Restoration: Where does it end?

[mpetry]

I recently decided to replace the fork seals on my bike. Before I knew it, the bike was almost completely disassembled. I've been polishing and replacing chrome and giving it a thorough cleaning. But now I have a dilemma: Where does it end?

- Do I drop the engine and paint the frame?
- Do I upgrade the old wiring?
- Do I paint the body parts?

Decisions, decisions!

 

[xschris]

It never ends I have had my 79 2-f for almost 16yrs and still do things to it. If the bike get ridden it will always need something.

 

[drewpy]

It never ends I have had my 79 2-f for almost 16yrs and still do things to it. If the bike get ridden it will always need something.

yep, that's part of the fun with these bikes

 

[mpetry]

I'm feeling queasy. I've never done work like this before. I'm just a computer nerd.
So now I gotta get the grease off, then sand it down.

 

[mpetry]

Here are the results for the day. I can't believe how thick the grease was on the frame and kick stands. I had to use a paint scraper to free that crap.

 

[mpetry]

It's a good day to paint.... Except for pollen

 

[jthiessen]

I just wanted to add, the title of this thread is basically the story of my life with this bike...

 

[mpetry]

Joel, I received the emblems today. Thank you.

 

[jthiessen]

Joel, I received the emblems today. Thank you.

Excellent! I am glad they made their way safely. Happy wrenching!

 

[mpetry]

It's coming together.

 

[xschris]

Very nice

 

[mpetry]

I wasn't planning to paint the gas tank, but today I dropped something on my tank and chipped the paint. I think I'll get prices from a body shop.

 

[iamunique127]

I'm feeling queasy. I've never done work like this before. I'm just a computer nerd.
So now I gotta get the grease off, then sand it down.

View attachment 17722

Your progress is looking darn good for "just a computer nerd".

Varsol works wonders for removing grease.

 

[mpetry]

Here is an update.... I still need to find a paint booth and new exhaust. Otherwise she is looking good.

 

[mpetry]

Here is an update. I had a hard time getting the machine to run. It was very lean and would only idle with full choke. I rebuilt the carbs 5 times, and finally was running great. I was using a home made gas tank, because my proper tank had rust inside.

I cleaned the gas tank with Evaporust. The tank looked good and was holding water, so I installed it. Immediately we saw gas dripping from the bottom of the tank. Here is a picture.

 

[mpetry]

Where do we go from here?

 

[BBS360]

That's a pretty significant hole. A good permanent fix will require finding a welding shop willing to weld it shut.

 

[mpetry]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I have a welding machine. I saw some advice on filling this. They said add a dent where the hole is, weld it shut, then use body filler to bring it back up. It will be hard to add a dent because of the nearby seam.

 

[Wolfe_11B]

You could weld it, but how many other areas are paper thin from the rust, and bound to break open at anytime?

 

[mpetry]

That's definitely been on my mind.