IknowURider

I will eventually need to replace the drive side drop on a beautiful near mint Fuji S-12.

I assume they used SunTour drops, wonder if they are still available, and what is the ballpark market rate to get this done?

Thanks

Live Wire 

A swap like that would be about $75 + materials for a regular plate-type drop...no idea what kind of drops your bike has.
Then you'd have to do something about refinishing the area.

Andrew R Stewart 

A photo would provide much detail for us to further advise from. Is the drop out chromed? Are you sure that the bike has Sun Tour drop outs? (The early S-10S and S-12S did not, they had basic plate types). Why the perceived need to replace?

I suspect the actual replacement cost will run higher then LiveWire suggests. Andy.

IknowURider

They's Sun Tour, "Sun Tour" lettering is etched around the slot. The frame is a 441 Chromoly if that helps, I think it's just straight guage.

No chrome on the drop

The repaint part is not a problem, I can do it myself

Andrew R Stewart 

Good luck finding a SunTour drop out. The more likely bet will be using another which is close to the same key dimensions. Or have both drops replaced. Out of curiosity do you know the year of the bike? I sold the brand off and on from 1974 through the early 1980s. Andy.

Live Wire 

It very well could if the drop isn't directly replaceable with a 1010 style drop. I assumed an old Fuji would have a drop like that.

But, I was just quoting the charge from the last replacement I did. I probably should've added $50 to better reflect the big city costs the OP will probably get quoted...we can't all live in NM!

Andrew R Stewart 

LW- I'm not a real builder or doing routine repairs these days. But when i was I always found myself saying, to myself part way through the repair, "i should be getting more $ for this repair then i quoted".

With this repair I would expect some seat stay trimming or somehow lengthening, depending of the replacement drop out's slot to top of SS tab dimension. Since the original drop out hasn't been made for years the replacement will need to be chosen with care to avoid increased work.

I'm still curious as to why the drop out will need replacement. Andy.

IknowURider

Doh! I am pretty sure it's an 83, they went to better tubing , from Hi-ten (or whatever they called their gaspipe) I am typing this fro memory from a catalog search I did three years ago. I might be off by a year or two.

I have some drops from another jap frame, I think it's a Centurion, Tange higher end tube frame and they're more vertical and smaller in profile.

Can old drops be re-used and swapped? That frame has both. Or maybe it's too much time and hassle.

Thanks Andy

Andrew R Stewart 

Drop outs are probably the easiest and best parts to recycle. Fairly thick cross sections help deal with the heat cycles. They does take some minor work to take out of the old frame but the majority of the work is the clean up before refitting to the next frame. I save this effort for the drop outs that i really like but can't get any more. Andy.

IknowURider

oh cool, I'll post pics asap. Wonder if I can saw them off , leaving enough tag-ends of the tubes so the framer could put them in a vise , so I don't have to drag the whole frame to his shop. Turns out the drops are pretty similar, just a bigger triangle cut in the middle. Ok so then what would be a fair rate for both? (without paint)

Andrew R Stewart 

I have cut the stays about 2" from the drop outs before pulling off the remaining tube stubs. Yes, much easier to handle. I would let the frame repair guy you will use quote you. One aspect is whether the drop out tangs match up, new VS old, WRT the axle slot. Another is the shape of the drop out tab, have they been trimmed a lot and how loose/tight will they fit in the stay ends.

Depending on the skill and care of the repair guy and the complications (or not) of the fit up an hour or two per each drop out wouldn't be wrong. Andy.

IknowURider

cool, it might be worth a shot . If you had to order new drops, what's good these days? Do you know any good frame builders in CT?

Andrew R Stewart 

I tend to chose drop outs by the specs and not so much by the brand. I like a large der hanger length (I use lower gears then some). I like a close match of angle between the stays and the drop out tabs. I like single eyelets on most bikes I ride. I like tab style drop outs for their simplisity and their range of fit. I like verticals. Nova, Ritchey, Shimano are the three brands i usually use. (But this is not what you're looking for).

As far as CT builders, well there's a small guy that's been doing this game for a while. Name starts with a "R". last name is something like "Sex".

Really i don't keep up with the reagonal guys any longer. But the younger ones who quote a low price do so for a reason. I bet there are a dozen of VERY experienced builders within a 5 hour drive of centeral CT. Andy.

JohnDThompson 

I have a number of different types of NOS SunTour dropouts. Post a picture of yours and I'll let you know if I have a match.

JohnDThompson 

As it happens, Richard Sachs in Chester CT has these dropouts available at a bargain price:



Connecticut also has Peter Weigle, and probably other highly qualified builders: https://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/weigle_jp.htm

ironwood

There is also CircleA in Providence,www.circleacycles.com . They do repairs as well as build new frames.

IknowURider

Those are really pretty drops, Italian drops on a Fuji LOL. Thanks for the tips. I assume Sachs and Weigle would take forever to get this done, though. I saw a Weigle steel MTB frame on a ride once. Sweet.

ironwood

Weigle had something like a six year wait for a new frame. I don't know what it is now. I haven't dealt with Circle A myself but a friend was very impressed with them and their shop.

wasatchcnc

Don't forget to tap your local welder pool in Ct! There are lots of guys out there that are very capable to get you going and save you the money and hassle of traveling too far. The key is to look for someone that will do good fit up (axle spacing, and alignment).
I would also look at www.novacycles.com for dropouts. Lon Kennedy (owner) is by far one of the most knowledgeable suppliers of frame building components and should have what you are looking for.
I would be happy to help you find a good welder in your area as well!
Doug

ThermionicScott 

I'm still itching to know what's wrong with the existing dropout.

Andrew R Stewart 

Yes, inquiring minds want to know. Interesting that no follow up about this has yet been posted. Andy.

IknowURider

oh cool thanks! hang tight, I'll get to it...

IknowURider

Sorry, I've been off on other things lately. The hanger was stripped.

I learned later that you can re-tap the hole but around here that would probably be like 50.00. So I removed it , and went to a bolt-on hanger,

I have a Sun Tour VGT on it ,and it shifts okay enough for being my rain bike, but it eventually gets sloppy, top of der. cage grinds into the big cog, and I checked the chain wrap-around on the RD, etc. Next I'll try another derailleur but I sense that a hanger is the real deal.

I think the frame is nice enough to eventually repair,

JohnDThompson 

If it's just stripped, something like this would be a better fix, and much cheaper than replacing the dropout:

Scooper

That would be a nice clean fix, but it sounds like it's too late for that now.