It's been a minute since i last worked on the old girl, but i'm happy to report i had finally received all the parts needed to put her back together and make her rideable.
Last thing i had done was take the wheels to a local shop, Second Life Bikes, to have them trued as best as possible. They were able to true them laterally, however, the rear hop couldn't be totally tuned out so its something i'll just live with unless a good set of gold ano Ukai's drops into my lap. I may grab a set of trued beater wheels to put the street tires on as i may use this to tow my daughter around when she's older.
I had agonized over what to do with the frame as there's definitely some wear from over the years, but no damage to speak of. I had considered going the cheap route and hand sanding with a rattle can + clear job. Spray Paints these days are decent and after curing are quite durable. I would have even been willing to get it powder coated. The think holding me back, other than the time and money, was the decals. There's not really any readily available and i wanted to keep that original look. In the end i decided to just clean up the paint a bit, wax it over and leave it be as "patina". She's been through a lot; many states, many miles and some adverse weather, but mostly indoor kept so minimal corrosion.
Item's replaced:
- New, old stock Rear derailleur sealed in bag
- chain
- tubes + tires
- brake cables
- shifter cables
- bottom bracket
- seat tube
- grips
Items R&R'd
- Wheels trued
- Maillard freewheel disassembled, lubed and new bearings
- new head bearings
- front and rear wheel bearings
- front derailleur
- Weirdo Adamas pedals, cleaned and new bearings
- crank arms and spider, degreased and polished out all the scuffs
- all small metal parts (brake calipers, fasteners, etc) degreased and polished
All in all a fun project in the name of nostalgia though it took quite a bit longer than i had thought. Figuring out how the parts on these bikes are put together, servicing things that are no longer easily available (or at all), and cleaning and polishing away the decades of grime, scuffs and tarnish. Without further adiu, here's the cleanest she'll ever be: