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Spaceliner Restoration

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kenspaceliners

Look Ma, No Hands!
I've got a Deluxe tank forward Spaceliner, I'm getting ready to put it back together. I would like to make it as close to original as possible.
Here are some questions I've come up with.
1 Should this bike have the rims with M.O.MfG.CO. engraved in the rims, or should they be plain?
2 I have a woman's tank, what color should the tank be painted for a mens bike?
3 I'm missing the battery box for the rack, does the chrome rack use a different battery box than the painted racks?
4 I have original tires, the white walls have some mildew on the white, can it be removed or what are my options for cleaning up these old tires?
5 Is it normal for the tank halves not pull up tight? See picture.
6 What should I use to remove the turquoise paint on the tank?

Thanks for all the help.
Kenny

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Hi Kenny. I haven't worked on any of the 66-68 Spaceliners, so I can't answer most of your questions but I can give you the benefit of my experience when it comes to cleaning up the Allstate whitewalls.

Step 1: To get rid of the mildew, I give them a good cleaning with a brush and spray cleaner that contains bleach (like Fantastik with Bleach). That should get rid of all the mildew as well as most of any other marks. For tough marks I use citrus hand cleaner, with pumice, if needed.

Step 2: I apply a couple of good coatings of John Deere Ultra Guard tire & rubber preservative. This stuff is amazing, and I've been using it on all my rubber parts since I first read about it in a post by videoranger HERE.

Step 3: After the Ultra Guard treatment has been completely absorbed, I wash the tires to remove any residual surface coating and then dress the tire to make it look brand new again. For that, I use Kiwi Sport Shoe Whitener (it has a built-in applicator that works perfectly). After the first coat dries I will apply a second coat if the tires were really yellowed or discolored. Once it has completely dried, you can reapply the Ultra Guard preservative at your discretion in the future to maintain the condition of the rubber.

Here's a photo showing two of my Spaceliner Allstate tires, one before treatment and the other following treatment.

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Ahhhh.... a nice 7bar!!

Nice Kenny, very nice.

I too have not had the pleasure of having a 7bar to work on or even inspect closly.
But here is what answers I can give regarding your questions:

1 Should this bike have the rims with M.O.MfG.CO. engraved in the rims, or should they be plain?
A: Yes I believe the rims should be MO stamped

2 I have a woman's tank, what color should the tank be painted for a mens bike?
A: The mens tank is flamboyant red. But these are plastic tanks and may not be painted.
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1966 Sears Christmas catalog
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3 I'm missing the battery box for the rack, does the chrome rack use a different battery box than the painted racks?
A: The battery trays should be the same for all racks like yours, painted or chromed. I haven't ever had my hands on one to inspect though.

4 I have original tires, the white walls have some mildew on the white, can it be removed or what are my options for cleaning up these old tires?
A: Seems Brent has the solution to this question....nice work Brent!!

5 Is it normal for the tank halves not pull up tight? See picture.
A: Not sure of the tight fit but, what I have surmised is that the halves should fit tightly together. I do know that there was a black or chrome trimmed molding strip used on the forward top half of the tank that houses the battery tray. There are dowel line up pins to fit the halves together...just can't find a good reference picture of the top of the tank.
Here is a picture of the underside of a girls tank showing the line up pins to join the two halves together.
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And a top view
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6 What should I use to remove the turquoise paint on the tank?
A: Because these are plastic tanks I would guess the color is in the plastic, not paint.....but, I could be wrong.
 
Thanks John for the information. I'm pretty sure the tanks were molded in white. Both the girls and the boys tanks are white where the paint has been scratched off.
Kenny
 
I have two spaceliners both boys frames.One is the forward thrust frame and the other is the more commom style.Both are complete except tanks.Are the boys and girls forward tanks interchangeable.
 
I have two spaceliners both boys frames.One is the forward thrust frame and the other is the more commom style.Both are complete except tanks.Are the boys and girls forward tanks interchangeable.

They aren't interchangeable on the 1964-65 straight tank models. I'm not sure about the 66-68 forward thrust models.
 
For taking paint off of plastic I usually use easy off oven cleaner- spray the heck out of the part, put it in a plastic bag and wait overnight, Or find a cleaner/degreaser like Purple Power or SuperClean that contains butoxyethanol. You'll have to check the MSDS to make sure, and soak the part overnight. FOr both of these you will have to do some scrubbing to get the last of it off. For a bike tank, though, I'd just scuff sand the existing paint and paint over it.
 
For a bike tank, though, I'd just scuff sand the existing paint and paint over it.

I agree with this. I'd be very concerned about the effects of any kind of paint remover on the plastic of the tank. The last thing you want is a 'melt down'. Just give it a light sand to make sure everything is smooth and that you'll have a good bond, then spray the red over the blue.
 
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