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Need advice on front seal replacement CB450P

Galaxie406

Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2020
Total Posts
39
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Location
Apple Valley, CA USA
Greetings, before I damage something on the 450 Police project I need to ask some advice. My 1968 CB450 came with a CL450 front end and I need to replace the seals. I have both tubes off the bike, I have removed the bottom screw holding the internal piston and I have removed the oil seal snap ring and have placed the lower housing in a vice using the tube as a slide hammer but not luck separating the two. Am I missing something or do I just need to get more persuasive.

The FSM that was here on the site shows a CB450 front end. Reading the book, it never mentions removing the screw that holds the damper piston for disassembly. Is that something I shouldn't have done?

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Before we can answer, we NEED to know the "K" of the CL front end.....
Top bolt or pinch clamp at/on the bridge?
Was the bottom screw a cross-head or a hex socket head?

Feel free to phone....540-525-5199...Steve
 
Steve,
I will assume it's a CL450K1 front end as it is original. Phillips head on the lower bolt.
Not exactly sure on the clamping question so I have uploaded a couple of photos taken prior to dis assembly

All of the videos that I have seen just show using the lower fork tube as a slide hammer to get them apart, I am thinking that the seals could be a bit stuck after 50+ years.
 

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On the old lowers, you should not take out the JIS (phillips-like) screw at the bottom, it will only cause you grief. You should put it back in. The snap ring above the seal is what holds these forks together and the slide-hammer technique is correct for removing the seals, they are just stuck as you surmised. Your forks are the bolt-through version, not the clamped version. The reference is to the top bridge and how the tubes are mounted in it, the clamped version being the later forks on the bikes with disc brake
 
Thanks Acientdad,

I will try to put the screw back in but I may need to pick up another as the head got a little buggered removing it. Thanks again for the input and direction!
Btw Love the site.
 
Btw Love the site.

Thanks! We try... and we did previously at another forum, but the appreciation factor was a lot more muted there, especially by the management. Here, WE DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM.

Just making sure I said it loud enough so those who "know very well what we're doing here" will hear it...
 
I rebuilt K1 forks like yours recently and removed the screws so I could get everything completely clean. I had to use a very long 1/4” extension and a socket that I could apply pressure on to “bite” the conical piece down in the tube and hold it from turning when I was reinstalling. I used new copper washers on the screws too but I still ended up with a minuscule annoying leak on one leg.
As for removing the old seals, one came out easy with the slide hammer method you described, the other one took a good bit of heat from a mini butane torch to coax it out.
Hopefully your snap rings are in good condition. I had to replace one because of too much corrosion and eventually had to modify one I found at Grainger to get things to work. The only other option would have been an expensive order to CMSNL for one snap ring.
 
Picked up a new tube bolt today to lock in the lower portion of the damper, went with 6mm allen instead of #3 Philips. Finally got the lower section to pop the seal loose so I have made a little headway today amongst numerous other projects. Tomorrow, clean up tubes (inside and out) sand, prime, paint and install new seals.
Btw, should this topic be moved into the 450 section?
 
Btw, should this topic be moved into the 450 section?

I left it in the Technical section because it is a learning situation and the forks are the same as the other 450s, but I was tempted to move it into our new Police models section
 
It would be good for it to be in the Police bike section for anyone in the future working on said bike that might be looking to find and compare information. However, it might get more exposure and therefore attentive help in the 450 section.
 
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