Sliding Seal in alloy chaincases

[MikeM.]

Does anyone know if it is possible to get new parts for the floating seal that the gear box shaft runs through in the rear half of the alloy chaincases. The swaged bush that holds the two plates together on my singles chaincase has lost about a quarter of its inner edge and what is really needed is a new "bush" to replace it. Should I manage to get a bush for the seal, all that is then needed is a tool to re-assemble the parts.
MikeM.

[Don Madden]

Having the same problem, I made a simple tool to form the crimped "bush". Over here in the U.S. we have what we call thin wall conduit, (EMT), to house electrical wiring. The material is mild drawn steel & is very easy to work. Of the various sizes, one is just the ID of the sliding seal. I took a piece of mild steel round stock a little larger than the tubing & turned steps on each end of a size that would slip into the tubing. The step at one end has a large radius at the inside corner, the other a sharp inside corner. To make the retaining ring, I cut a suitable length of tube, slip it on the radiused end of the tube, & squeeze it in the vise. The radius causes the tube to flair out into a flange. Reversing the tool & squeezing squares the edge similar to the original. The slip seal is assembled with the case, the inside supported on a block & the second side of the tube is formed but using a hammer as I don't have a press. Don't press them too tight or the plates will deform. If the round plates are too badly damaged, I make new ones from the top & bottom of a tin can of suitable size.
My opologies if this is lengthy but one pictiure would be better than 1000 words.
Cheers, Don Madden.

[MikeM.]

Thanks for the tips Don, I shall have to see if I can find some steel tubing in 20 or 22 gauge then get a mate to turn up the necessary tooling. I think he may have access to a fly press which would be usefull.
MikeM.

[Don Madden]

Fly press? We generally swat 'em over on this side of the pond, except in Texas where they use a .44 Colt. Ah, "Two great peoples, separated by a common language". But what did G. B. Shaw know? He was Irish!
Cheers, Don Madden.