I saw a thread on one of the classic bike forums that I follow occasionally concerning restoration work.
I don't remember the whole thing except for this bit.....someone brought up a point about the actual work done. More to the point, I think it came down to this, at least I think that was the intention:
If someone is restoring a classic bike, older than say 20y/o, give the bike and a bucket full of money to a "professional" restorer or do all the work themselves? The second option implies ALL the work that needs to be done.
Personally. I myself will go with option three which is do as much s you actually can and farm out the stuff that is beyond your expertise, with of course the attendant costs.
Even though I'm no expert and I know only what I've picked up over the years, the satisfaction of doing as much of the work as I can is to me rewarding.
Even though I have never spray painted a bike, I'm willing to give it a go, to the best of my abilities. Same as the engine work, reassembly or what have you.
There are things that I will farm out....electrickery, wheel building and recovering the seat. The last is more due to there are some auto reupholsters in town that might be able do an ace job of it and it won't cost me an arm, leg and kidney.
The other two arm black arts.......I suppose with the right equipment, time and patience I could probably do the wheel building, it just takes practice, patience and experience.
Electrickery........once a wire breaks and the smoke is freed, it won't work again.....it's true, especially if it was made Lucas and Sons. To get a better understanding read the following linkys:
http://www.britcycle.com/Manuals/prince_of_darkness.htm
http://www.britcycle.com/Manuals/LucasSmoke001.htm
Now if all the wires, connectors, etc along with a GOOD schematic and understanding of what was what were in place, then it might make some sense..........to someone.
And I think that if I were to do my own rewiring, I would make some modern updates such as using block connectors where possible, good insulation around the wire bundles, great grounding points, and quality switches if possible. Modern bulbs would be a must too I think.
So having thrown all this out there for you to read and ponder.......what approach would you take?
-Have someone else do it all?
-Do it all yourself?
-Do as much a possible and farm out what you need to?
I don't remember the whole thing except for this bit.....someone brought up a point about the actual work done. More to the point, I think it came down to this, at least I think that was the intention:
If someone is restoring a classic bike, older than say 20y/o, give the bike and a bucket full of money to a "professional" restorer or do all the work themselves? The second option implies ALL the work that needs to be done.
Personally. I myself will go with option three which is do as much s you actually can and farm out the stuff that is beyond your expertise, with of course the attendant costs.
Even though I'm no expert and I know only what I've picked up over the years, the satisfaction of doing as much of the work as I can is to me rewarding.
Even though I have never spray painted a bike, I'm willing to give it a go, to the best of my abilities. Same as the engine work, reassembly or what have you.
There are things that I will farm out....electrickery, wheel building and recovering the seat. The last is more due to there are some auto reupholsters in town that might be able do an ace job of it and it won't cost me an arm, leg and kidney.
The other two arm black arts.......I suppose with the right equipment, time and patience I could probably do the wheel building, it just takes practice, patience and experience.
Electrickery........once a wire breaks and the smoke is freed, it won't work again.....it's true, especially if it was made Lucas and Sons. To get a better understanding read the following linkys:
http://www.britcycle.com/Manuals/prince_of_darkness.htm
http://www.britcycle.com/Manuals/LucasSmoke001.htm
Now if all the wires, connectors, etc along with a GOOD schematic and understanding of what was what were in place, then it might make some sense..........to someone.
And I think that if I were to do my own rewiring, I would make some modern updates such as using block connectors where possible, good insulation around the wire bundles, great grounding points, and quality switches if possible. Modern bulbs would be a must too I think.
So having thrown all this out there for you to read and ponder.......what approach would you take?
-Have someone else do it all?
-Do it all yourself?
-Do as much a possible and farm out what you need to?
Number three is my choice, and if I still had access to the equipment I'd do all of it. Wiring and electrical systems were never my favorite jobs as a moto-mechanic. I knew enough to get it done, but it can be real frustrating trouble-shooting electrical gremlins. Actually, by the time I left the shop-biz I was rebuilding generators and magnetos. Had a good teacher, and we had the equipment like growlers and lath setups to accommodate the work.We also had a big stash of spares.These days I'd have to farm some of that out. Those Lucas jokes just keep coming.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoyed painting bikes, but Holy cow, the price of paint supplies has gone crazy! One of my workmates is doing a "touch-up" on his '66 Mustang. A quart of the clear he needs is going to set him back 75 to 125 dollars. In the seventies you could buy spray cans of paint by "Lubritech" for a reasonable price. They matched all the candy colors of that era.They were perfect matches and good quality. I imagine they are long gone, and there is nothing comparable.
I'd also have to farm out bore jobs. The problem is finding a shop that will bore a straight and round hole with the proper clearance and proper hone job. In my case there are some good shops in the Bay area. I haven't dealt with any local shops in a while, and haven't a clue about the quality of the work. There is one specialty shop locally that is run by someone that has been around for ages. We used to have British cranks balanced there. I'm considering having one of my Triumph cranks balanced. Talk about more sticker shock, it won't be cheap.
Talking of cheap, that is what I am. Ha Ha. I'll try to do as much of the work as I can. I do have access to a couple of milling machines and could do cylinder boring. A lot of set-up work involved though, nothing like a purpose built cylinder boring machine. I miss running some of that equipment.
I think a person should learn as much as possible and try to do as much of the work as they can. After all a hobby should be fun and educational, right?
I think that I should be able to do everything that I can if I have the ability and resources....specilaized stuff like machine work such as rebore machines would fall under the farming out category.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a shed big enough to handle a lathe, milling machine, etc and knew how to use them, I certainly would do it that way I have it when I want it and in the quantities/quality I prefer. But I haven't the faintest idea how to use them and numbers of any kind are NOT good friends with Bodger.
As you say Larry at the end....a hobby should be fun and educational...what better way than to take a bike apart and put it back together amiking sure it runs.