any advice please. restorations.

[james27]

hi, i am just starting 2 restorations. a vintage viscount racer and a retro apollo shopper. at the end of the month i am going to be sending both of them off for powder coat but i'm not sure if i should stick to the original color which is maroon on both or change the color all together as there are a few colors i like including the original maroon. is it best to keep old bikes original? thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Rich34]

Comes down to personal taste really - and your assessment of how bad the existing original paint is. Personally I'd always try to keep the original paint and would only go for a respray if it was really bad, or if the bike wasn't particularly rare or valuable. I like patina and a few scratches and marks add some character, I often think. Up to you though.

 

[johntomjoe]

Totally agree,it down to personal choice,if you are respraying then I would choose a nice
colour you would like that would also suit the year :?:

Most of mine have history and marks caused by the owners ,I oil the frames when I store them and polish when they are to be used

 

[james27]

thanks for the advice guys. i think i might change the color to a blue on my racing bike but i've got plenty of time to think about it before the powder coating.

 

[Goldie]

I think most Viscounts were powdercoated from the factory, so you're in with a shot of being able to replicate hte original appearance of the bike whereas with most older bikes, a powdercoat would be readily recognisable as not being the original finish. Here's rb member Bendo's Viscount Aerospace Sport after its visit to the powdercoaters:

http://feelofsteel.blogspot.co.uk/searc ... %20project

 

[james27]

that looks like a very similar frame to my bike. thanks for posting that. i think your right about viscounts being powdercoated. on closer inspection of my very aged paint it does look like powdercoat.

 

[Bendo]

Found this thread while checking the stats on my blog (thanks for the link Goldie).

Yeah my Aerospace Sport came up looking good but nowhere near the original colour. :,(

FWIW my bike mechanic said that he would be prepared to bet money on the old paintjob being enamel. He did the stripping of the old paint and he said the way it behaved was not like stripping powdercoat. But the word from the Viscount brains trust is that they were powdercoated. Makes little difference in the long run.

I did this resto as completely as I could and it was great fun but I will never do it again. I think the expense, the time, and the fact that perfection is impossible are the things that put me off. As Rich said, patina is important. So long as the bike is structurally sound and has little rust, I would prefer to keep it as is.

I am a big fan of cleaning however! A clean bike (esp drivetrain) is a beautiful thing! This chap has some interesting things to say about restoration:
http://vintagebicycle.wordpress.com/201 ... servation/

b

 

[james27]

your viscount looks great mate. i hope mine looks that good when its finished. i have decided to have it powdercoated green but a shade that suits the time the bike was made.