1937 LaSalle bomber

[Couch tater]

The jumping off point.

Some people out there are probably shocked to see such a pristine collectable bike get the treatment but a sacrificial lamb it is. There are lots of cool parts on this montage and nothing except the spokes and huge honking sprocket are going to waste, spare parts are already being installed on the rubble I affectionately refer to as my fleet.

Just like so many humans, this frame developed love handles as it aged.

The seat stays on these old frames had a tendency to fracture where they join the seat tube just like this one. The over achiever that repaired this one added some bracing to stop any further breakage in its tracks. Also note the fractured fender bridge, pretty common on these frames. I have some cutting and grinding and welding ahead of me.

Fans of over achiever bracing may want to stop reading at this point.

Cut off as close as I dared to cut.

Hitting the brass with 36 grit rolocs followed by surface conditioning discs.

Love handles are now gone. All the paint is too. The paint washed off in a heated parts washer, it was pretty chalky.

The fracture. Most fractures on these I have seen are covered in blobs of brazing brass, and this one was no exception. Brazing bonds, welding fuses, so the next step is finishing grinding out the brazing brass and welding it proper. It is tedious though necessary to be gentle removing the brass so as to spare the frame tubing.

No picture, but the LH dropout is chewed up a bit so that's going to get welded and ground back to shape.

After the frame repairs and fresh paint, this bike will be built with all the groovy parts from my last years build off bike, Mudd. It is also getting an Atoms Hardazz 16" 6061 aluminum seat post, new seat post binder bolt, and new axle adjusting screws.

Say goodbye to Mudd, we hardly knew you!

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Cold hearted, merciless, unrepentant. Respek!

 

[Couch tater]

Cold hearted, merciless, unrepentant. Respek!

Weep not for Mudd, much like the Phoenix, from the ashes its' bones shall rise again.

 

[Couch tater]

Made some progress this week. Got the grinding and welding finished up. No photos of that part because I've stopped bringing electronics out into the shop while doing grinding and welding chores.

Because I'm using a 16" machined solid aluminum seat post I wanted the seat tube to be in top notch condition. To get it there I first lightly chamfered the upper edge of the clamp with an air file. I purchased some 7/8" stainless tubing brushes and modified one first by cutting off the ring end and then and soldering the shank into a 2 foot section of brake tubing. Chucked it into an air drill and honed the tube while running a slight stream of water into it to lubricate the brush and also flush the debris out. The post drops in real slick with no play.

After that the frame was brushed down with phosphorous acid to convert any iron oxide into iron phosphate. That was allowed to sit for 24 hours. Tonight the frame got sprayed with self etching primer.

I want to start doing better paint jobs than my normal slop work, This next week I'll be hitting it with high fill primer and sanding with a Scothbrite in between coats to get the best base possible. I purchased stencils on Ebay that I'm pretty happy with; quality product and the seller goes to lengths to guide you to a successful paint job. Colors will be original red & white - it made it 85 years with them colors so maybe 85 more. I'll be using tractor paint from the local farm supply.

This project is turning out to be challenging and fun.

Tubing brushes

Primered frame with seatpost

Stencils

 

[Couch tater]

Well this build just took an interesting turn. I picked up a wheelset that is built on vintage Weinmann 26 1.50 single wall alloy rims. The rear hub is a Sansin 5 speed 14-28. Front hub is an Arai 80mm drum. The wheels I planned to use are no name double wall alloy with a heavy duty sealed front hub, Shimano CB-E110, 12g spokes and also use a Tektro long reach side pull on the front. So now the plan is to lace the drum into the front double wall and still use the CB-E110. The drum is in almost new condition.

 

[Couch tater]

After a lengthy weather delay it's game on again. It has been too cold and/or wet to do any painting and it looks like the weather here is finally going to cooperate. Hopefully I'll have it in final primer and sealer by next week and ready for some paint. Yesterday I ordered the spokes to lace the drum to the front wheel. I also picked up a Campagnolo seatpost binder and a Kashima (Brooks copy) leather saddle recently.

 

[Couch tater]

The frame is ready for some color. It was primed again, sanded, and then sealed. Early next week I'll paint the panel color (white) in preparation for taping it off and painting the main color (red). The wheel build presented a challenge feeding the opposing side spokes. I had to press down the finished side spokes with each hand and push the spoke through with my chest. Short 12 gauge spokes are evil. I also need to use spacers on the front hub to fit the fork correctly. I have the material on hand, it just needs to be tapped.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Great stuff, love that front hub!
You mentioned 'sealed' in the previous post. What do you do when you seal?

 

[Couch tater]

Great stuff, love that front hub!
You mentioned 'sealed' in the previous post. What do you do when you seal?

I'm learning to paint better so my explanation might not get this fully correct. As I understand it, a primer sealer serves two main functions, it prevents the top coat from being absorbed by the primer and secondly provides a base for better topcoat adhesion. I used a high build primer to fill in pits and surface defects in the metal so with the thicker primer layer I thought I would give it a try. The odor reminded me of lacquer and it sprayed clear. The surface after it dried was pretty smooth and I didn't see a need to sand it. I laid down the white paint tonight and it looks pretty good. I'll give the paint a light color sanding after it is all applied and cured enough and then clear coat it with 2K clear.

Here is the frame with the panel paint, I used International Harvester white tractor paint, it is a less brilliant shade of white that I think is more appropriate for this build.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Thanks Couch,
So I guess that means you need less top coat paint, because the primer sealant stops the absorption.
Anyway, love the build so far!

 

[Couch tater]

Thanks Couch,
So I guess that means you need less top coat paint, because the primer sealant stops the absorption.
Anyway, love the build so far!

It doesn't really mean less paint. It has more to do with how the paint flows out over the surface and the bond between layers. The photo doesn't show it real well but the white paint is going to need very little work after curing to have a real nice gloss.

 

[Couch tater]

Getting closer. Now it needs to cure for a week and I'll color sand & hit it with clear.

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Getting closer. Now it needs to cure for a week and I'll color sand & hit it with clear.

View attachment 156666

Wow that's an impressible paintjob! I love it!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn motorola one met Tapatalk

 

[Couch tater]

Wow that's an impressible paintjob! I love it!

Verstuurd vanaf mijn motorola one met Tapatalk

Thanks! I'm trying to turn out better paint jobs, I've never been good at it.

 

[Couch tater]

I spent some time cleaning up the head badge. Back during the winter I soaked it in ketchup for two days which removed the corrosion. This morning I polished it, taped it off, air brushed the blue. After it dried I wet sanded the lettering to expose it again. It also required some scraping with a hobby knife. Re-polished it and shot it with clear coat. It still shows some battering but will look good on the finished bike.

Original condition

Taped off

Painted

Before sanding and scraping

Sanded, polished, and clear coated

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Nice stuff!

 

[Couch tater]

Some more progress. Color sanded it. I started with 1500 grit to knock down the tape ridges, finished with 2000 grit. I then applied the LaSalle down tube transfer. Finished it with 2k clear coat. Now it needs to cure a few days and I'll hit it with polishing compound and start building it up. There are some flaws in the paint but considering where it started, I can't complain.

 

[JA331]

Nice work. I have the same frame branded as a BFG streamline. I intend to paint it in a few months. Looks like the stencils peeled off well. Can you give me any hints? I get a really good finish with quality spray packs but concerned the paint will dry too fast to get the stencils off cleanly.

 

[Couch tater]

Nice work. I have the same frame branded as a BFG streamline. I intend to paint it in a few months. Looks like the stencils peeled off well. Can you give me any hints? I get a really good finish with quality spray packs but concerned the paint will dry too fast to get the stencils off cleanly.

There was some paint bleed through in a few spots so the surface needs to be real smooth and more care taken to ensure the stencils are fully adhered. Maybe color sand the panels before stenciling. I waited about 45 minutes after the last coat to remove the stencils. The diamonds on the seat tube were a bit tricky to remove. I used a sewing needle at the flattest angle possible to pierce the center and lightly tear them and lifted & removed them with tweezers through that hole. The 1500 grit was too aggressive when removing the tape ridges and I nearly sanded through a spot, if I did it again I would use 2000 followed by 2500.

 

[JA331]

There was some paint bleed through in a few spots so the surface needs to be real smooth and more care taken to ensure the stencils are fully adhered. Maybe color sand the panels before stenciling. I waited about 45 minutes after the last coat to remove the stencils. The diamonds on the seat tube were a bit tricky to remove. I used a sewing needle at the flattest angle possible to pierce the center and lightly tear them and lifted & removed them with tweezers through that hole. The 1500 grit was too aggressive when removing the tape ridges and I nearly sanded through a spot, if I did it again I would use 2000 followed by 2500.

Thanks. Yours looks great. looking forward to seeing it done. after a while you forget about the minor stuff.