Donald,
While I am unfamiliar with that type of Huret dropout, I looked at your photo. The Singer dropout you show appears to have an insert that acts as a "nut" - assuming it's threaded. In that case, the dropout itself must have a simple, unthreaded hole for the system to work. Is your bike missing the presumably threaded inserts?
I wonder how the inserts are kept from turning. Is there a groove at the top and bottom of the dropout slot, with a matching splines in the insert, so the insert can slide back and forth only?
Maybe I there is something I don't see. Check whether your holes are threaded. Even stripped threads still look "threaded." If my hypothesis is correct, the holes should be smooth.
My Singer has fenders, so it has vertical dropouts, which are not adjustable...
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.mindspring.com/
>I have a raleigh competition with moderate rust. It was purchased in 1974,
>crashed in 1975, and hasn't really been ridden in 30 years.
>
>In the process of dissassembling everything to send it out for a tube
>replacement, i chanced to remove the huret dropout adjusters from the
>huret dropouts.
>
>Strangely, the slide right out without any screwing action required
>(I think i actually bumped them and they repositioned themselves
>right away.) They are not bent and there is no damage in this area
>of the bike.
>
>What gives ?? These look like the originals, they are the same as the
>ones on the alex singer bike here :
>
>
> http://www.ece.ubc.ca/
>
>
>What gives ?? Is this a common problem with adjustable huret dropouts ?
>Both sides seem to do this ...
>
>- Don Gillies
>San Diego, CA