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Winterfield's first project (400/4)
Winterfield:
The dials were next up. They were a bit ratty, but nothing so bad a bit of a strip, clean and repaint couldn't fix. The faces looked reasonably good, and I didn't want to replace with newer vinyl faces because I suspect they were originals.
I did a bit of damage on the tacho when I tried to clean up the rust stain from the screw. I was clever enough to not use a solvent, but still scuffed it a bit with the dry rag I used. I left them alone after that.
I managed to do a bit of a batch painting session, but forgot to do the brake calipers :(
I made a (really dodgy) lazy susan to try and speed up the painting process, and make it easier to paint without touching the pieces.
Throughout the project, I've been playing with different painting techniques. Initially, I used rattle can primer and then 'tough' paint. This time I thought I'd try a spray gun. Learning all about painting with a spray gun is fascinating, and I recommend it. I'm still terrible at it, but learning how to configure the paint gun, what consistency paint, air pressure, paint volume etc. is great. The primer didn't go on too well, but the basecoat and clear lacquer went on perfectly.
The restored dials back on the bike:
Winterfield:
Now onto the electrics.
The loom was in generally good shape, with a few dodgy splices, but the wrapping was getting a bit tired.
I rewraped most of the loom in self amalgamating tape. It's not stock, but it felt more robust and generally tougher than a thin tape layer.
And with the wiring loom in-situ:
Nurse Julie:
Great progress.
Winterfield:
Moving on to the exhaust. It's in pretty bad shape, and its not something I can fix personally (without a welder and some skills). The pipes are in bad enough condition that I don't think it's worth trying to restore them. Unfortunately, some uncertainty with my work situation means there isn't money to splurge on a repro set of pipes. I also missed out on a reasonable condition set here in Edinburgh on ebay, which went a little out of my price range.
That pile of rust is just what shook free of the collector. There was more in the pipes which made its way out later.
The collector was almost rusted away, with presumably just the chrome on top surviving (to an extent).
So, with the above concerns, I attempted to patch the collector with some ebay special exhaust repair tape. It did not go well.
Attempt number two was to try heat wrap, with some exhaust repair foil underneath it where necessary to try and make it air tight. I like how it turned out, sort of cafe racer style. I guess that makes this a resto-mod now.
This stuff is made of basalt fiber, which is fairly forgiving to wrap, presumably due to the weave. It does shed, and itches like hell, so wear gloves etc.
The eagle eyed among you will note that the exhaust collars are on backwards, and should be sticking out a little from the joints on the end.
Winterfield:
The silencer was also a little ratty, so I made do with a £36 ebay generic one.
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