I've had this Columbia frame I've been holding onto for about 8 years with the intensions of building because my buddy has one and they are great riders. I was always missing the fork lowers, and the tubes on the forks were worn thin anyways, so after having a set of unknown fork lowers on ebay without selling a couple times and missing a couple deals on MTD forks, we got the crazy idea of making them work together.
Basically had a machine shop machine a step into a couple sections of solid cold roll round stock in order for them to slip into forks, and the lowers t o slip over the machined parts. Seemed to work out well. Funny thing is that after I already invested in this project, I was in my shed and found out what the lowers fit - ARCO. I have a purple one in the shed with the same lowers.
Here's the special machined parts:
The tubes on the fork uppers were cut down slightly for clearance for fork travel, then the machined parts were welded in, and then a plug weld up top to keep the parts from rattling inside the upper fork tubes.
Here they are assembled and still needing some spring material welded to the fork uppers for the springs to push against:
Basically had a machine shop machine a step into a couple sections of solid cold roll round stock in order for them to slip into forks, and the lowers t o slip over the machined parts. Seemed to work out well. Funny thing is that after I already invested in this project, I was in my shed and found out what the lowers fit - ARCO. I have a purple one in the shed with the same lowers.
Here's the special machined parts:
The tubes on the fork uppers were cut down slightly for clearance for fork travel, then the machined parts were welded in, and then a plug weld up top to keep the parts from rattling inside the upper fork tubes.
Here they are assembled and still needing some spring material welded to the fork uppers for the springs to push against: