karmat

I have a vintage Peugeot with a Campagnolo Nuovo Record bottom bracket (and spindle) and pretty Nervar Star cranks. The left arm came loose one day and is now slightly deformed, but not dimpled. It's more like the spindle dug in to the arm more than it should have, but not on the corners--rather on the sides. It can be tightened down but it appears to wobble unnoticeably, but audibly, on the spindle. I hope this pretty old crank set isn't toast. If I could in some way shim the crank it would fit but I can't think of anything suitably corrosion resistant, thin enough, and strong enough. Would fitting a JIS spindle help? The NR BB and the crank are ISO and I was thinking that the fatter JIS spindle might fix it. Anyone have any known remedies or helpful advice?

Cheers,
Karl

DMF 

JB Weld?

karmat

Hmm, well I suppose that's possible. If I can't come up with something that seems more likely to work I guess I'll try that. Worst thing that would happen is it would be unusable, which it is now. If anyone else has any ideas, though, please share!

Karl

DMF 

I'm not entirely sure what damage you're describing, but bottom line is that if the arm wobbles on the spindle then the hole is flared and short of re-broaching it (something only a professional machinist should attempt) they're toast.

OTOH, you say that you can hear/feel the wobble but can't see it. Are you 100% sure that it's the arm wobbling on the spindle and not bearing play that you're feeling?

Here's something to try: Use some machinists dye and see if you can illustrate the interference fit. As you set the arm onto the spindle, the dye will wear off where the parts rub together and you'll be able to see the relative shape of the parts. No, a different spindle taper won't solve it if the hole is flared, but it might seat a little differently. You could try it but it's not something I would do.

In any case, if the arm is toast it won't hurt to keep riding it as long as you can stand to re-tighten frequently. It'll just become progressively more flared when it loosens and if kept tight might last quite a while. Then you can start thinking seriously about epoxy.

karmat

I'm looking for a new crank set or arm. That way I can fix this one when I don't need it daily. Thanks for the advice. Anyone know where I can find a set of Nervar Star cranks? None on Ebay at the moment.

Cheers,
Karl