robobike316 

I have an old Motobecane Grand Jubile with the original rear derailler. I want to switch it out to something else, probably something Suntour. The problem is the rear hanger on the frame has the 4 o'clock stop instead of the 7 o'clock stop. Is there a reasonably simple fix for this? I want to keep the frame as is, so no brazing on a new dropout. Perhaps there is a washer that was made back then. I can saw, drill, and bend but not braze. I know some of you are pretty good with the french weirdness.
Thanks,
Rob

gugie 

That's a Huret dropout, I've brazed filler in to make it into a standard 7 o'clock stop, but that's not what you want. I know that some have bent up some metal to adapt, I'm sure someone will come in shortly with a good solution.

John Nolan 

Here's one person's approach.

iab

You could use this derailleurin figure 2, works with a 4 o'clock stop. It will not be cheap.

bikemig 

A first gen campy gran sport works with a huret dropout? I didn't know that.

big chainring 

I was confronted with the same dilemma when I acquired a '73 Raleigh Competition frame. I ended up buying a Huret New Success derailleur on ebay. Very happy with it.
Note washer with stop on mounting bolt.

John E

Drive a small screw into the body of the derailleur to advance its contact with the stop on the dropout?

JohnDThompson 

Schwinn mounted "LeTour" derailleurs (Schwinn-branded Shimano Crane) on those dropouts, although they modified them slightly with a rectangular cut-out for the Shimano stop-tab:

iab

Works with the 4 o'clock stop. Not certain about threading.

bikemig 

That's cool. I have a Gran Sport; now I just need to find a bike with Huret drop outs,

bikemig 

Does the stop on the non-indexing Huret New Success RDs work with a Huret drop out? It would make sense that the stop would work with that but I haven't seen one in operation. Both the long and short cage Huret New Success are very good derailleurs (as are the ratcheting Huret downtube shifters).

bikemig 

I thought Schwinn used a washer that "pushed" the stop back so it was the same position as a campy drop out? Isn't that the most common solution?

iab

Hold on Hoss. You don't have that Gran Sport. There are 3 versions of the first gen Gran Sport produced in 1951 only. In 1952, the second gen came out. And of the 3 versions of the first gen, only the first two worked with the 4 o'clock stop. The third version and every generation that followed used the 7 o'clock stop.

I'm also told the first version of the first gen is crazy rare. I've been looking for the first or second version for well over a year now, no joy. There is currently the third version of the first gen on ebay Italy. It has the wrong jockey wheels and is missing the cable adjustment screw. Been for sale for a couple three months now. Would have been snapped up much more quickly 5-10 years ago.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325677016790

bikemig 

Well then I don't have the right Gran Sport but I wasn't seriously looking for a bike with Huret drop outs either, .

robobike316 

Thanks for all the suggestions. Here is what I did. A hardware store fender washer for 40 cents was ground and bent into this. There are stops at roughly 4 and 7 o'clock. This goes in between the derailleur and the dropout with no modification to either. Now any der can go on the Huret dropout. This was 1/2 hour with an angle grinder and very crude. I will make a nicer one next probably with a stainless washer. Sorry about the poor quality picture but the idea should come through.

big chainring 

Yes works with the Huret dropout. And its a nice snappy shifter. I'm using it with Campy shift levers and its a very short movement to change gears.

John E

I was thinking something similar, but your solution, even in rough prototype form, is nicer.