A while back I bought a Dura Ace 7400 headset off eBay for a build I'd planned. The seller said it worked great and it came with caged bearings, so I just assumed it was one of the later ones and only gave it a cursory examination when I got it. Finally dug it out of the parts bin a year + later for a completely different project and wouldn't you know it but it's one of those early ones with the annodized fork crown race and you can start to see a bit of wear in the annodizing. Not too bad, but starting to look like there's going to be some indexing eventually.
I know it's a long shot, but is there any source out there for a replacment fork crown race for these things? I think I only dropped $20 on it, so I'd be bummed, but not too terribly upset if it turns out I can't use it. Everything else on the bike (except the seatpost and saddle) is Italian, so I really ought to go with a campy headset, but my Veloce headset is 3 or so mm too tall (lock nut starts to thread on but not enough that it stays securely), and I had this on hand whereas I'd have to buy a new record headset.
Is my best bet scouring eBay looking for cosmetically bad headsets with good crown races? Is it possible to replace it with the fork crown race from say a 600 headset? Are there others that could replace it with? Should I just toss it?
By "anodizing" are you referring to the gold-colored titanium nitride coating on the races? That's to harden the surface, not decoration. I wouldn't worry about a little discoloration there -- unless you install the race in exactly the same orientation it had on its original installation, the balls aren't going to line up in the same places anyway. If you're really concerned, ditch the retainer and use loose balls. I suspect there's still a lot of miles left on that unit.
Regarding finding cosmetically bad headsets with good races: I wouldn't count on it. The crown race is always the first part to wear out on a headset. The only way to be sure of getting one in better condition than the one you already have is to buy new, old $tock.
John's right, just install it and be sure the adjustment is nowhere near being on the "tight" side, or the flex in the fork steerer will "pinch" the load path including the bearing races toward the front of the bicycle.
Forks/headsets installed with the quill stem removed become tighter when the steerer is finally tightened in place, so install a dummy stem, fully tightened, before adjusting the headset with the handlebars not yet installed.
Later on, years hopefully, you'll have the option to rebuild with a full complement of loose bearings, which will assure that any bearing defects won't settle into their old detenting ways.
I've put many a classic back on the road with a somewhat roached headset. Careful adjustment practices (and full-complement bearings only when needed) just about always means there will not have to be any effect on the steering's self-centering motions nor exhibit any audible looseness. Check final adjustment for looseness with the front wheel off the ground, and hit the top of the tire with your fist (like using a hammer) to check for any tell-tale knocking resonance that would indicate looseness. No need to have the bearing adjustment tighter than needed to prevent such knocking, in fact much better loose than tight.
BTW, those 7400 crown races were definitely not particularly resistant to "pitting", especially if the headset were adjusted even slightly too snug!
Last edited by dddd; 07-11-15 at 03:47 PM.
Great, thanks. I'll probably just give it a try then. Save myself $60 on the new headset.