Ride, Wrench, Swap, Race
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northern California
Posts: 9,193
Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.
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I did one like this, an Italian bike, Paletti, Basso or something.
What I used was a rear axle threaded through the mounting hole, then another axle in the still-big end of the slot.
Using two big adjustable wrenches (15" and 18" I think), I gripped both axles with each wrench, one to each side of the dropout.
Then I was able to apply torque to force open the slot.
I got nervous as I approached the needed slot opening width, so I stopped short of the full 10mm and went in with a file to the lower run of the dropout slot until an axle just passed all the way through the slot.
That bike has moved on, but it seemed ok for some months while my friend still used it.
I forget how it happened, but it wasn't from shipping. I think that he dropped it in his garage.