Jerry, there have been some good suggestions for removing the FW; let me offer my variants. First, you don't say if it is a Suntour Perfect or a Winner. The former is still very common, and can be sacrificed if needed.
So, i would start by taking the FW apart. The cone ring is LH thread, and I usually start it with a little pin driver. The Winner differs in having a proper lock ring for the cone. Just pull the stuff off, saving the ball bearings, pawls, and springs. Now, you have two options: Disassemble the FW you want to put on, and reassemble its outer parts on the stuck inner is one way to go. Since you can pull off the inner cogs on a Suntour w/o removing the FW, if you plan to stay with Suntour there is no real reason to take the core off the hub, even to replace spokes.
The more elegant and long-term better approach begins by gently clamping the core in a sturdy bench vise. DON't use a pipe wrench for this, since it will try to deform the threads and crush the aluminum hub body. Just gently clasp it in the vise. Now turn the wheel to remove it.
Still stuck? My next step is to cut a slot in the fw with a Dremel (actually, I'd finish this with a die grinder with a carbide bit. Cutting a slot in the hub threads is not a grave sin, but don't go deeper than needed. Now you can unwrap the FW from the hub without further damage.
Caution: all of these approaches should only be attempted when there are no children within a km or so, as otherwise they might learn an entirely new vocabulary.
harvey sachs mcLean va usa. (where there are a few spare Suntour FW for emergencies, and where the Suntour is held in far higher regard than the Regina of the same era).
+++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 10:10:12 -0800 From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> To: CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: Message-ID: <480480.15148.qm@web82205.mail.mud.yahoo.com> In-Reply-To: <868839.40882.qm@web82203.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Precedence: list Reply-To: jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net Message: 1
When disassembing the Romic touring bike I was unable to remove the SunTour FW from the very nice Sunshine ProAm rear hub. I really want to use the original wheels, but want to change FW size.
I tried the huge crescent wrench and even clamping the remover in a bench vice and turning the wheel. Also applied Kroil, even though Kroil has yet to free up anther stuck FW in about three months of trying. I even heated the FW with a propane torch, no luck. I applied the heat to the inner cog of the FW, but so far haven't heated the alloy hub flange directly. Dare I apply the flame to the hub, or will aluminum alloy melt at that temperature? Any other secret ticks? Coca-Cola? Ammonia? I've removed FWs with stripped notches before by removing the outer body and clamping the inner FW body in a bench vice, which of course destroys the FW. I'd be willing to sacrifice the FW, but I don't think this would help, as the bench vice isn't working with the remover clamped in it, so I think tearing down the FW might only make things worse.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA