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This Diamondback Apex nearly ended up in the skip. The seller had purchased it many years ago from a student who had bought it form the original owner. Although not in a terrible state it is clear that it has had many years of use with only the minimal maintenance.
I stripped it down, most of it disassembled pretty easily except for the LH crank arm. The dust cap had seized solid so I had to cut that off but the crank threads were still clogged up with the remains so it made getting the socket on for the crank bolt a major job. No chance of getting the cranks extractor on so I used a bearing puller. The crank arm can be saved by chasing out the threads.
The bike is all original except for the wheels which are Araya RM20 on M730 hubs.
I'm not sure how to tackle the frame, either clean and treat rust then laquer to preserve, or colour match and blow over while preserving the decals, or a full strip and re-paint. The later is my preferred option but I would only consider it if I can get exact decals reproduced. The paint has a nice subtle fleck which sparkles but it doesn't come out in the pictures.
In my haste to strip the bike I forgot to take pictures of it!
And so the project begins
Here is a link to a nice example http://trek4fun.com/mountain_biking/198 ... k_apex.htm
Here is the sellers picture.
Frames after a strip down. I dare not touch the BB until is has had a weeks soaking.
I stripped it down, most of it disassembled pretty easily except for the LH crank arm. The dust cap had seized solid so I had to cut that off but the crank threads were still clogged up with the remains so it made getting the socket on for the crank bolt a major job. No chance of getting the cranks extractor on so I used a bearing puller. The crank arm can be saved by chasing out the threads.
The bike is all original except for the wheels which are Araya RM20 on M730 hubs.
I'm not sure how to tackle the frame, either clean and treat rust then laquer to preserve, or colour match and blow over while preserving the decals, or a full strip and re-paint. The later is my preferred option but I would only consider it if I can get exact decals reproduced. The paint has a nice subtle fleck which sparkles but it doesn't come out in the pictures.
In my haste to strip the bike I forgot to take pictures of it!
And so the project begins
Here is a link to a nice example http://trek4fun.com/mountain_biking/198 ... k_apex.htm
Here is the sellers picture.
Frames after a strip down. I dare not touch the BB until is has had a weeks soaking.
