Columbia Mach 1 rehab

[ozzmonaut]

I don't know if this classifies as a build. Basically I've received a complete bike in pieces and I'm going to go through and clean, derust, rehabilitate, and try to make the best rider quality I can out of this. But I rarely see these so I thought it might be good to also have a teardown/rebuild of one just for reference for others who like the Columbia Mach series bikes. This will also be my first attempts at using oxalic acid or wood bleach for rust removal and chrome cleaning. If this is the wrong place for this thread please let me know. Here it is as I have received it:

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Very cool! Looking forward to watching as it happens!

Luke.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Thanks, I'm researching cleaning methods right now. I'm afraid someone used rust converter on the frame. All of the little chips in the paint, and especially the front of the chain guard, are black instead of just rust. I may actually use another Columbia guard and replicate this one, but keep the original with it. I believe I will get some touch up paint mixed in this color and hit some of the chips as well. Not sure if that is a no-no when preserving a bike, but I feel if it is done right, not overdone, and blended properly it will look ok.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Well, apparently to use oxalic acid on rims, you have to disassemble the wheel or else the acid will discolor other parts. And I didn't want to use it on the fork assembly as the acid could get into the tubing and remain there and cause possible damage over time. So I will be doing this with barkeepers friend and elbow grease.

 

[ozzmonaut]

It took quite a bit of work just to get these to this shape. They were pretty much solid rust. I'm going to use chrome polish next , then paint thinner to remove any residue and possibly clearcoat

 

[ozzmonaut]

The front rim is really badly rusted. I have a couple of 20" Columbia muscle bikes laying around. So I will look later, and if I can find the same type of rim with 28 holes in better shape I will lace the drumbrake hub in and use it instead

 

[LukeTheJoker]

It took quite a bit of work just to get these to this shape. They were pretty much solid rust. I'm going to use chrome polish next , then paint thinner to remove any residue and possibly clearcoat

Ok, I just have to ask even though I will probably look like an idiot, but what are those things?

 

[ozzmonaut]

This pic is jacked from the net. It is of a mach 5 20/16. Mine is a Mach 1 24/20, but this will show you the basics

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Oh, Wow! That is really different and cool!

Luke.

 

[ozzmonaut]

I've always wanted one, and about 6 years ago I found a Mach 5 20/16 frame/fork set. But I have never found any of the correct parts to build it. Then I see this 24/20 complete, which will fit me better than a 20/16. Here's my mach 5 frame right now. Fork is sitting waiting for a new steer tube to be grafted on as the old one was quite damaged. But for now the bike is a frankenstein

 

[kingfish254]

I don't think I have ever seen one of those muscle bikes. That's going to be very cool!
Have fun!

 

[ozzmonaut]

I've never seen a complete one in person. I know another guy trying to build one up. At the show coming up in February I will likely be spending a lot of time on this bike within his line of sight. I'm having fun so far, my arms are quite tired though. Columbia also had the longboy, for those who want this framestyle but don't want to worry about the Mach series-specific parts. But the frames are slightly different at the headtube. Cool frame geometry for a build really. Now that I have a complete one, my orange frame might undergo some more parts swaps and incarnations

 

[ozzmonaut]

And of course the chainguard designations are speeds/tire sizes. So there is the Mach 1, 3, and 5, number of speeds respectively. Then the 20/16, and 24/20 for tire sizes. The longboy had 20" front and rear.

 

[ozzmonaut]

This is the rear tire after a once-over. I'm going to clean it with bleche-wite tonight after work. Hopefully it will clean up nice and stand out on the bike once assembled. Still searching for a front tire. I may have a lead on a toyoco 20x2.125 with the exact same pattern as this goodyear, down to the diamonds on the upper sidewall

 

[ozzmonaut]

I honestly expected this sissy bar chrome to come back a little better than it did. Might not be the best but it's better than it was. Doesn't really show in these pics, but there are a couple of areas that just didn't make it. The weird thing is that they look more like tarnish than rust. There was some rust but under it was still smooth, just discolored.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looks pretty good in the pics!

Luke.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Thanks, but it looks worse up close. Here's the front fender. Also worse up close. It is rusty underneath but I think once I get that rust gone I may try clearcoating. I may have to clear all of these parts if I'm going to keep them in this shape. Not sure about clearing over chrome though. I don't think this bike will see a ton of hard miles like my ballooners, so whatever it takes to preserve it I guess.

 

[noodlenoggin]

Neat bike -- there's a lot of muscle-bike builds on here right now.

I've had good luck with soaking my rusty parts in vinegar for several days to clean 'em up, and it doesn't seem to discolor other pieces, like when I soaked my pedals. At least while the vinegar's clean. After a few batches it's a black, nasty mess.

 

[ozzmonaut]

I'm using vinegar on smaller parts and nuts and bolts. With the fenders and larger parts I cleaned them as best I could. Then I put chrome polish on and let it sit until partially dried. Then I put a rag in a power sander to polish it out.

 

[ODDER]

Thats a really cool idea! I'm gonna steal it.