restoring a Up-Tite 87 250 XC...

Evapo rust........a spray or dip? Who sells it?

Dip, I get mine at O'Reillys Auto Parts. The stuff is pretty amazing and I've used 2.5 gallons on this bike so far.

I get it from Autozone and have seen it at Harbor Freight stores as well. You can soak small parts in a container and I have sprayed it onto sheet metal with a refillable plastic spraybottle.

It's been awhile, so here's an update...
- Ohlins shock was sent out, it has been rebuilt and recharged. The adjust dial on the piggy back reservior was toast, waiting on parts from Ohlins USA.
- radiators have been pressure tested, broken off brackets welded back on, and painted. Now they're mounted back on the frame
- both wheel hubs have been cleaned and painted, new SKF wheel bearings installed
- new Buchanan SS spokes + nipples for both wheels arrived last week, nice looking spokes!
- front rim, which was in pretty good condition, I just re-laced to hub with the new spokes

However, the rear rim has issues. See below.
Even though the rim is aluminum, this is what happens to a rim when you leave a bike out in the wet weather for a long time. The metal is flaking at the top layer. Thankfully these rims are thick.

I may regret this later, but I went ahead and re-laced the rear wheel. I still have to tighten spokes and true it.

As you can see, the rear rim looks good on the spoke side, you would never know the tire side is a corroded mess.


This is the first time I have re-laced a rear wheel. What a pain! After some research and YouTube videos on how to lace a wheel, I still got it wrong 5-6 times before I got the technique right. There definitely is a technique to this type of Husky wheel. I should do a post on it.

please do. Looks nice

corroded mess???? looks fine to me...hhhahahahaa...
start a new thread with pics! would be a great resource for here, respoking a swede.
were the buchanan spokes a direct fit?

I was disappointed to see how bad it was, seeing how the inside of the rim looked so nice. I should have known something was up after I found all the spoke nipples rusted solid. At least 1/2 the spoke holes have sign of cracks or flaking.

No, the Buchanan spokes were a special order. They don't have template spokes for the late model Swedes. Only some conical hub Swedes. I sent in samples of both front and rear spokes. It took about a week to get them back. I had Buchanans save my work order so they can remake more when I need them.

Darrel78 has a spare rim for me, so when I re-lace again I'll take more pictures and post them.

the rims do look odd, as the corrosion is fairly deep! i run some wheels with more corrosion for sure, but its all very shallow.
one thing i have not attempted is spoking..

Ha, spoking is not really fun. More like a challenge of concentration. Thankfully, I had my 88 430 to study as an example.
I had so many failed attempts, but I got further every time. The best advice I found was here on CafeHusky.

Lacing Husky wheels can be a real pain at times. Personally I don't mind lacing wheels at all, it is relaxing to me. You just have to be patient....or a patient. LOL

I always send mine to a funny looking bloke in a small dark shed with a Gyro Gearloose propeller hat on...

Does anyone know what kind of seal the part #10 is? This 87 250 didn't have one.

Is it a metal washer / cap over the bearing? Does it press into the hub like the bearing or is snugged tight when the wheel is mounted in swing arm and axle bolt tightened?

None of my Huskys has it and I've never seen one.

I answered my own question... found one on the HVA Factory site... a double lip seal.

Ahhh... now I know why the rear hub's left side wheel bearing has to be pressed in deeper than right side... so this seal can press in.
They must not last long... as I said, never seen one.

they last a long time, for me anyway..they hold the axle spacer on the wheel.

Lacing a wheel is not hard physically its just a dam brain teaser. It took me 7 try's for the front and I pulled off the rear wheel the first try. Just remember if you ever powder coat a hub you need to make sure the head of the spoke properly seats down all the way. you can use a counter sinker in a cordless drill very carefully to remove the paint where the head seats down into the hub. If you powder coat a rim make sure that you tape the rim with masking tape as you lace it up to prevent scratching .

ive never replaced one yet either.

Can't say why my Huskys don't have them... I'm not the original owner. I'll be ordering some, for sure.

That's pretty good getting the rear wheel laced the first time, the rear wheel is definitely different and harder to lace correctly.
I can understand why powder coated hubs would cause problems. Good suggestion.

will definitely make changing wheel alot easier! seal fits alot of years as well