Stumped, help! 4.5" spacer on top of spring

[Rockthehellout]

When mocking up the stance of my 76 cb750, I have the fork tubes slid 3.5 inches up the trees. The PO wanted this thing to be a cruiser, including the old header mounted cruiser foot rests...awesome. Tonight I popped the caps off the forks, and WHAM...nothing happened. I look down to find a steel spacer 4.5" long on top of a spring 18.5" long. My question is two parted, mostly since the allen bolt at the bottom of the fork is stripped and that will likely take me a day to extract based on previous history with stripped bolts on this bike.

One, what are the odds that there is an additional spacer on the dampener, and this guy just wanted to rake the forks out?

Two, if I cut this spacer down, it will in effect lower the front end (and yes, will reduce travel), but how much can I get away with here? My goal was to cut the springs, space the bottom of the damper, and lose the 3.5" sticking out of the triple tree.

With no oil (amateur hour, but unsure if this affects anything), and the fork full extended, there is no spacer sticking out of the fork tube, nor do I need to put any pressure on the cap to thread it in. The forks bottom out on the tubes without the spacer in.

Any help or advice is appreciated!

 

[SONICJK]

A spacer on top is likely just a preload spacer and won't do much for height.
To change the height you need to change (lengthen) the lower spacer on the damper like you originally said.

http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7330

 

[xb33bsa]

3.5" good luck with that, you may just win the darwin award
put the wrenches down sell the bike and get back on your skateboard

 

[SONICJK]

3.5" good luck with that, you may just win the darwin award
put the wrenches down sell the bike and get back on your skateboard

This is also a good, although not eloquently put, point.
Unless the PO raised the forks, dropping them 3.5" is going to be way too much, will kill your handling, and possibly you as well.

 

[xb33bsa]

it is possible they are longer than stock stanchion tubes i hadn't thought of that they were available and commomly used back in the day
if that is the case the only option is shortening the stanchion tubes or replacing with stockers

 

[coyote13]

Good point, he did say the PO wanted it to be a "cruiser." Wouldn't be surprised to see some 6 over forks on that bad boy.

 

[SONICJK]

Re: Stumped, help! 4.5" spacer on top of spring

Yup I was thinking. 3.5 over Tubes would be the only reason for a 3.5" preload spacer on an old bike

 

[Rockthehellout]

When I laid down last night I started mulling it over and yeah, longer fork tubes seemed to be the only logical explanation. On my way out, while already 5 minutes late, I threw a measuring tape on it and it shows 23.5" from top to the slider (with no cap on top of the tube) fully extended. OEM should have been somewhere around 22-23" from what I've been able to pull up, correct? if I'm showing over 23" with the slider on, there has to be some additional length in the slider yeah?

 

[xb33bsa]

that sounds long, way long somebody can measure a stocker for you
looks like you will need stock tubes or shorten yours,or sell yours to some chopper cult feller
back in the day,there was even "slugs" available that were screw in extensions but you would be able to see a parting line
post up some pics

 

[Tim]

You need to take the forks apart anyhow so start by doing that. Then you can measure the tubes and maybe you'll even see Frank's name stamped on them somewhere.

When tackling the allen bolt at the bottom of the slider use an impact driver and get the right tool to hold the dampening rod inside the fork or at least assemble the fork so the spring is tensioned and helps to hold the dampening rod from turning with that bolt.