I managed to get the front rim all broken down today. Extra emphasis on the 'broken'. I managed to break off both of the casting lugs where the brake cable locks into place. The wheel bearings are all sorts of crunchy, and the axle doesn't look like it's seen grease since dinosaurs roamed the earth. The steering head bearings are also very bad, but I think they just need to be taken apart and cleaned. Once I got the brake hub out of the rim, it just kept getting worse and worse. The brake shoe friction material was completely separated from the backings and the springs were pretty badly rusted. The hub was full of corrosion and white aluminum rust, and the pivots for the brakes were frozen solid. I hosed everything down with penetrating lube, hopefully I can bring the pivots back. I already have to buy new front forks since the old damper rods are doing their best imitation of day old spaghetti. Not sure what I'm going to do about the brake cable castings. I may try to have them welded back on and machine them out, or if I can't get the brake pivots unstuck and usable, I may need to find a new front brake hub.
http://www.chinariders.net/attachmen...1&d=1539660777
http://www.chinariders.net/attachmen...1&d=1539660777