Thank you! I've got the spindle out today. Gonna try some things before I replace it. There's a cuff in the middle of the spindle. The placement of the cuff determines the right/left placement of the spindle and thus cranks. It slides a bit when I tap it with the plastic hammer. I have some ideas about making it stay put.
1. What if I remove the cuff, scour the surface of the middle of the spindle, and replace the cuff in the correct position. Shouldn't that make it harder for it to move? Sort of like how the stem and handlebars come together.
2. What if I remove the cuff, clean any oil / grease that's gotten in there, and replace the cuff. Not as robust a plan as #1, but maybe it's all that is needed.
3. This is the nuclear option. What if I do idea 2, and then have my friend (very experienced welder of bikes) spot weld the cuff to the spindle? I'm already worried that the heat could bend the spindle, or compromise its strength in a way that it will one day snap in half via a crack created by the act of welding. As I am not an experienced welder, I just don't know.
