Bike Restoration Project - After

I had finally had some time to spend today on my bike restoration project mentioned here a few weeks ago. I have been patiently gathering parts, bits and pieces over the last couple of months since I bought it off a guy on Craiglist. The first order of business was to get it cleaned up and painted. I spent a lot of time looking into my options. To do it right would have cost roughly $800 which would have matched the existing paint, including the yellow detailing and recreate any decals. After some careful soul searching, I decided that I didn't really want to spend that kind of money on a bike of somewhat dubious heritage and that I wouldn't be riding daily. I elected to go with a powder coat finish. The quality of such a finish varies greatly depending on where you go. The primary complaint I see is that the paint goes on too heavy obscuring all the details that really define the character of the a vintage steel bike. The low end of the spectrum is $75 for sandblasting removal of the original finish and a repaint. That's cheap. I looked into various businesses that offered powder coating, primarily auto-body repair shows and other local paint shops. I was refered to RW Little here in San Diego who have a good reputation and appear to really understand restoration projects.

I took the frame to their offices and looked around. At first, I thought it was a little too industrial looking for what I was looking for. While chatting with the receptionist, exploring my options, I saw several delicate looking lighting fixtures and sconces come in to be repainted and started to feel a little better. I voiced my concerns about the powder-coat process laying on the paint a little to thick and she asked if I'd be interested in seeing a bike they had just finished painting. Off we went to the yard and then she unwrapped a large bundle sitting on a shelf. Beneath the protective wrapping was the most beautiful glistening cherry red bike I had ever seen. It was magnificent. The detail work was very good, and with one barely noticeable exception, the paint was applied cleanly and delicately. SOLD. Back to the office and I picked out a metallic dark blue paint that most closely matched the original paint. They were more expensive at $200 but their experience painting bicycles was a big plus for me.

Following was a two week long wait to get it back. Here are some photos of the frame and fork the day I got it back.












































































































I was very happy with the outcome.

Following are some photos taken today after completion of principle assembly.





















































































































C0ming along nicely. I'd estimate that I'm sitting squarely at 85% completion. I took it out for a test run and make several circuits around the neighborhood. The next step is to get it tuned up as the wheels are badly out of true and I'd like a second opinion on my derailleur settings.

After I get that finished, I'll move on to the remaining cosmetic items such as getting the "G" decal for the head tube recreated and then adding the yellow accent paint at the lugs and "G" stamps on the frame.