How in the world does this happen????

[Sinner4]

Top tube rusted away.... What the Hey??? If that is rusted away, I was figuring that all mechanicles would be rusted for ever. The head set and BB are OK. So here is what is left of this Columbia.. Could or should it be saved??

I picked this up from another bike flipper, older retired guy, rebuilds a few bikes during the summer.








Rich-

 

[deven_science]

That is weird.

 

[CCR]

Back half would make a cool bike stand. Around here bikes get rusty inside but nothing beats a frame filled with water that has frozen and busted to ruin a good find for me.

 

[Toeslider]

Probably sat outside upside down for several years, maybe with a tarp or something covering the non rusted parts. Wet ground rusted everything near it.

 

[sean1960]

That bicycle is suffering from an environmental gender reassignment it happens to clownfish all time.

 

[Sinner4]

Tore into it, looks like there was no weep hole into the seat post. So Im guessing that it filled up with water and turned into powder. So out comes the tools and new tubes...

 

[Sinner4]

The Donor pieces,


Remove the cancer





Cut new parts to fit. New seat post from a donor bike, a little bigger.

Mock up and weld. Piece of cake baked in under an hour..

 

[sean1960]

Nice job!

 

[highship]

are the bars rusted out too? i wonder if there were pads on there that held in the moisture and started it all?

 

[Araya51]

Nice Save.!!!

 

[Sinner4]

Thanks, ya the downward V for the cross brace is gone as well. weird.

 

[Sinner4]

Its cold out side so I just tacked it up and calling it a day. Was at work at 1:30 in the am today. So until it gets above freezing I'm done for a while.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

You're my hero dude. Great save on this vintage BMX.

Cheers,
Dr. T


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ozzmonaut]

are the bars rusted out too? i wonder if there were pads on there that held in the moisture and started it all?

That was my first guess as well

 

[ozzmonaut]

Thanks, ya the downward V for the cross brace is gone as well. weird.

More evidence that pads were the culprit

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Awesome work! Really good save!

Luke.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

are the bars rusted out too? i wonder if there were pads on there that held in the moisture and started it all?

Didn't think of that at first but it makes perfect logical sense. Good work.

 

[Sinner4]

I was worried at first, trying to save the gussets up front, cut most of it out with a 4 inch cut off wheel then 4 dremel cut off wheels to get the top tube all gone. The price was right for this one, free. You can't beat that. And fixing it like it never happened, priceless.

 

[Toeslider]

Wet pads definitely make more sense.

 

[Carbon]

Awesome save, well worth the time taken, hoping to find a cool old school frame this coming spring to build my little boy an old school bmx out of.