L2 resto - first time for everything

[skeeno72]

your as bad as me with the cars here is a few of mine











sure there is more lol

[stonemonkey]

some nice motors there. Landy looks awesome

[skeeno72]

cheers took a while to get as i wanted it that was my fave motor that and the blue alfa155

[stonemonkey]

little update,

cleaned the carbs:

dirty crappy...


clean :0



repainted the horn


Then tackled the suspension linkages:

before. covered in crap, grease and small amounts of surface rust:



In the vinegar bath. It chemically destroys rust and cuts through grease fantastically, results show the bits being left in for around 14 hours.


after the vinegar with areas masked off.


painted:


Nice and fresh:


Finished:


Also cleaned the rear brake disc and ground a clean edge on.

[tink]

Your doing a awesome job on that

[stonemonkey]

thanks, I'm really eager to get it finished but I have to keep telling myself the days are only going to get worse so it wont be coming out for a good while.

[Cimanu]

About time I poked my head into this I think then. Saddening to see it in peices but that's definitely what that bike needed! You're doing a brilliant job of it by the looks of things and I know I'm going to be very jealous come spring. Get a GP style can if you find one for cheap, that's what I ran on it most of the time and the noise from it was just godly. That pipewerx is very tame in comparison.
I miss the bike alot, just having to make do with my civic. EJ9 1.4 hatch, currently with the 1.4 out ready for a K20 swap. No way can I go from a bike to a standard car... has to be a little special. I love the polo you had, really clean.

Anyway, I'll be following this eagerly, look forward to seeing how it turns out!

[stonemonkey]

Thanks for the feedback. I cant wait till spring time till its on the road!

Little update:
Got myself a new toy


so some before and afters...

[stonemonkey]

Been a little while since my last update as my computer broke...

The frame and various other parts came back form the powder coaters. Really nice finish Satin Black.


I then replaced the rear swingarm bearings and sleeve as they were fooked! The swingarm sleeve was ground down by the needle rollers and the ball bearing basically collapsed. I made myself a bearing press from threaded bar, some nuts, flat steel plates, washers and a socket....



wallah!

in use with ratchet spanner


finished with a sealed bearing




My attention then went to the forks which were stone chipped and mucky.

Prepped and ready:

primed

and finished in silver with new pinch bolts





Frame went together with rear shock and linkages (excuse the bad pics)




How it stands now:





Need to save and get the wheels powdercoated, probably satin black, need to clean the engine which I am not looking for to..... then paint it. Repair and possibly repaint farings, refurb the rad and oil cooler and a few other smaller jobs.

[Jimzxr400L1]

best resto ive seen on one of these (the way i would like to do it) im a car mechanic 19 fully qualified but i worry when it comes to suspension and swing army bearingss and advise???????

[stonemonkey]

Thanks, my best advice is take the time to fully understand the structure of something before setting about taking it apart. The online manual is such a great resource despite it being a pain in the butt having to flick between the l and h manual. Give it a go. I learnt loads from reading the wisdom of others on the site

[Mori Man]

Taking shape , you demostrate why I hate people with garages

Wanted to ask what you use to nutralize the vinegar after the parts have had their acid bath ?

MM!

[stonemonkey]

I'm having to borrow the garage space as I don't have one.... I just gave the parts areally good rinse in warm water with a washing up brush and hand dry them. The acid content in the vinegar is very weak and dilutes easily so does not take much to shift. I also use it in cleaning the undertray plastics and hugger. Diluted 50/50 in a spray bottle to give good coverage. Cuts through greasy grime great once allowed a litle soaking in time. Try the rust bath with something and just leave it to soak for 12-24 hours. You'll be surprised. Cheapest cleaning products/rust remover I know of. You can also use molasses to eat rust although it can take a little longer and is a tad pricier.

[Cimanu]

Were the swingarm bearings shot to begin with or did they eat themselves when being removed? Slightly alarmed as to how I didn't notice that riding it all summer! I still prefer the original colour scheme and look but this is going to be one seriously beautiful bike once you're done. I'm hugely jealous already!

[stonemonkey]

They were definitely shot before hand and looked like they had been for some while. Fairings will be remaining the same scheme for sure and opting for a satin black frame and wheels was a bit of a gamble decision but it seems to be paying off so far. Tempted to get the fairings resprayed to match the standard of everything else. Tackling the engine next which I'm not looking forward too..