SantaHul
Retro Guru
Not been on here since somebody "borrowed" my Claud Butler.
Finally back in the game and just got myself this rusty 1947 Raleigh Lenton Sports which I want to have fixed up in time for Eroica Britannia in the summer. Other than being in bad shape it looks largely original, even has a copy of the original receipt. Only modification I suspect is the front mudguard as it looks like it was bodged slightly to fit but since it's rusted beyond repair anyway it doesn't matter.
My main concern is the frame, any suggestions what to do with it? The paint looks past saving and most of the decals are gone. Tbh I can't even tell what colour it used to be. Some parts look like it's black with a green primer and some look green with a black primer. Possibly even it's been repainted at some point but I'd like to hear what you guys think.
I don't want to spend too much money on the respray so I was thinking either powdercoat or spray cans. I appreciate that spray cans finishes aren't overly durable but the bike won't be leading a hard life so I'm not too concerned about that, the main issue is I'm not sure I'd have the time to do it. Alternatively I could get it powdercoated but then I'm worried about the final coat being too thick, I had a Raleigh Twenty done at Armourtex and I wasn't that happy with the finish, it just looked like they'd rushed it.
Besides that is there any other tips people can give me? I've done restos before but not on anything this far gone. Few more pics below.
This fork leg is completely black all the way down:
But this fork leg has big blotches of green on it:
Quite a mix of black and green:
Finally, any idea what it would have been here? Can barely make out the letters:
Link to full album: http://s5.photobucket.com/user/SantaHul ... n%20Sports
Finally back in the game and just got myself this rusty 1947 Raleigh Lenton Sports which I want to have fixed up in time for Eroica Britannia in the summer. Other than being in bad shape it looks largely original, even has a copy of the original receipt. Only modification I suspect is the front mudguard as it looks like it was bodged slightly to fit but since it's rusted beyond repair anyway it doesn't matter.
My main concern is the frame, any suggestions what to do with it? The paint looks past saving and most of the decals are gone. Tbh I can't even tell what colour it used to be. Some parts look like it's black with a green primer and some look green with a black primer. Possibly even it's been repainted at some point but I'd like to hear what you guys think.
I don't want to spend too much money on the respray so I was thinking either powdercoat or spray cans. I appreciate that spray cans finishes aren't overly durable but the bike won't be leading a hard life so I'm not too concerned about that, the main issue is I'm not sure I'd have the time to do it. Alternatively I could get it powdercoated but then I'm worried about the final coat being too thick, I had a Raleigh Twenty done at Armourtex and I wasn't that happy with the finish, it just looked like they'd rushed it.
Besides that is there any other tips people can give me? I've done restos before but not on anything this far gone. Few more pics below.
This fork leg is completely black all the way down:
But this fork leg has big blotches of green on it:
Quite a mix of black and green:
Finally, any idea what it would have been here? Can barely make out the letters:
Link to full album: http://s5.photobucket.com/user/SantaHul ... n%20Sports
