Valve Removal

Below is a picture of the valve removal tool I had to make because I couldn't find one locally and didn't want to wait for something ordered to show up. The collets were quite stuck in the collar. I soaked them overnight in some penetrating oil and gave them a couple of whacks with my hammer to loosen things up. Once that was done the springs compressed and the valve released quite easily.

I'm still waiting for my clutch removal tool to arrive. It shipped on the 5th so it should be here very soon. I'm hoping to find it in my mail box tonight after work. I'm waiting until I get the rest of the disassembly done before I start cleaning everything. I don't want to load up the parts washer with solvent and empty is more than once so I'll try to do everything in one big batch.
The other item I got taken care of last night was the fork disassembly. I had to clamp the collar in a vice, heat the hell out of it and turn the fork tube by bolting a wrench into the end where the axel goes. Amazing what a bit of heat can do. Once the collar was free everything came apart without any problems.
I have a mounting number of ziploc bags on my workbench to keep everything straight. I'll have to get a picture of all the pieces spread out.
Well, that's the progress update. Not much, but slow and steady.