Any hope for saving this swingarm?

[rg97]

The pics below are of my 83 X swinger, which i felt needed the bearings replaced. I took it apart only to find that the who inside was rusted out, bearings and almost everything. the long tube inside was in ok shape, but where the bearings sit it was very rough. im trying to find a replacement that is relatively cheap. plus, whenever I tried to remove the old bearings, all i got was lots of small needle-bearing pieces, all rusted and providing basically no support. just wondering if i will be able to save the swinger, without having to buy a eBay one. maybe i can drill out the old bearings?

[Xfile]

I dont recommend this unless your good with a cutting torch....but if you heat a line of metal in the outer bearing race red hot (it will heat much faster than the swing arm material) and then give it a quick blast of oxygen it will blow a line in the bearing race metal and you can peel them right out. I've done 5 or so like that now with no problems. You can pick up the complete bearing kit with center collar from all balls bearings for about $40.

[Yamaha_Rules69]

I see you have the outer race slightly folded in, and it dosent look too rusty on that side, so there is hope! First thing to do is get a good penetrating oil, the best is 50/50 mix of power steering fluid and acetone. Mix them in a container, and shake it up real good. You can put it in a spray bottle if you want. Otherwise try PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench, they are 10X better than wd 40. Soak both sides real good overnight or longer, if you feel is necessary. Next thing to do is get a torch, I used just a propane, and it was worked for me. Heat the outside of the swingarm where the bearing sits, do one side at a time. Heat it for a long time if using a propane torch, at least 5 minutes, it needs to get HOT! Once its really hot, use a punch or chissel or whatever you use to hit them. I used the inside steel tube, and it worked good but wrecked it. I was going to use the plastic delrin bushings anyway, so it didnt matter to me. If you didnt chew the bearings up too bad, get it hot and they will come out!
I have had one that I had to use a Sawsall on, it worked, but you have to be careful, and be prepared to destroy the teeth on a few blades. Other option is to bring it to a shop, where they will use a large drill bit in the drill press, slightly larger that the OD of the bearing race. The bearing will catch and spin out if your lucky.
Last option is a special tool called a blind bearing puller. There are two designs, one with a slide , and one where you just use a punch and . They are a universal type tool, and come with different size collets. Its hard to say if it will work in this application, but if an auto parts store around you has them for rent it may be worth a shot.
Good luck, and let us know how you get them out!

Heres a link to what a blind bearing puller is - this is a cheap one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/5PC-BLIND-HO...11119f&vxp=mtr

[Jason125m]

I use a long 3/8 extension with a socket on it that is a tiny bit smaller then the ID of the bearings, it will work better then a punch. Good luck, it is savable.

[90guy]

Last resort like what I ended up doin a few times. Dremel tool just be extremely careful!

[falloutboy]

The key is to relieve the tension of the race if you aren't able to get a bite on it to punch it out. Like others said, either heat it up and cut a line, whether its a cutting torch (makes me nervous) or a fine chisel to cut through the red hot race. Also, as 90guy said, a dremel could work. I would grind/sand/file a thin spot in the race until you just barely get through. You don't want to enlarge your swing arm pivot bore, or misshape it. That should create enough of a gap to let it release. Just take your time and be patient.