HOME and how to join › Forum › Open Area › General Scott topics › My Dowty Forks on my 1947 flyer
My Dowty forks were losing air, so I decided I should grasp the nettle and take a look inside.
I managed to get my forks apart without damage following the loan of the special spanner from a very good friend.
But where to from here?
Nothing seems to want to come apart, and I am not going to force anything!
Is there strip/rebuild instructions out there anywhere?
I should be most grateful for help (I also need a supplier of seals etc.)
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John Smith
I too am in the same position but mine are in bits so if it’ll help I can e-mail you some pictures so you’ll know what you are looking at.
My upper outer tubes are lightly pitted on the inside and I would not think that anything less than perfect would be reliable. I doubt there is a cost effective restoration process therefore you will need 1.625″ ID x 1.875″ OD hydraulic tube or at least solid drawn tube. In this metric age, (when did you last 0.25 an orange? – b****y metrication!!!), that might be a problem. It is the I’D’ that is important so if a larger O.D. can be found I can turn it down with little trouble. If you can source any I’d like to know by the way as I’ve not started looking yet. There is one other possibility that eliminates the sliding seal altogether but although I know the technology exists and is proven in other applications I have not been able to locate a manufacturer yet.
I understand that the Velocette Club can do the seals althought I do not know if the Dowtys used on Velocettes were exactly the same. I have also been told that not all Scott / Dowtys are the same either so check.
As a last resort there is a spring conversion I’m told.
And no I don’t know why I.D. shows as I’D’ I tried to change it and it wouldn’t!
David Elgar
Thanks for the offer to email pictures David. Anything you have could be a help!
My address is jonnann@UKOnline.co.uk
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers, John
When I was running the Spares Scheme I had sets of new seals with installation instructions, which were transferred to Gill Swan when she took over from me. Have you asked her?…..If they have all gone and not been restocked all I can suggest is to try the Panther Spares scheme as that is where they came from. AJW, Scott, Panther,Velocette, and Sarolea all used these forks but with external differences in wheel fixing lugs, trail, and yoke variations, etc..I think that seals were all the same though.Strip down and reassembly articles should be in Technicalities.