Mecintal Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 Hi Guys (and gals) Is there a list of things you should have before you start a project? I'm just about to start restoring my abused bike, I currently have some spanners/socet wrench, a wire brush, a can of gt85 and some enthusiasm. My first order of business is getting her running, then moving on to making her pretty. I'm hoping people can contribute to a non specific list of things to have before starting this project properly. Thanks in advance..
NEV Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 Hi Guys (and gals) Is there a list of things you should have before you start a project? I'm just about to start restoring my abused bike, I currently have some spanners/socet wrench, a wire brush, a can of gt85 and some enthusiasm. My first order of business is getting her running, then moving on to making her pretty. I'm hoping people can contribute to a non specific list of things to have before starting this project properly. Thanks in advance.. Theres a big chance you'll be stripping everything down,right down to the bare bones, and giving everything a darn good clean, only then when you've chopped off a few seized bolts and found seized bushes will you be making an inventary of stuff you'll actually need to replace. A baby bath(nearest re-cycling centre) and a gallon of parafin or two,(petrol is a bit harsh on anything rubber) a few toothbrushes washing up brushes,wire wool, narrow paint scrapers,etc to get most of the road grime off, I've found these all help to clean the parts you've taken off, you'll probably need a plumbers blow torch, and a freeze spray to help you with those unruly bolts that are seized, or a 4" grinder, with a thin cutting disk, or a hacksaw, for those bolts that just won't unseize. Heres some of my arsenal of cleaning stuff, if it helps you any. Nev
Mecintal Posted May 31, 2011 Author Posted May 31, 2011 Theres a big chance you'll be stripping everything down,right down to the bare bones, and giving everything a darn good clean, only then when you've chopped off a few seized bolts and found seized bushes will you be making an inventary of stuff you'll actually need to replace. A baby bath(nearest re-cycling centre) and a gallon of parafin or two,(petrol is a bit harsh on anything rubber) a few toothbrushes washing up brushes,wire wool, narrow paint scrapers,etc to get most of the road grime off, I've found these all help to clean the parts you've taken off, you'll probably need a plumbers blow torch, and a freeze spray to help you with those unruly bolts that are seized, or a 4" grinder, with a thin cutting disk, or a hacksaw, for those bolts that just won't unseize. Heres some of my arsenal of cleaning stuff, if it helps you any. Nev Thanks thats exactly what I was hoping for, I'm on a very tight budget so I'm glad you've not listed any mahoosive power tools, on the grinder issue.. I have a Decent dremel multi tool, and could get some grinding/cutting disc's for that, ot i have a pretty powerfull drill, would some sort of atchment for that be better, i see you have some kind of brush thingy for yours.. which would be better?
NEV Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 Thanks thats exactly what I was hoping for, I'm on a very tight budget so I'm glad you've not listed any mahoosive power tools, on the grinder issue.. I have a Decent dremel multi tool, and could get some grinding/cutting disc's for that, ot i have a pretty powerfull drill, would some sort of atchment for that be better, i see you have some kind of brush thingy for yours.. which would be better? Dremel is good but you'll more than likely break a few bits before you've done the job,you need to do with it,you'd be surprised at how cheap 4" grinderettes are nowadays, I picked one up, new, for £13 the other week, came with spare brushes, which I put on my other one,(which needed £8 brushes) making two grinderettes one with a wire cup attachment, other with a cutting disk, The drill in pic, has a large wire brush wheel on it (the wire brushes were off ebay £20 quid for about 20 brushes, cup,wheel, big, small,)Ideal for light stuff like cleaning up carb, a wire cup/wheel brush on grinderette is for more heavy duty stuff i.e swingarm, exhaust, frame. Hope this helps Nev P.S an impact driver is also a decent tool to have, for nuts and screws that are solid, but after twatting my thumbs a few times, I asked Santa for an impact gun, with which he duly obliged,
Mecintal Posted May 31, 2011 Author Posted May 31, 2011 Awesome, I'm off shopping then, Thanks again.
NEV Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 Awesome, I'm off shopping then, Thanks again. Another thing I suggest, and I understand budget is tight at the min, is to make a note of all the nuts, bolts, washers, you take off, and go down to your nearest tool shop, and replace them with stainless ones, bit by bit, and over time you'll have accrued enough, so when it comes to rebuild your bike, not only will you in future not have any problems with rusting nuts siezing, it makes your bike look alot nicer. A bag the size of a crisp bag with mixed nuts, bolts, washers, nothing too long boltwise, I'm paying roughly between £7 and £10 depending on who serves me.
Moderator DirtyDT Posted May 31, 2011 Moderator Posted May 31, 2011 Plusgas and more plusgas. Impact driver and bits, Medium hammer and a decent set of spanners, drivers, socket set, breaker bar, multi tester, digital camera, masking tape, waterproof pen, Sealable bags, cable ties and assorted pliers......... to start. Don't go for cheap tools as they will be bad. I quite like the Halfords Professional range (I cant afford Snapon/Teng) Keep an eye out for new sets on evilbay (I am sure people nick them and sell them!) or on the Halfords site as they often have half price sales.
Mecintal Posted May 31, 2011 Author Posted May 31, 2011 Good tips, thanks, I've been putting nut's and bolts in labeled bags so I know where they came from, I could probably get away with replacing one section at a time as I go. Stuck blots are the bane of my life at the min, so some kind of torch is near the top of my list,
NEV Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 Good tips, thanks, I've been putting nut's and bolts in labeled bags so I know where they came from, I could probably get away with replacing one section at a time as I go. Stuck blots are the bane of my life at the min, so some kind of torch is near the top of my list, Get yourself down to your nearest car boot sale, this weekend, you're bound to find a plumbers blowtorch someones kicking out of there garage somewhere, you may even find some other bargain bits and bobs while you're there.
Moderator DirtyDT Posted May 31, 2011 Moderator Posted May 31, 2011 Stuck blots are the bane of my life at the min, so some kind of torch is near the top of my list, Plusgas and more plusgas.
2 Wheels Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 Just make a start on her,,,,,,,,the bits and pieces and tools you need will come along as you need them. No point going out and blowing your budget,,,,,,having a load of tools and then no money to do the job. Patience and lots of it is what you need. Best of luck
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