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A Journal Of My Restoration Adventures, So Novices Can Learn From My Success and Failure.
The is my latest and most challenging restoration.
I tentatively purchased this 1972 PR10 on EBay in August 2008 for $100 from a seller in Los Angleles.
According to the advertisement, the bike was ridden by the original owner for one year, was heat damaged, but the paint was
in remarkedly good condition. The seller added upon inquiry that he had ridden the bike for a few years before storing
under cover, and that it had original components. However, from the photos and upon inspection it was evident
that the bike had been exposed to the elements and the wheels, handlebar and stem replaced in the late 1970s. Unfortunately,
the backside of seat tube received a large dink (small dent) and some scapes from the blunt end of a quick
release skewer during shipment. Nonetheless, I believe the bike has significant potential, and will offer many
challenges.
The paint and decals are actually in good condition, except for the damaged seat tube. On the other
hand, the steel components show a lot of rust, and the aluminum a lot of corrosion. Luckily, Ted Carl wrote excellent
threads on VintageBMX.com describing rust removal using oxalic acid and aluminum polishing.
I purchased oxalic acid from Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions, and soaked the steel parts in an acid solution (2
oz. per gallon of water) for 24 hours. Before and after photos are shown below.
| Seat Tube Before |
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| Seat Tube After |
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My dad's 1972 AO8 was my first restoration and the adventure is archived below.
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| Dismantled 1972 AO8 |
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Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Cleaning the Derailleurs and Brakes
Simple Green and a toothbrush works well, although a fair amount of elbow grease is needed. I also used Old Roads
bike cleaning kit http://oldroads.com/clean_kit.html (bronze wool and 'Menotomy Mixture') to 'smooth' the metal parts.
Rebuilding the Headset
Rebuilding the headset following Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance was a breeze compared to rebuilding the
bottom bracket. The top set of ball bearings were fixed in a race, while the bottom set were loose. As with
the bottom bracket, I re-used the ball bearings and used Phil Wood's Waterproof Grease. Not too difficult to get
the right tightness.
Stubborn Cotters Re-visited
Be sure to purchase the Peugeot-cut cotters sold by Harris Cyclery. Even with these, I had to file the cotters
to get the right fit using a flat file and vice as described by Sheldon Brown in his 'newer' Tool Tips Cottered Cranks article
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html. I am glad I purchased the cotter press, because I had the cotters in and out at least a dozen times. Even now,
the cranks are about 5 degrees off of 180 degrees. I will take it!
Bottom Bracket Rebuild
No problem re-building bottom bracket. I squirted LPS-3 Heavy Duty Rust Inhibitor into the tubes. I then
inserted an accordian-like bottom bracket sleeve, purchased from Harris Cyclery, to prevent crud from the tubes getting to
the bearings. I used Phil Wood's Waterproof Grease and re-used the loose ball bearings to re-pack the bracket.
I also purchased a modified Horzan Hook Spanner from Harris Cyclery to tighten the lock ring. Sheldon Brown's 'safe
cracker' technique http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbadj.html worked well for getting the lock ring and adjustable cup just right.
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