1996 Marin Indian Fire Trail (slow burner)

Spudly

Retrobike Rider
PoTM Winner
Kona Fan
Hi all, yet again the ebay bug has bitten me and ive landed yet another bike/frame!

As everyone else probably does, im always browsing the for sale section and ebay and the like, and a couple of weeks back i spotted this IFT on the bay, looking very tatty and a shadow of its original self, its been a parts bin build for the seller to do his paper round on apparently, forks are wrong, its been converted to single speed, one brake, cheap wheels and so on..


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However i saw potential and decided it was coming home with me, set myself a limit as to what id pay, and as luck would have it, got it for a bit less than id originally allowed myself!

I could tell from the pics the finish was wrecked, the laquer looks to have come off completely along the top tube, but the was no obvious signs of damage.....

It arrived this morning, ive stripped it bare, (with the help of Will (kingoffootball) as my crank puller and bb tool have vanished) and its going to need a lot of polishing up, i wanted to start a thread to enquire as to what would be the best stuff to use to clean/polish it back up, but i thought id bung one in the projects as ill update it every now and then when i try to source more bits!

Id like to keep it year correct, and ive got some 96 judy xc's which ive still yet to try for steerer length, but im not 100% sure yet!

Its had a quick clean over and ive investigated it for cracks, none seem apparent, its still wearing its frame number(s) which is a good sign, and it still seems to have its datatag down the frame and the matching stickers on the headtube and underside of the downtube too!

Anyways a couple of pics as it is now (albeit before me and Will managed to get the cranks off (threads stripped in the non drive side, so wills drill removed it)

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As can be clearly seen in this pic, the finish is severely damaged, any advice on cleaning up and polishing will be appreciated, i know what im doing with compounds and polish as i was a motor vehicle valeter for about ten years, but most of the automotive stuff i know will be too abrasive id think!

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Any comments/advice greatly recieved, thanks peeps!
 
I once used wet tinfoil to polish though the lacquer on a KHS, and it seemed to work well on the small area I used it on.
 
Saw this on the bay myself I'm a sucker for an old Marin, glad you got it! (but I'm a bit weary of Alu ones being a heavy set bloke!)...You could always get a powder coater to media blast is back to the raw metal then cover with a clear coat...Can't see it being too pricey to achieve. Gil for some new decals and Bob's your uncle!

Wook
 
I'm looking forward to seeing how you decide to build it up and see that frame all polished up.

You should stick a picture of that non-drive crank up if you haven't binned it yet as an example of last resort methods for removing cranks!
 
"You should stick a picture of that non-drive crank up if you haven't binned it yet as an example of last resort methods for removing cranks!"

I too would like to see that,
 
Oh ive still got the cranks Will, not binned anything as yet!


Got some autoglym metal polish from work today, and ive given it a bash, the top tube where the laquer has come off have come up brilliantly, although it doesnt really do a thing on the other laquered parts, which is a shame, i did read a zaskar wip the other day where the owner used a sanding method (i assume to take off the laquer and smooth the metal below) then polished up afterwards, im thinking that thankless task is probably going to be the way ill have to go!

Ive test fitted my '96 judy's and the steerer is waay too long (which is always good) i just need my payday to roll back round so i can start looking for shiny things to hang on it :cool:

Anyways, a couple of quick pics (if you can see anything in them as theyre from an iPhone) of the top tube polishing..



Spot the difference..


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I used paint stripper on mine bud and wiped it off with a sponge. Dead easy and left no scratches which made it easier to polish. Then sprayed it over with silicone spray to keep water marks off it. However these can scratch easy so would advise putting a proper clear coat on it when time arrives, but be careful which one you choose as some will lift the decals.
 
Trebz":3bric8gt said:
Dude, you need a shed.




Sod that, all of my bikes always have, and always will live in the house, theyre ten times safer in the house, doors and locks are stronger and the house is obviously alarmed!

Ive got a work stand that i use either in the kitchen or outside if the weather ever turns nice lol


Not done anything more regarding stripping and polishing the frame, but ive scored some xt thumbshifters for it, to go with the nos 737 canti's, so although im not actually doing much progress wise, im collecting bits for it :cool:
 
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