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Restored Vs OG Resto's look better

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I believe that a well done restored bike is actually really hard to do given that around here plating shops are non existent not to mention modern day plating around here in most cases used to be triple plated which was not the norm to my understanding at the Chicago plant. There were years not sure which in the 1950s that had really bad chrome plating and in the prewar war era nickel plating gave those bikes a yellowish glow with their bright work. Paint work details were pretty elaborate in some cases but like most humans in those days and today I assume they got tired at the end of the day or new people came to train and resulted in pinstripe lines that were wavy, paint drips occured, overspray occured from time to time. Today lead is out of paint, original masking tools are in the hands of old timer collectors or deceased collectors favorite stash areas or worse in the landfill. NOS parts are still out there but if you're not lucky you have use what you can get. To me it's ok if some reproduction parts are used if you absolutely have to. But I'm also a fan of a good clean up job, refurbished bikes that have all parts that blend well and have all the nicks, scuffs here and there telling the history of it's origins. But back to the original question ... If done well and with care to bring back an old bike to it's original form is a good day. In the end the hope is that it'll live to see another day in another lifetime and someone else can enjoy it or do what ever makes sense to them.

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Here is a refurbish job I did on a panther...new paint with good old original parts...

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And here is a phantom I did some time ago with new paint and new fenders all other parts were best I could find at the time.

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Thanks Dan for your observations. Comments like that either show your disdain for car/motorcycle restorations in today’s world or your ignorance but either way probably best I utilize the ‘ol “Ignore” button!
No disdain or ignorance here. I could easily find numerous examples of you posting about someone's bike not being restored because they didn't do their research and use the correct paint. So, what research did you do, and what paint type have you deemed acceptable to qualify as a 'restoration' in today's world? I may be wrong, which is nothing new, but it seems to me that your interpretation of correct paint simply means single stage rather than BC/CC. If you want to be a purist, then how is anything other than nitrocellulose lacquer or alkyd enamel deemed acceptable? Acrylic and urethane base paints came on board primarily in the early '60's. Just sayin'.
 
Good morning Caber’s!
My two cent’s. Variety is the spice of life! This is a wonderful hobby because of all the variety of different perspective’s. Because of this we all benefit. There’s a place for all of us in this. From the museum pieces that are being preserved for future generations to the complete one off custom builds and everything in between. Keeping an open mind and seeing the value in what other people are doing is important. The high amount of effort towards your own personal interest will have some who agree and some who don’t. Maintaining an open mind will benefit you in ways that change your personal perspective. While all the styles of bikes and options aren’t for me I love the variety of bikes and people found here on the Cabe!
 
Restorations are actually a lot of fun, but not for the faint of wallet.
Do it because you love it, and don’t worry about what it costs.
Everybody should do at least one high quality restoration during their time in this hobby.
Pick a model that you’d never acquire any other way, and then slowly collect whatever parts you can for it over the years.
Most of the artistic work will have to be farmed out, if you’re not capable yourself.
So that can lead to a fun ( or not so fun) collaboration with the skilled artisans.
In the end, you’ll be able to look back at your beautiful bike, and always think back to how you were able to gather all the parts, and the stories they tell.
Besides, the best way to learn about a make and model, is to build one.
 
After being a auto-industrial painter for 35+ years i can asure you paint is way more durable today. They are not even close.
lets get an original paint Schwinn and a repaint and hit them both with lightly with a ball peen hammer and test that theory. I believe frames and forks were baked on.

that could be where the difference lies.

also, we see many 10 year old cars on the road with failed paint while my original paint 61 dodge has no failures at all. my neighbors 10 year old Chevy truck is losing the clear coat, and we have all seen older white trucks and vans where the paint is just peeling off in chunks... I have one sitting outside right now. 1993 GMC Sonoma.

the quality must have changed very recently.
 
lets get an original paint Schwinn and a repaint and hit them both with lightly with a ball peen hammer and test that theory. I believe frames and forks were baked on.

that could be where the difference lies.

also, we see many 10 year old cars on the road with failed paint while my original paint 61 dodge has no failures at all. my neighbors 10 year old Chevy truck is losing the clear coat, and we have all seen older white trucks and vans where the paint is just peeling off in chunks... I have one sitting outside right now. 1993 GMC Sonoma.

the quality must have changed very recently.
depends on what paint is used. A model t was a good car but not really usefull today verses new cars or on a 1000 mile road trip.
 
Model T's were brush painted with lacquer.

I could take my Dodge out as far away as I wanted to go. when I sold my 62 Caddy the guy drove it home to San Diego from the Bay Area.

not sure of what kind of point you were trying to make. :)
 
Model T's were brush painted with lacquer.

I could take my Dodge out as far away as I wanted to go. when I sold my 62 Caddy the guy drove it home to San Diego from the Bay Area.

not sure of what kind of point you were trying to make. :)

I believe ole Henry was using enamel paint. After the long painful process of hand painting, he had to wait for the paint to dry.
 
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