dddd

All materials, including steel and aluminum, are elastic materials. Depending on how much bolt tension can be applied, one can definitely get the square bore to stretch enough to accomodate a pair of sufficiently-thick shim's, likely achieving near-equivalence to the interference that one gets when installing normal square-taper cranks on tapered spindles.
The only issue might be having a sufficient range of shim thicknesses to experiment with, of sufficient material strength not to tear as the crankarm gets forced over the spindle.

And if the spindle end is chamfered by what I'll call an average amount, then perhaps no chamfer at all might be needed at the hole's entry.

I've twice mentioned that the shim is to be fitted into the hole before pressing in the spindle, with sufficient excess length of shim material to prevent it's moving away from the engaging parts. This now my third mention!

oneclick 

It does not matter whether you try to put the shim between the assembled crank-and-axle, or try to assemble the crank-and-axle with the shim placed on one of them. If the shim is thick enough to do what you want, it's too thick to go inbetween. Placed as you describe, the crank won't go on.

But go ahead and try, it'll save us reading ^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^hyou typing.

steelbikeguy

I suggested Loctite 603 bearing retainer compound near the start of the thread. Doesn't seem to be much interest in discussing that sort of solution. Glad that I didn't bother mentioning JB Weld.

Steve in Peoria

dddd

I wouldn't under-estimate Loctite's ability to fix metal in position.
And you can always still remove it (if you can apply heat to the assembly without damaging any plastic or paint).

I installed a left pedal into a stripped crankarm on my MTB using copious Red Loctite and it has lasted years of occasional hard, offroad riding.

The rear hub on the same bike is steel, and due to impact damage to the shipped bike the axle was bent and the driveside bearing cup left quite loose in the shell.
While replacing the axle, I wicked a generous bead of Red Loctite into the gap between the cup and the hubshell, from the inside of the hubshell.
I assembled the axle assembly and heated the hub with a hair drier, after which I have been riding it for over five years now. The wheel is now on the green bike, still going strong. The cheap hubshell and cup were all made from steel sheet, so not the most rigid parts, yet the Loctite holds strong and stays put.
I used the red Loctite between the engine case and main crankshaft bearings of my Kawasaki H2 dragster after the cases became subtly enlarged from the high-rpm pounding, and the red layer of Loctite appeared where I'd put it every time that I split the cases after dozens of runs.

So I expect that if the Loctite can be made to exclude most of the air in the joint, i.e. particularly if it's a "penetrating grade"(?), it stands a very good chance of working perfectly in this application.

Wheel came on this K-Mart bike, which also had the stripped left crankarm (up-graded crankset, found discarded):


Ended up on this Huffy, now five years on:

cudak888 

Whoops, missed it.

I've used it before, and I honestly think it might have quite a bit of merit here. Super strong stuff if the interference fit is just right.

Anyone with a Viscount willing to give it a try? I only have the arms, not the rest, or I'd volunteer.

-Kurt

oneclick 

It may be superstrong for a plastic but it is still on the order of one tenth that of aluminium; considering that an 8mm grade 8.8 bolt tightened to the appropriate torque generates on a 4 degree included taper a compressive force somewhere around 50,000 lbs, and a generous estimate of the area of the flats is two inches, the result is quite likely to exceed the quoted compressive strength of circa 3000 psi.