Dead Reckoning

[CRASH]

I’ve confirmed this is an ‘81 Raleigh.

I’m removing the blue anodizing since it’s going through a color change. I’m not sure what’s going to be what, but I’m going to start with a blank slate.

 

[CRASH]

The chrome under the handlebars is broken, so I’ll have to make a decision on how I handle them. The cranks were near perfect under all the scratches anodized finish. The gooseneck, it turns out, is aluminum! I wish I had taken a “before” picture, but sometimes I move too fast when I’m experimenting. So I got all the anodizing off, but there were a lot of scratches and dings. Whether I color it or leave it bare, I had to take out the scratches. Hours and hours of sanding later, I was able to polish them. Now it’s like a mirror.

So far I’m enjoying this BMX restoration. It’s my first one, so hopefully I do it justice and it attracts enough attention to find a new home.

 

[CRASH]

For anyone who may not know... 12G spokes are a huge pain in the aas, and rare enough to make them expensive. I've been waiting for WEEKS on a solution to some issues we've been having (basically, non-confidence in measurements). So... I just got off the phone with the spoke builder. I'm toss the 12G hubs to the side, get 14G hubs, re-measure, cut & roll the 14G, then get them here. @Pondo and two other guys are waiting for their wheels from me, and this has taken way too long.

Frustrating!!

 

[CRASH]

Trying some anodizing. First try didn’t go so well on the sprocket, so I’ll clear it off and try again.

 

[Oak Tree]

What are you using to anodize? What method?
I got some parts that need it and I’ve been thinking about trying it myself.

 

[CRASH]

What are you using to anodize? What method?
I got some parts that need it and I’ve been thinking about trying it myself.

I'm cheating. I'm painting with this:

 

[CRASH]

Opinion question: I'm restoring this, and I usually go all out, despite what I can sell it for at the end. And even though this bike won't be restored to what it looked like originally, I'm still trying to make it look like a nice vintage BMX with most the original parts. That being said, do I spray paint the original seat red, or do I just spend $22 and get a vinyl replacement?

 

[Captain Awesome]

Opinion question: I'm restoring this, and I usually go all out, despite what I can sell it for at the end. And even though this bike won't be restored to what it looked like originally, I'm still trying to make it look like a nice vintage BMX with most the original parts. That being said, do I spray paint the original seat red, or do I just spend $22 and get a vinyl replacement?

View attachment 217843

View attachment 217844

Wet sand it all the way down and die it? Worth a shot, right

 

[CRASH]

That’s cool! But he didn’t say what type of dye, or what ratio, or what temp he’s cooking it. Any ideas?

 

[Slow-Rider]

Opinion question: I'm restoring this, and I usually go all out, despite what I can sell it for at the end. And even though this bike won't be restored to what it looked like originally, I'm still trying to make it look like a nice vintage BMX with most the original parts. That being said, do I spray paint the original seat red, or do I just spend $22 and get a vinyl replacement?

View attachment 217843

View attachment 217844

soak it in a bucket of bleach in the sun. but first scrub it down with a MR clean eraser pad. you would be surprised how it turns out. I do it to old mags and seats all the time.

 

[Slow-Rider]

or yes just paint it. this seat was painted by me. turned out OK.

 

[CRASH]

I sought some expertise on the gold rims I was going to use on my MX build. Turns out there wasn’t anything special about them. The gold was a bit worn, and scratched, so I decided to use them on this build, but change them up.

They went from this

To this

To this

It won’t be as strong, but it looks good. I just need to be very careful while building them.

 

[Pondo]

I sought some expertise on the gold rims I was going to use on my MX build. Turns out there wasn’t anything special about them. The gold was a bit worn, and scratched, so I decided to use them on this build, but change them up.

They went from this

View attachment 217856

To this
View attachment 217858

To this
View attachment 217859

It won’t be as strong, but it looks good. I just need to be very careful while building them.

Those rims turned out sweet!

 

[OddJob]

@CRASH , add a coat or two of the Duplicolor 1K Clear over the top of that Metalcast and it will hold up better to scratching and foreign substances (like gasoline, etc). I sprayed it over my RaTs GaSs paint and now 3 yrs later it's still pretty intact.

 

[CRASH]

@CRASH , add a coat or two of the Duplicolor 1K Clear over the top of that Metalcast and it will hold up better to scratching and foreign substances (like gasoline, etc). I sprayed it over my RaTs GaSs paint and now 3 yrs later it's still pretty intact.

View attachment 218429

Good tip, but I think it’s too late. I can’t spray a clear over it after a week of curing. That’s just too long.

 

[CRASH]

@RustyGold my perfectionist brain is telling me to cut these tabs as I am not going to use a chain guard on this restoration. But I am planning on selling it when it’s done. I don’t know how picky the BMX community is. I mean, I’m already changing the color scheme. Are they going to be up in arms that I cut them off? Should I just leave them because they are original?

 

[Captain Awesome]

@RustyGold my perfectionist brain is telling me to cut these tabs as I am not going to use a chain guard on this restoration. But I am planning on selling it when it’s done. I don’t know how picky the BMX community is. I mean, I’m already changing the color scheme. Are they going to be up in arms that I cut them off? Should I just leave them because they are original?

View attachment 219397
View attachment 219398

 

[CRASH]

I’ve talked myself out of it. I’m just going to leave them. That’s how the bike was, so that’s how I’m going to leave it.

 

[RustyGold]

Your call,@CRASH ...it's desirable enough to keep in circulation, but not enough to sweat the details. Enjoy it!

 

[CRASH]

I’m going to spend a lot more than I’ll get for it. I’ve just decided to live with that fact. Lol. I just wanted to bring it back to life.