1963 Murray Missile (Not Rat, Just Refresh)

[KurseD]

Ok, so I know this isn't a Rat Rod. Just working on this one with my little girls (6 and 7 now) and freshining it up a bit. We're having lots of fun.

So we got to start working on the bike today. Took it outside and gave it a nice soapy bath. Then on to the basement to disassemble. Got everything torn down except the cranks. If ANYONE has any ideas on removing the pins from the crank let me know. I tried beating them out with a hammer and punch with no luck. Got all the nuts and bolts in a lemon juice bath. Got the chain in vinegar and lemon juice soaking. Used an S.O.S. pad to clean the rear rim a little and cleaned up the handle bars some. Started pouring down rain so we moved the entire operation inside.

I soaked the grips in near boiling water for about 60 seconds each, then wrapped them with a big rag and they came off no problem. Cleaned them up a bit with some Soft Scrub and a scuff pad. Now I've got them soaking in bleach. Once we get the doggone crank off, we'll continue bathing it and use some good cleaning wax then polish the frame and painted parts up. Get them back to a nice shiny status. Still need a seat and seat tube if anyone has an extra laying around anywhere. Here are some pics.

Oh almost forgot. We used a body working hammer and dolly to reshape the bent headlight rim. I forgot to take and after picture before I put it in the vinegar/lemon juice bath with the chain. So when it comes out of the soak, I'll snag a few more pictures of it. Plan on molesting a newer L.E.D. flashlight for the guts to fix up the headlight with.

How we got the bike.

The bath.

Some before and afters of the rims.

Before and afters on the handle bars.

Weird crank pins.

 

[KurseD]

Headlight before shots.

Soaking parts

Before and afters of the grips (only with Soft Scrub so far. I'll get more when they're done in the bleach soak).

 

[KurseD]

Handle bars, grips, and rims are D O N E. Keep in mind, I'm not going for a "Total Restoration" look with this thing. I'm just freshening it up some. I want to keep some age to it.

 

[sleepy]

Very nice work (as is the bike)....thanks for sharing your renovation techniques.

Look forward to seeing it when finished!

 

[sludgeguy]

Hey it's looking good.
Hadn't heard of the vinegar lemon juice soak.
What's it do?

 

[KurseD]

Hopefully the vinegar / lemon juice soak will remove the rust, or most of it anyway. So far straight lemon juice seems to be working WAY better. This is the first time I've tried either. I can however say that after soaking the headlight in the vinegar / lemon juice for about an hour I noticed that the top of the headlight was chrome at one point... didn't know that before the soak, so it is working some. I left it soak overnight. Getting ready to go downstairs and check on it in a minute.

 

[big kountry]

its great to hear that your doing this with your girls this will be a memory they will keep for a life time as for the crank good luck I soaked mine with penetrating lube for a few days an finally got mine out

 

[KurseD]

its great to hear that your doing this with your girls this will be a memory they will keep for a life time as for the crank good luck I soaked mine with penetrating lube for a few days an finally got mine out

After soaking did you just punch those pins out? I'm taking a trip to the local hot rod shop of a friend today to see if we can press them out using a vise.

 

[KurseD]

Got some of the painted parts cleaned a little more. Put them in the bath tub, cleaned with hot water and S.O.S. pads. The vinegar / lemon juice bath took the rust off the headlight, too the $15 previous buyers price off which was written in sharpie, and also took the paint off. Oh well, wasn't very much paint left anyway.

 

[big kountry]

it took a little coaching with the hammer an punch but not as much as before the soak