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Ian’s speedsix
- This topic has 57 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 3 months ago by
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Thought I would start a restoration thread on my speedsix project.
Here is the frame after returning from the metal cleaners. Costs about 45.00 USD to have this done. This process cleans the inside and outside of the metal and does not apply an abrasive surface to it like sand blasting.
I use PPG automotive paints and their epoxy primer line is called DP. The DP epoxy primer is a perfect sealing coat to the bare metal and is extremely durable. The frame is now painted in white DP epoxy primer and I’ve started doing bodywork to fix little imperfections. I’m hoping to get started on this project again soon, so more progress pictures to come. I also need to get the aluminum and chrome bits to the polisher’s shop for that treatment. I’ll leave you for now with this picture… another project.
Exciting pictures Ian! I see the dampers have cause some rust in the same place as mine. Generally, mine’s in pretty good nick really. I’ve sprayed an epoxy etch, then applied a filler primer which I’ve rubbed back so it’s all nice and smooth. Hope to get another, thin, coat of primer on this weekend along with the yellow (my girlfriend is away at the moment so I can lavish lots of time playing).
Hope mine ends up looking as nice as the blue one, I prefer the blue but in the name of authenticity I’ve gone for the yellow (plus I know I can get an accurate colour match).
For what it’s worth the web address of my renovation is https://sites.google.com/site/bodsbikes/moulton-speedsix I’ll be updating it as I get time.
MattHonestly, the area behind the dampers really wasn’t as rusty as it looks, that is mostly grime covering up just a small amount of rust. I checked out your pictures, looks like mine was pretty much in the same condition as yours, maybe a little better. One thing I noticed on your speedsix was the amount of rust on the rear forks. I just stripped my rear forks last night and it didn’t look like there was any primer under the factory paint. Did your rear forks have any primer? I’m interested to get comments here… I’ve observed that most of my Moultons had a white primer base under the factory color. I have reason to believe they also used a grey base under some colors though, especially the carriers. Thoughts? Observations?
BTW… how does that color match look on the blue bike? I didn’t have a good sample to work from so I used the old internet photos and eyeball method.
Here you can see the same filling of the holes and the shadow from the speedsix decal. Also note how you can see the lines from where previous owner tried to repaint that area above the decal. Clearly defined masking lines to prevent spraying over the decal.
I think mine was far worse if I’m honest. The rear forks looked worse than they were, someone had covered them in brown paint which saved the metal.
Mine seemed to have a thin layer of white primer on it, in fact I could see the primer through the yellow! We have a catch phrase at work, “spray to opacity”, didn’t seem to apply back then for sure.
It’d be interesting to see what younger Speedsixes look like around the head tube, seems inefficient to produce frames and then modify them. Then again, I guess Kirkby were set up for mass production so might make sense.
I used to be a colour matcher so passing judgement from a computer monitor would be hard (one of our customers sell a calibrated one but it’s 10 grand or something equally silly!). From what I can see right now it looks a little dark and could do with being a bit greener but I’m a picky so and so : O ) Long and short, it looks great.
MattI have a later “transverse seat tube” speedsix but that has been painted black long before I got the bike. It had also been fitted with a 7 speed hub gear! I intend to return it to more or less standard spec. I have had an earlier speedsix and I thought it was a stock kirkby bike that had been modified. Above the stick on headbadge there was a hole visible where the metal head badges of lesser moultons are riveted. My next project is to turn a major frame set into a john benjamin type speedsix alike (my ample bulk needs all the seat tube support it can get). This is a standard frame I played with last year.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83752362@N00/6981876475/in/photostream
and this is the black beastie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83752362@N00/5615978400/in/photostreamjb
That is lovely. With the value of originals it makes sense to ride around on a replica. When I was into large wheel bikes I had Tom Board build me a replica Paris Galibier. Tom built the originals and the old guy who cut the original lugs cut those for my bike….it was still a replica though.
jbRight John, still a replica. I firmly believe in keeping this on the level. I would never try to pass a replica off as the real thing. The replicas are for riding… exactly my way of thinking too.
That’s a picture to make anyone jealous John! I Noticed the black one has a mk1 rear fork, didn’t realise Speedsixes had them.
The dock tailed yellow beast looks great; looking at the frame it’s got the same rack strut mount as my Speedsix but the mk1s I’ve worked on have two holes in the side of the main beam. Strange.Hi Ian,
Can I ask what your background is? It’s unusual for find someone who’s savy about paint and reading between the lines you’ve worked on pretty nice Moultons. Sure there’s an interesting back story there.
The Safari looks great, you must have a very understanding wife! : o )
MattMatt, I brazed on the rack strut mounts, the frame was a 1965 deluxe. I cut off the tailbeam and fixed a seat collar from a dead moulton frame to act as a clamp. A steel seat pin squashed in a vice was brazed into the tailbeam. The black one came with the original speedsix rear forks but the gear hanger had been removed and slots filed in the dropouts for chain tensioning. I put the series one forks on till I could source speedsix type rear forks (thanks Paul for the excellent replicas)). I am going to use stronglight 49d cranks, campag alloy rear mech and a campag bar end shifter. Back garden bike mechanics is good fun.
Before painting the yellow one looked like this
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!RF1A4HKGBxRI2qV455bVwbR.Gm_.Isp9EveRXkiZYg–/article?mid=5340&prev=5346&next=5332&l=a&fid=7
jbThat’s attention to detail! Totally worth it too! Can I ask what brazing set up you have, seems very difficult to get oxy acetylene if you’re not a business.
It’s shocking what people do to these wonderful bikes but then again who could tell what would be valued in the future. I can’t help feeling that the mk1 forks look a bit nicer too!
I’m guessing you’ve already got some 49D cranks for the purpose, I only ask because I’ve managed to source some Milremo cranks for my renovation after I bought some tidy 49Ds that I’ve polished.
I’ve also got a broken early rear rack you’re welcome to should you want it for the clamp or can rebraze it back to life. To be honest I need to go through my box of bits and move it on.
Thanks again for the rear mech, much appreciated.
MattMatt,
My background is totally all over the map. I started my early career life as a special machine and robotics builder and when the company I worked for went out of business I changed over to IT. I’m now an analyst working in a large hospital system in the Cincinnati Ohio area. My background in machine building and tool making really helps me with my hobby life. I started restoring cars at the age of 15 after I bought a Triumph Spitfire. I couldn’t afford to pay people to do the work, so I learned how to do it myself. The rest is history I guess. 30 years later I’ve owned a little bit of everything and completed some major restoration projects along the way. My favorite being a 1961 Harrington Sunbeam Alpine. (http://bringatrailer.com/2007/10/17/restored-1961-sunbeam-alpine-harrington-hardtop/)… boy, I really hated selling that car! Alas, the US economic problelms got me! That car is now in Australia.
My interest in Moultons come from my grandfather really. He was a Huffy distributor, and managed to get a bike for himself. I grew up with that bike and after he died it became mine. It’s such a good original bike that I really can’t ride it, so I started buying other bikes to ride. Wasn’t long before I was bit by the bug… so to speak!
My wife is totally tolerant. I told her day one that I would be loyal as long as I had a garage with projects to work on. lol! Honestly, she can’t keep track of it all. I have stuff stashed in 2 different buildings, one on my home property and another owned by my father. So much of what I have was acquired before we were married, so she wouldn’t know if I brought something new in anyway. She says that allowing me to do this stuff keeps me out of the bars at night… guess she hasn’t seen the refrigerator in the garage yet!
Matt, I just use a halfords gas torch and silver solder, about a tenners worth. A few fire bricks and you’re away. I am only doing small stuff, cable guides etc. The day rack was cold formed around a sturmey archer shell….simple stuff cos I’m a simple chap.
jbThanks for that John, sounds like a effective solution none the less. I migh have to have a look in to that.
I’ve never seen a Harrington before but that’s one amazing looking car! Sounds like you’re living my dream lifestyle, lots of cool projects to play with and the cool big boys toys to make stuff for them.
Well, not really the dream anymore. Lol… Times have been a little tough here in the city I live and a lot of businesses have left the area or closed down. My business folded because we relied on the big fish that didn’t make it. The last 7 years have been pretty tough and I have sold off most of my toys. The cars were the first to go. I still have my father’s TR3 and my grandfathers Moultoneers though. I’ll never part with them. I’ve really moved away from cars, with the exception of small projects for other people.
I did have some cool stuff though… Besides the sunbeams, I had a Lotus Élan, a Mini Cooper, a SWB Land Rover SII and a LWB Land Rover Pickup. All RH drive of course!
Sorry things have been tough Ian, I hope your future endeavours are even more successful. Do you have some kind of English connection? That’s a pretty impressive list of English icons; just need a E Type and maybe an Aston and you’ve got a full house! : o )
Keep up the good work though, impressive stuff!
MattWell, my father likes to consider himself a bit of an anglophile! :-), but no real connections… well, except the lineage back to Althorp! (just kidding) One of my father’s proudest moments was when the barkeep at a London pub called him a “bit of a twit” for leaving his camera sitting on the bar! I’d say that is a pretty true description of him! Ha Ha!
I almost hate to mention it, but my father was into Aston Martins. When I was in high school I drove a Vantage V8… well, when he wasn’t watching where he left the keys that is! Yea, I grew up around cool English cars… ahh, the good old days! The old man and my grandfather both had some pretty impressive iron. My grandfather had a MK IX Jag and a 140M. My dad had the Astons though. A red DB6, a RHD DBS and a couple different V8 Vantages that came and went, amongst others That stuff is all long gone though, he sold everything off when the market exploded on those cars. The TR3 I mentioned before was his high school graduation present, I managed to snag that car over 20 years ago when he started selling stuff off, and I;ll keep it forever.
Yah, it was good being a kid at my place. How times have changed though. I’ll have to tell car stories when I’m there for the BoA meet. I’ll tell one real quick though…lol… The old man had just bought a Maserati Merak and it wouldn’t start after the transport truck dropped it off. The following day I took the fuel pump off and discovered the contacts were corroded, so I cleaned it all up and got the car running. This was just way too cool and tempting for me, so I called up one of my buddies and took it out for a joy ride. I REALLY put that car to the test that day and after I got home he was waiting for me at the front door… Well, at some point during the day I had apparently passed him on the interstate at a speed well in excess of 100mph… needless to say, he was extremely unhappy (and that’s putting it nicely!). So ended my joy ride days…My poor dad, between me and my 4 brothers we must have drove him nuts!
You sound like a regular FERRIS BUELLER !…..good to see all the British quality got appreciated….its good to have your input working on classic sixties moulton cycles…ken
LOL Matt! Sorry… what can I say. Life is a roller coaster ride. I learned a long time ago at the peak of my career… “when you finally make it to the top of the mountain, the only thing you will find is the road back down.” At least I have a Moulton to ride down on! 🙂
Hey Ken, Ferris Bueller… I like that! Glad to be a a part of things.
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