Skiroule69
Look Ma, No Hands!
Looks like the paint will clean up nicely! Going to polish up what's there or do a full resto?
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Ran When Parked
- Thread starter furyus
- Start date
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furyus
Finally riding a big boys bike
Rather than restore, I prefer to arrest the decay. Plus I don't need to worry about the chain guard screw being incorrect for a '67 etcetera ad nauseum (though I'm guilty of leveling those charges myself).
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furyus
Finally riding a big boys bike
So with nearly 3 weeks soaking in the PB Blaster, I put the seat post in a vise and used the frame as leverage. It moved! Then it tore. Oops.
Took it to the shop. We have ways of making things work. There’s the ’67 396 in the background.
Applying a butterfly of flame.
OK, let’s make it even hotter.
Will. Not. Budge. Cut it off!
Found something to use as a punch and buried the remaining post with an air hammer. Not much can resist the air hammer. It’s buried now, with plenty of room for a new post. Top of the seat tube is a little beat up, though.
The stem cried uncle with flame. Bonus that the wedge came out of the fork, too.
Took her back home, slipped a new (to the bike) seat post in and reshaped the seat tube with my vise. Got the clamp mocked up on there and we’re back to functional.
One last hurdle: getting the fork loose from the frame. The headset was a little stubborn, but eventually came free.
These bearings haven’t been out in the light in a long time. No balls missing. You know I’ll be able to clean them up and repack them and they’ll be as good as new. USA! USA!
The end of the beginning:
Took it to the shop. We have ways of making things work. There’s the ’67 396 in the background.
Applying a butterfly of flame.
OK, let’s make it even hotter.
Will. Not. Budge. Cut it off!
Found something to use as a punch and buried the remaining post with an air hammer. Not much can resist the air hammer. It’s buried now, with plenty of room for a new post. Top of the seat tube is a little beat up, though.
The stem cried uncle with flame. Bonus that the wedge came out of the fork, too.
Took her back home, slipped a new (to the bike) seat post in and reshaped the seat tube with my vise. Got the clamp mocked up on there and we’re back to functional.
One last hurdle: getting the fork loose from the frame. The headset was a little stubborn, but eventually came free.
These bearings haven’t been out in the light in a long time. No balls missing. You know I’ll be able to clean them up and repack them and they’ll be as good as new. USA! USA!
The end of the beginning:
furyus
Finally riding a big boys bike
Just a little experimenting this evening. I dig original paint and all the scars left after 55 years. All the paint on this bike will be left as is other than several cleanings with and coatings of Gibb’s Penetrating Oil. Love the stuff. Within a few hours of application it’s dry to the touch but still leaves a sheen, unlike silicones like WD40 that stay slimy.
Before and after one application on the guard. I expect the bike will get 3 or 4 treatments before it goes back together.
I treated the right fork leg, and a couple of sections of the inside left fork leg. I apply Gibb’s by spraying a quarter-sized dollop onto a paper towel and then rubbing it into whatever I’m treating. I use it on paint and bare metal. After 2 or 3 coats Gibb’s gives paint or raw metal a really deep, rich color. Being oil, it also cuts off all oxygen to the surface, so oxidation and corrosion is arrested, at least for a good long time.
Highly recommend Gibb’s if you’re looking for a good penetrating oil. I should have used it instead of the PB Blaster, frankly. That headset wouldn’t come apart yesterday after 3 weeks of PB, but 30 minutes worth of Gibb’s later, I took it apart by hand.
My wife’s Slik Chik has never been touched with soap or wax since I put it together back in ‘11. Nothing but Gibb’s. Still looks spectacular, and I don’t think I’ve treated it in at least a couple of years. It’s dusty, but that’ll come right off.
Hope everyone has a great new year.
Before and after one application on the guard. I expect the bike will get 3 or 4 treatments before it goes back together.
I treated the right fork leg, and a couple of sections of the inside left fork leg. I apply Gibb’s by spraying a quarter-sized dollop onto a paper towel and then rubbing it into whatever I’m treating. I use it on paint and bare metal. After 2 or 3 coats Gibb’s gives paint or raw metal a really deep, rich color. Being oil, it also cuts off all oxygen to the surface, so oxidation and corrosion is arrested, at least for a good long time.
Highly recommend Gibb’s if you’re looking for a good penetrating oil. I should have used it instead of the PB Blaster, frankly. That headset wouldn’t come apart yesterday after 3 weeks of PB, but 30 minutes worth of Gibb’s later, I took it apart by hand.
My wife’s Slik Chik has never been touched with soap or wax since I put it together back in ‘11. Nothing but Gibb’s. Still looks spectacular, and I don’t think I’ve treated it in at least a couple of years. It’s dusty, but that’ll come right off.
Hope everyone has a great new year.
juvela
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
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thanks so much for sharing these updates
was surprised at the failure of the saddle pillar extraction
me crystal ball showed that your savvy and patience would extract both stem and saddle pillar without further damage
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OT interrogative -
is Union Frondenberg the manufacturer of the rubber pedals on the Slik Chik?
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thanks so much for sharing these updates
was surprised at the failure of the saddle pillar extraction
me crystal ball showed that your savvy and patience would extract both stem and saddle pillar without further damage
---
OT interrogative -
is Union Frondenberg the manufacturer of the rubber pedals on the Slik Chik?
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furyus
Finally riding a big boys bike
Thanks, juvela. I don’t think anyone has ever used “your savvy” in a comment regarding me, so thank you for that, too. As much as I love rust, I couldn’t let the rust beat me.
The pedals on my wife’s Slik Chik are stamped “Made in Germany” so I assume they’re Unions. The end caps are scuffed up pretty bad, but I believe they had remnants of the Schwinn cross on them. They’re probably the weakest bits on the bike, and they’re still nice. I know if I tried to install a cleaner set my wife would not allow it - they’ve been there since before we were married.
furyus
Finally riding a big boys bike
I should add that those pedals aren’t ”correct” for a ‘68 Slik Chik, and neither is the seat, but I don’t pretend to build museum pieces. My wife loves the seat, and made the streamers herself to match, as well as finding and arranging the flowers in the basket.
