side, or the same side they came off of?

 

[Jdsmitty10]

When you purchased the new wheels did the supplier supply you with new spacers? If you used the old spacers are you sure you got them back on the right side, or the same side they came off of?

No new spacers were not supplied. I have the spacers in the original location. I think its just a tweak adjustment. The tire from the rear is centered in the fender(by eye). maybe it is an alignment issue? I didnt mess with the axle tensioners from the stock setup..could they need messed with?

 

[wilks3]

My guess is new wheel has different offsets. Wheel centered in fender is not always right. Read that here someplace.
wilks3

 

[Slapp]

Measure the thickness of the old wheel at the hub verses the new wheel at the hub, alien the wheel so the brake rotor is sitting even in the brake caliper with no spacers on the axle, now ensure your belt is aliened as well, then mesure the distance on each side between the frame and the wheel and this should give you the proper thickness of the spacers. You may need to have some new spacers of diffrent thickness put in. You can order new spaces in what ever size you need or go to a local machinist and have them make some of the proper thickness.
Good luck and be safe, better to do it right than have that brake lock up on you.

 

[Jdsmitty10]

I think i figured out the problem.. the little rubber thing on the brake caliper got bent up between the caliper and the caliper bracket(swingarm) that is keeping everything from sliding over to where it should be.. I gotta pull the spacers and caliper slightly out to remove the pulley anyway to ship back for bad chrome i spotted.. nothing can be easy.......

 

[Mad Dog Jim]

I've had the same problem. I clean that flange on the frame real good then put just a dab of silicone lube on it so it slips on easier.

 

[Jdsmitty10]

Any ideas on the best way to pry the brake piston/pad back..Dont know if it got bumped or what, but if you look at the first pic in this thread it looks like the piston is pushed over some...i used a shim to keep it from being squeezed, but i guess somehow it did..

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Clean the exposed piston with pipe cleaner or strop with an old shoe lace. Then hose with a bit of water on a rag...all this to make sure you do not drive dirt into the piston bores. Next use a putty knife and wooden paint stirring stick to protect the disc rotor...then a screwdriver for more leveraging against the stick. If you are going to replace the pads, you can pry directly against the old pads. Slapp has a good suggestion to determine the proper thickness of the space, but you should use a caliper/thickness guage to ensure you have it centered in the disc stroke range. And make sure 1/8" or more clearance from the belt, as it is Kevlar which will easily saw your tire to shreds.

 

[Jdsmitty10]

Thanks for the tips. As far as tire/ belt clearance, they look no closer than stock which was quite close.