1960's Garton Murray Super-Sonda (kids)

[JoeyPaneah]

Hi,
I'm restoring a 1960's Garton Super-Sonda for our daughter. It started out pretty rusty all over. This is pic #1 of it in the condition it came

My 1st step was to wire brush the entire bike which loosens the exterior layer of rust. Then I put on latex gloves and applied rust remover using a paint brush. I used Loctite Rust Remover.

Next, I made sure I had on latex gloves (after not using them and getting burned with the paint stripper the 1st time- burns like ant bites) before applying a paint stripper (Klean Strip stripper paste) with an unused paint brush all over the bike. There wasn't any chrome left on the bike and if there had been I would have left that part alone.

Then, I scrubbed the bike with a brush that had plastic bristles, which helped to the remove the paint even better. Next, I wiped the bike down with acetone to completely remove the paint stripper. This is how it turned out. As you can see, the original red and white paint is revealed.

Then, my wife ("AsenathPaneah") who's in on the project, sanded the bike until it was smooth while using a 220 grit sandpaper on a sanding machine. We also sanded hard to reach places by hand.

Then I mixed Bondo cream filler with Bondo cream hardener and used the can's directions. Working fast because of how quickly the Bondo hardens, I filled in dents and holes with the Bondo mixture. Because there was a pretty large hole in the side of the Sonda, we came up with the idea of filling the hole with foil paper and then covering it with Bondo. That worked out great for the hole.

After that, we sanded the Bondo portions until they were flush with the metal parts next to them. Will post more as project progresses.

 

[fordsnake]

Love that the entire family is involved in the restoration...you're off to a great start.

 

[hershey66]

Very cool. I have one of these. It wasn't till I saw your thread that I knew what it is called.

 

[ridingtoy]

Along with the other cleaners and strippers you certainly must have bought a case or two of "elbow grease". Very nice progress thus far in bringing this Garton toy back. I know it will look great when it's restored and can't wait to see the finished Super Sonda. Thanks for sharing the work-in-progress photos.

There's a photo of one on the Garton page of the tricyclefetish site: http://www.tricyclefetish.com/garton.php?osCsid=730e4e47ec40db6a1ee5b396837c0a86

Dave

 

[JoeyPaneah]

It's great to ad some American history while we learn about the bikes we're working. But I won't lie, we have fun hunting these old bikes down together and then getting our hands dirty.

 

[JoeyPaneah]

Hi,
I'm restoring a 1960's Garton Super-Sonda for our daughter. It started out pretty rusty all over. This is pic #1 of it in the condition it came View attachment 41041 My 1st step was to wire brush the entire bike which loosens the exterior layer of rust. Then I put on latex gloves and applied rust remover using a paint brush. I used Loctite Rust Remover. View attachment 41042 Next, I made sure I had on latex gloves (after not using them and getting burned with the paint stripper the 1st time- burns like ant bites) before applying a paint stripper (Klean Strip stripper paste) with an unused paint brush all over the bike. There wasn't any chrome left on the bike and if there had been I would have left that part alone. View attachment 41047 Then, I scrubbed the bike with a brush that had plastic bristles, which helped to the remove the paint even better. Next, I wiped the bike down with acetone to completely remove the paint stripper. This is how it turned out. As you can see, the original red and white paint is revealed. View attachment 41048 Then, my wife ("AsenathPaneah") who's in on the project, sanded the bike until it was smooth while using a 220 grit sandpaper on a sanding machine. We also sanded hard to reach places by hand. View attachment 41071 Then I mixed Bondo cream filler with Bondo cream hardener and used the can's directions. Working fast because of how quickly the Bondo hardens, I filled in dents and holes with the Bondo mixture. Because there was a pretty large hole in the side of the Sonda, we came up with the idea of filling the hole with foil paper and then covering it with Bondo. That worked out great for the hole. View attachment 41148 After that, we sanded the Bondo portions until they were flush with the metal parts next to them. Will post more as project progresses. Later, my wife primed the Sonda using 2 coats of an automotive primer.

I then taped off the top of the body with painters tape and newspaper to prep it for the white seat and book rack and spray painted these parts with 3 coats of auto paint.

Then, I used painters tape and foil to tape around the previously chromed areas and used a chrome finish paint on them. I used 2 coats this time.

Next, after a bit of light sanding in areas that needed it, I sprayed the Garton Super-Sonda with 2 coats of a red automotive spray paint. I added pedals and tricycle handlegrip

Will post more as project progresses.

 

[JimK]

That is looking way cool. I had a chnce to pick one of these up years ago for next to nothing. I passed and have been kicking myself ever since. Fantastic job. Keep going.

JimK