A head headest or threaded? fitting problem

Pheonix bike from ebay and it came with the fork ends damaged, so i sought to replace the forks. The original forks were 16.5cm steerer and 3.8cm were threaded
Length of head tube is 14 cm.

Firstly i used steel 1" threaded forks but they were too small, 15.5 cm steerer and 3 cm of thread

Then i tried a dolan track fork threadless with 19cm of steerer. I bought an a-head headset from ribblecycles. But headset does not fit using the headset press tool in a bike shop

What should i do,

1. Find a 1" threaded forks, similar size to the original forks and use a threaded headset to install.
   
2. Can i use the dolan forks with an a-headset? Can i just find a set of forks with a longer steerer, i would prefer this.
   
3. Use dolan forks with a threaded headset but drill out the threads from the headset to make it an a-head
   
   

The man at the bike shop told me that head tube was slightly more than 1", but less than 1 1/8". Chinese bikes for ya.

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Did you buy a 1" headset?

yes 1" ahead for the dolan and a 1" threaded headest for the other steel forks

I've had a similar problem with headset cup diameters before.
Frame: 70's Carlton, with original threaded headset, bought new Tange headset as a replacement and the outer diameter of the cups were about 0.2mm larger than the original. I believe there are two sizes of 1" headset that are incompatible by internal diameter of crown race and by outer diameter of cups. I'm sure the diameters are somewhere on www.sheldonbrown.com. This explains why the a-headset would not press into your frame. The size you want is rarer in threaded form and probably rarer still in a-head form.

Obviously this is an informed guess. You'd have to measure all parts concerned to be sure that is the problem.

Two options:
1) Get threaded for with longer steerer.
2) Turn down the outer diameter of the aheadset to fit. You may be able to do thiis with by hand with a file and some emery tape if you are not too fussed about a perfact job, just make sure you keep measuring as you go so as to not make it too small. Don't try to press the headset in if iit's too large, you'll split the head tube. Be patient and get it down to the right diameter, should be a very slight interference fit (called a press fit, because you need to use a press to get it in).

Good luck.

You could ream the inside of the headtube slightly.

Chris NW,

Thanks for the advice, can you expain to me option two again, what do you mean by turn down outer diameter, do you mean i can file the ends of the head tube lower and upper, so that the upper head tube race and lower head tube race can fit in?
i don't mind about bashing the frame,

Replied to the PM you sent.