This is sort of a cross post from the Mechanics forum.

Ive got a old 1963 Raleigh (Huffy) sportsman with cottered cranks.

Ive regreased the spindle but i cant get the cups right.....or there is somthing wrong the with cups because i now have play in the spindle at certain spots. IF i turn it a feel some resistance in spots and it is loose in others upon rotating the spindle. Not the same spot on every revolution. Ive tried new bearings......and ive also tried a different raleigh spindle that took forever to source. because i saw a ridge on the bearing surface of my old one. THat didnt do it. it still remains. I do beleive the bb is that damn witworth threading which makes this even more ridiculous. The adj cup seems fine. No pitting or wear that i can see. IM wondering if the shel is warped or cast badly which seems odd because these are built like tanks. .......or maybe the casting of the cups is messed up? I would think that this would lead to consistent looseness and binding per the revolution of the spindle so that almost doesnt make sense.

I have no idea what is going on here. Driving me crazy.

Was it doing this before you greased the bearings? If it is Raleigh than yes it has Whitworth threading.

You note that the adjustable cup is fine, but what about the drive side? Are you getting play with the crank arms installed or without? And you have 11 bearings per side in there (I think that's what it's supposed to be!)?

Neal

yes....that is why i wanted to open it up and see if it was bone dry....hence the pulling it apart. Weirdest damn thing ever. I cant figure it out.

There is a cup set on the ebay but $45 ?? Not sure i want to go down that road especially if that isnt going to solve it.

I can feel it without installing the crank arms. I dont want to install cotters with it in this condition or ill just have to take them back out again to sort this out.

I'm having very similar symptoms with a Raleigh Sports that I think was in a wreck.

That's what I'm thinking. I've been thinking about getting the bottom bracket refaced, but I can't figure out how the stiffeness/play wouldn't be in the same places each revolution . . . maybe the bearings wind up in slightly different spots as you turn it?

I have completely changed out the bottom bracket assembly with one that worked flawlessly in another frame (though I didn't change the fixed cup).

hmm....i wonder if a poor facing could cause this? IT would have to be fouled up from the factory which i highly doubt. IM running out of ideas. It is a awesome bike but im losing hope.

Losing hope?
How bad is it? Does it go real tight, and then loose, or does it just slightly drag?
I know I like bb's to roll very smoothly with no play, but it is a Raleigh Sport, not a racing bike.
You might try getting it as good as you can and build it up and ride it, you might not feel anything in actual use.

If you are turning the spindle with your fingers and there's a discontinuity of just thousandth of inch in the cup or even the diameter of the balls, you'll likely feel it, like a sore thumb.
If you don't want to install the crank use a vice grip instead, and readjust it till it spins freely - If you can't get it to, THEN I might explore the $45 solution.

Tight then loose.....so i can feel play. Sometimes i can spin it a few revs and then it catches and is tight....if i force it past the tightness.....it smooth....loose....etc. Your right...it is just a sport...but i hate putting things together all mucked up. IM not a perfectionist but ......well you know. I hate thinking im doing more damage. OF course it isnt doing any good sitting in the garage in pieces either.

i might try another new set of bearings to just to be sure. Heck....they are cheap enough. I should probably pull the fixed cup as well. From what i gather with a magnifying glass it looks perfect but maybe im not seeing it properly.

Pulling the fixed cup is always an iffy situation, you may just muck everything up worse, they are usually frozen in there pretty good.

It could be that facing it would help, but it's a big job, especially if getting the fixed cup out proves to be difficult. Facing the BB shell ensures that the two cups are parallel. Of course, it could be warped, as you say, but I don't know if I've ever heard of that happening. Chasing the threads would take care of that, but I'm sure there's no Whitworth tap available! You could tap the BB shell out to Italian threads but then you'd have to change the cups and maybe the whole BB and maybe the crank, too.

I am no expert; I've only overhauled 4 Raleigh 26tpi BBs, but I encountered a similar situation on one of the Raleigh Sports. The cups were fine, new ball bearings, and a nice unmarked spindle. My solution was to tighten the cups a little more than needed - the spindle felt notchy when turned by hand. Once the cranks were installed, it turned smoothly. Although a little difficult, you can fine tune the cup once the crank is installed.

Also, I can attest to the efficiency of the fixed cup remover tool that Bikesmith Design sells. Like the others, however, I don't think you need to remove it.

Don't take the fixed cup out unless you really have to - I stripped the thread trying to get mine back in again. Someone told me how to do it but no one warned me it was a bad idea! With all the frame tubes joining at the BB surely some resistance is normal? I'm no expert though!

Raleigh quality is inconsistent although it tends to be better with the higher production models like the Sports than it was with their higher end models...

The symptoms described are probably being caused by a bent spindle which is often caused by improper removal of the cotters pins... if you drive then out with a punch and do not support the crank arm this is what can happen and it does not take much of a bend to throw everything off.

This is why the crank spins smoothly for part of it's rotation and then runs rough... a new spindle is not expensive although finding one in the right length might take a little looking in the secondary market.

I have had good success re-tapping Raleigh bottom brackets to 24 tpi although re-tapping to Italian (if the threads are damaged) is another good option. Re-facing the bottom bracket is usually needed as Raleigh bottom brackets can also be non standard.

We've both switched out the spindle; Mine was installed with perfect adjustment in another bicycle.

I think I'll do this, get it built up and ride it for a bit, and then decide if I want to pursue having it refaced or something else.

Let us know how yours turns out, Scale.

Sixty Fiver, I just learned a few fascinating things from you! First, that the Sports was better made than higher models. Then again, given how immensely reliable that bike is, I should have known. Yes, Raleigh quality had very wide variations. 1975-1979 (or so) seem to be the worst years. As an aside, have you seen Dawes bikes from that era? It was almost as if British national pride was based on grotesque brazing.

I've heard of retapping to a different pitch, but I don't understand how that can work. You have new valleys where peaks used to be, plus old valleys, so how can the threads hold up? And I assume the valleys are of the same depth.

Scale, it's possible both spindles are bent. Roll them over a horizontal pane of glass and observe with your eyes close to the glass.