Thanx to list member Harvey Sachs for helping me to get my clamp-less Suntour Superbe Lever (campy-clamp type) back on the road. Harvey said that he had used a MAFAC clamp to repair a Campagnolo lever once.
Going through my junk-parts bin, I found a set of Favorit brake levers of the lowest possible quality, corroded, part of a 10 lbs $8 parts-buy, that undoubtedly would never see service again. I removed the clamp and tried it in the Superbe levers, but the bolt was too short.
I have pre-purchased a full smorgasboard of M4-M6 stainless hardware (it's hard to find) over the past year when visiting various hardware stores. I found a M5 25mm bolt, 2 washers, and a nut. I ground down the sides of the bolt head with my dremel, then polished it up again. Then, using a flap wheel and sandpaper, I polished up the lever clamp to be like new. Then, I brush plated it with my brush chroming set.
As a result, I repaired the penultimate brake with small parts from one of the most humble brake levers in history ...
What a great feeling !! What is your greatest kluge to get high end stuff back onto the road ?? Thanx, Harvey !!
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA