NO pliers, but how do I get it off?

I'v had hit or miss luck with a strap wrench. If the strap wrench doesn'y work I wrap a section of the strap around the cylinder and use pliers around it.

This one I think is from 70s or 80s. Has any one seen one like this? This is the only one I have ever seen, with no provision for removal. Is this a fluke or normal production?

Hi David, Having been an engine tech for many years,I have made tools to fit certain certain jobs,or in your case make the job fit the tool.Take a fine flat bastard file(sorry guys not cussin,thats what they are called)and carefully create two flat spots on the cylinder fins as the cox factory did,I did say carefully?Possibly fit it for your standard cox wrench,or a open end,or cresent,You may consider holding the crankcase/cylinder assy in a soft jaw vise tank and head removed to accomplish this finety.Just a thought,curious to hear what the rest of the forum do? Steady Hands, milocox

daviddiag wrote:This one I think is from 70s or 80s. Has any one seen one like this? This is the only one I have ever seen, with no provision for removal. Is this a fluke or normal production?

For some reason, Cox did manufacture slit cylinders with no reliefs for tools. I think they were dual bypass.

I have at least one that is mangled on the outside from pliers.

I got it off, with no marks and no crush! Lucky me! Leather did not provide enough grip. I stretch wound the lower part of the cylinder with some old Sig competition rubber that was in a sealed can that I had forgotten I had. Ah, the free flight rubber days! I used a small pair of pliers that the curve of the jaws closely matched the diameter of the cylinder and held the crankcase with a Cox wrench. The cylinder is in fact a duel by-pass. Thanks for the input boys. Pliers are part of life!

David

Have had good luck with this setup many times, after a good soak.

crankbndr wrote:Have had good luck with this setup many times, after a good soak.

I do the same thing i .e. wrap the sharp edges of cylinder removal tools in plastic foil before I place them on the cylinder to avoid or at least minimize scratches.

Quite recently I read here that the gun-blue fluid may repair scratches on the beautiful black fins of the COX cylinders so I went to the nearest gun shop, bought some of this fluid and am fully geared now to give COX engines a new life!!! (Thanks Rusty I guess it was you to drop this advice). Before that I used to paint the cylinders in heat-resistant black paint that also required some cooking afterwards in the kitchen owen and have left the surface uneven.

Gun blue is the thing we need here....

A method that I've read about but not tried is to drill a piece of wood the diameter of the cylinder, then saw the wood in half. Use the wood as a fixture to clamp the wood in a vise. The force is supposed to be distributed evenly around the cylinder so you can remove it from the crankcasse.

George

I file the top cooling fin to match the wrench.A bit of heat and some penetrating oil helps in exstream cases.Cox didn't put them together with pliers so don't take them apart with pliers.If you have a lathe with a collet bar and collets that will work also.

Mike1484

This was the answer I was looking for. I have four cylinders like this, all used but clean and new looking. Now I know what to do with them. Thanks.

Dave

DJDave44 wrote:This was the answer I was looking for. I have four cylinders like this, all used but clean and new looking. Now I know what to do with them. Thanks.

Dave

i personally used a dremel tool and very carefully cut the top fin on the cylinder to match the cox tool. works great and looks just like most of the normal cylinders which were not re-anodized after being cut. notice i said very carefully. if you cutoff too much you can still use a crescent wrench, but the cylinder looks a little funny with a fin cut short. happydad

Of course there's always the oft told method of using a good soak in Hoppe's #9 Gun Cleaning Solvent followed by the application of mild heat from a butane (or propane torch.

Be gentle mind you! Give the solvent some time do it's job. I seriously doubt that the problem was caused by overtightening.

(This has been covered here SO many times)

crankbndr wrote:Have had good luck with this setup many times, after a good soak.

bingo! but remember to add H E A T !!!!!!!!!

happydad wrote:

I personally used a dremel tool and very carefully cut the top fin on the cylinder to match the cox tool. works great and looks just like most of the normal cylinders which were not re-anodized after being cut. ...........

My approach, too. I use a cutoff wheel, but, like happydad posted, it does take a steady hand.

A points file or jewelers file may be used to clean up any burrs left by the Dremel. A touch of Cold Blue can be used to re-color the fin, but it must be absolutely clean for the blueing to work well.

andrew

daviddiag wrote:I got it off, with no marks and no crush! Lucky me! Leather did not provide enough grip. I stretch wound the lower part of the cylinder with some old Sig competition rubber that was in a sealed can that I had forgotten I had. Ah, the free flight rubber days! I used a small pair of pliers that the curve of the jaws closely matched the diameter of the cylinder and held the crankcase with a Cox wrench. The cylinder is in fact a duel by-pass. Thanks for the input boys. Pliers are part of life!

David

To kinda reverse your process, you can Tool-dip/Plasti-dip a set of Channel locks and basically get the same results,,which is what I do. I have several sets of jawed pliers that are double and triple dipped for accomplishing the same style of task without marring delicate surfaces,,from gunsmithing to model stuff. Ace hardware stocks the Yellow and red Plasti-dip and sometimes the black color. I cut a set of bench vice jaws out of aluminum angle and Plasti-dipped the project contacting surfaces for a tight no mar clamping surface.

Well heck, upon ocassion I've used a piece of conveyor belt rubber to cushion the fins from pliers or vice jaws. But that was before I went to the "soak & mild heat" routine.

I'd like to think I've learned a few things along the way.

SuperDave wrote:Well heck, upon ocassion I've used a piece of conveyor belt rubber to cushion the fins from pliers or vice jaws. But that was before I went to the "soak & mild heat" routine.

I'd like to think I've learned a few things along the way.

Never mind about bathtime Dave, what about the engines?