RaTsberry Buffet ....What's cookin' ?....pg 9

[OddJob]

From the land of Prince and Purple People Eaters, comes a mixed berry basket of parts, new and old. Berries are plentiful up here in the northland, berries of all sizes, flavors and colors. So shall be: RaTsberry Buffet.

It's originally a Sears Spyder 5 speed, 24" wheeled, muscle bike. But the past 25 yrs in the lean-to farm shed has taken the luster out of this lanky speed demon. Here's what the bike looked like back in the '60s....

I excavated this back in August from a guy who shared the bike with siblings and cousins back in the day. It had been rode hard and put up wet. And you know what happens to steel when it gets wet; it turns to rust. Here's the first photo of it as I loaded it on that very wet day a month or so ago.

A lot of the bike is still there, but the wheels are both toast, taco-ed beyond repair, the rear gear cluster is frozen in time, the seat is badly dented from possibly it's last 'crash' along with a lifted cantilever tube near the shifter box. I'll know more as I disassemble the bike. But for now, this is it because guess what? It's raining in the BACK40 today again! Oh well, the grass is still green (not 'white') and next week's forecast looks warmer than average and sunny. Perfect for my first step in getting this build underway, which is paint. My window up here is very tight, like less than a couple weeks, before we get regular (read: daily) temps too cold to even contemplate painting a frame. Hopefully I will get it stripped down and evaluate the other parts in the week ahead, where rain is called for in 4 of the next 5 days.

Here's one indoor shot of the bike snuggled in a corner of the BACK40, huddling against the cold.

 

[Klunkruiser]

Seen one like that in a second hand store once.

I remember it because they were playing this song

from In Through The Out Door

 

[kingfish254]

You fooled me with that first pic. I was like WHOA, how in the world did you clean that barn find up that well so quickly!!!!!

 

[SpikeFC]

Now that looks sweet just as it is. Can't wait to see what will become of it.

 

[OddJob]

You fooled me with that first pic. I was like WHOA, how in the world did you clean that barn find up that well so quickly!!!!!

Oh, it's going to take a lot more than some white vinegar and steel wool to make something out of this pile!

I might have been a bit quick on the trigger with this one. The frame looks straight, and I think the chrome for the most part will clean up, but a lot of the 'moving' parts aren't; if you know what I mean!

 

[OddJob]

Now that looks sweet just as it is. Can't wait to see what will become of it.

Oh, it's definitely a cool bike. I've always wanted a 24" muscle bike, so that's cool too. My motto for MBBO builds has been a 'clean vintage' build for the most part. Fresh paint, or cleaning up of the original, clean parts as good as I can, and add new parts where needed to make a solid rider with some 'flash'. This one will be fun, and challenging!

 

[Jaxon]

I believe I have a rear wheel for your bike. I will post a pic later today

 

[CRASH]

OJ, what are your plans for it? I've restored a couple of them and can help with info or whatever.

If the rear derailleur is toast, throw it in a box and send it to me. I'm guessing its a Shimano Lark? If you want a restored one, PM me and we'll work something out.

Want to see a magic trick? Pull off a fender. Take it to a sink and get the water running hot. Grab some aluminum foil. Ball it up. Wet the ball. Wet the chrome. Scrub like he11. You'll see the years fall away! Taaa Daaa!!

 

[OddJob]

OJ, what are your plans for it? I've restored a couple of them and can help with info or whatever.

If the rear derailleur is toast, throw it in a box and send it to me. I'm guessing its a Shimano Lark? If you want a restored one, PM me and we'll work something out.

Want to see a magic trick? Pull off a fender. Take it to a sink and get the water running hot. Grab some aluminum foil. Ball it up. Wet the ball. Wet the chrome. Scrub like he11. You'll see the years fall away! Taaa Daaa!!

Hey Crash, yes the rear der is a Lark. But when I walked the bike in to the shop last night to order some new replacement parts, one of my colleagues who is a bit of a vintage bike parts fiend asked if he could have the rear derailleur and the toasted rear wheel ( I think he wanted the pie plate...good luck getting that FW off!_)

Anyway, so I think those are the only parts (and the front wheel, which is a 20" somebody put on, and it's taco-ed too) that I won't be trying to salvage. Oh, besides the seat which is pretty much bent in half. It's a single pan style, and bent three ways from Sunday.

I hope to put some elbow grease into the chrome this weekend. A light touch with #000 steel wool and white vinegar has already revealed that the rust should come off pretty well on the 'true chromed' parts; fenders, chain guard, etc.

 

[OddJob]

So, after doing some eval on the bike the past couple of days, I will be probably doing what the car guys refer to as a 'resto mod' on this build.

Keeping as many of the original parts as I can, that will clean up pretty well and are functionally sound; and then putting on a bunch of new stuff that I ordered last night at the bike shop. One of the benes of working at a shop annually is that I get some stuff at employee purchase pricing, which helps the old sticker shock syndrome. I started working at bike shops 31 seasons ago to support my blossoming mountain bike race habit. It has paid many benefits down through the years!

I did start to put some 'shine' on this build this morning, with the 10 mins of sunshine we had outside it at least felt warmer than the 47 degrees actual temperature.

My go to #000 steel wool and white vinegar combo produced this on a couple parts as I begin disassembly.

This chain guard is really cool. Keeper.

And after just a trial scrubbing....

It appears those hash marks on the guard should have been black. I'll have to address that further down the line.

Pulled a few parts that I won't be using as well.


This used to be a seat...

The wheel is bent, 3 spokes gone, the rest don't turn. The FW is frozen on there. My mech buddy at the shop wants it anyway, I think for the pie plate. (good luck!)

He also claimed the Shimano Lark rear der. Collects old parts, mostly Shimano. I owe him one for covering for me on a Saturday this past summer, so it's his.

The crank chrome is pretty much flaked off. I'll try my stash for another more solid crankset.

 

[CRASH]

The reason I'm not a fan of any steel wool is that it does scratch, even with WD40, or whatever lubricant you use. Yes, it looks tons better than weathered. But, I've found that aluminum knocks the rust away without scratching, and it damages the aluminum rather than the chrome, no matter how hard you scrub. You'll ball it up smooth and tight, so just get a new ball to keep the aluminum ball surface rough.

 

[Jaxon]

Here are some pics of the wheel I have. MO MFG rim. 24 x 1.75 Sears Allstate Sport Tread tire. Spins true. Sprocket spins backwards with the clicking sound. One section with bad scratches. Rest is pretty nice and will clean up good. $50 Dollars plus shipping.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

That "pie plate" on the back wheel is cool!

 

[ParkRNDL]

The reason I'm not a fan of any steel wool is that it does scratch, even with WD40, or whatever lubricant you use. Yes, it looks tons better than weathered. But, I've found that aluminum knocks the rust away without scratching, and it damages the aluminum rather than the chrome, no matter how hard you scrub. You'll ball it up smooth and tight, so just get a new ball to keep the aluminum ball surface rough.

I have been building an arsenal of rust removal techniques, and wadded aluminum foil and water has become my go-to. They all have their place: steel wool, aluminum foil, wire brush, oxalic acid bath. But the foil seems to be the most versatile, all-purpose solution.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Wait! Is this bizarro world?

All of this advice on rust removal?


This is an @OddJob build isn't it!?

 

[OddJob]

Wait! Is this bizarro world?

All of this advice on rust removal?


This is an @OddJob build isn't it!?

Hahahahaha!

I have been instructed by the 'muscle heads' that rust isn't cool on muscle bikes! So, I've gone a little more sparkly than I usually am in these MBBO build offs. I don't get them to new production level though. Try to do a 'vintage clean' paint job where needed, so it looks like the paint has still been on there for 50 yrs; just well kept.

I like the muscle bikes looking sharp too. I think of them as the sports car I never had!

 

[OddJob]

Here are some pics of the wheel I have. MO MFG rim. 24 x 1.75 Sears Allstate Sport Tread tire. Spins true. Sprocket spins backwards with the clicking sound. One section with bad scratches. Rest is pretty nice and will clean up good. $50 Dollars plus shipping.

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That's really cool Jaxon! Looks like it's in great shape too. I ordered a new rear wheel and tire combo last night at the bike shop. It's a wide steel rim, heavy spokes, and I got a 6 speed FW to spin on it as well.

Thanks a bunch for the offer though!

As others know, I don't twiddle my thumbs too long once I get on to my builds.

Most of my builds last about 30 days max, and I'm going to be even more pressed with the weather changing rapidly up here in the north country. High was about 48 degrees today. Might have a couple 60+ days next week, so I will paint then, and hopefully slap the new parts that will arrive on Monday on to the bike to get a sense of how it looks.

Thanks again for thinking of me!

 

[OddJob]

The reason I'm not a fan of any steel wool is that it does scratch, even with WD40, or whatever lubricant you use. Yes, it looks tons better than weathered. But, I've found that aluminum knocks the rust away without scratching, and it damages the aluminum rather than the chrome, no matter how hard you scrub. You'll ball it up smooth and tight, so just get a new ball to keep the aluminum ball surface rough.

I plan on using your method for the final polish down the road for sure!

 

[SpikeFC]

Most of my builds last about 30 days max, and I'm going to be even more pressed with the weather changing rapidly up here in the north country. High was about 48 degrees today. Might have a couple 60+ days next week, so I will paint then, and hopefully slap the new parts that will arrive on Monday on to the bike to get a sense of how it looks

Hm... another weather report thread?

 

[OddJob]

Hm... another weather report thread?

Yup. That's my M.O. Spike. In Minnesota, it's part of our heritage. We always talk about the weather in every conversation. It changes so much that it gives us plenty to talk about!