Author Topic: BMX resurrection  (Read 4081 times)

BMX resurrection
« on: 28 February, 2016, 06:15:39 pm »
I bought this at the end of 2014, because I wanted to have something I can ride with my daughter (and we're going to do a BMX beginners thing at the local skatepark). It was pretty tatty (and didn't have any cranks or brakes or cables or tyres or...). It's a steel Mongoose Pro, and it's bombproof (and heavy). The paint (and stickers) had seen better days, and there were spots of rust here and there...
DSC_0591 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
I stripped it into lots of pieces, bought a crankset and some new bearings, and then left it in the garage!
This weekend, I decided I'd sort it out, so I stripped all the black paint (and rust) off the frame, forks and handlebars using my angle grinder and 3 clean and strip disks.  That left me with this:
Before:
2016-02-28_05-35-18 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
After:
2016-02-28_05-35-56 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
Frame ready for paint:
2016-02-28_05-36-16 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
and primered:
2016-02-28_05-36-31 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
The other bits before painting:
2016-02-28_05-36-45 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
Primered up:
2016-02-28_05-37-19 by duncancmartin, on Flickr

And with the first coat of the colour coat on:
2016-02-28_06-05-47 by duncancmartin, on Flickr

I can probably only get 1 more coat on before it gets too cold/dark, so I'll go do that now...  :)

Cheers
Duncan

Re: BMX resurrection
« Reply #1 on: 28 February, 2016, 07:52:23 pm »
Here it is with the metallic purple paint:
2016-02-28_07-34-48 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
2016-02-28_07-35-03 by duncancmartin, on Flickr

There are a couple of annoying runs, but I still think that it looks pretty good. I'll have to wait until I can see it in the light to see if I need to flat them back and re-do, or if I can just clear coat over the top. Choosing a metallic colour was probably too ambitions, but it didn't cost much. If it was a bike where I needed a hardwearing long lasting paintjob (eg a commuter) then I might just go down the powder coat route next time! Stripping the paint was a lot of hassle, but it will be worth it if it has a decent end result.
I'll take some more photos next time I can see it in the light!
Cheers
Duncan

Re: BMX resurrection
« Reply #2 on: 06 March, 2016, 05:11:39 pm »
Clear coat applied now.  It looks proper shiny.  :) 8)
The finish isn't perfect, but it looks really good hung up (in the light, but not sunshine).  I need to get some helicopter tape to protect it so that it doesn't chip off as soon as I put cables/cranks/chain on it. The clear lacquer said that it should be left for 7 days to harden properly, so I'll leave it 'til next weekend anyway. If I get any bike time before then, I can spend it cleaning up the other bits! Pictures:
2016-03-06_05-06-05 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
2016-03-06_05-06-32 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
2016-03-06_05-06-20 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
Cheers
Duncan

fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: BMX resurrection
« Reply #3 on: 07 March, 2016, 05:22:22 pm »
In the DIY paintjobs I've done on my bikes, I found the longer they were left, the harder the surface became. Last one I did I left three weeks between colour coats.

Good use of a tree and some bits of string by the way.

Re: BMX resurrection
« Reply #4 on: 02 April, 2016, 08:47:58 pm »
Applied helicopter tape last night, and then re-assembled it today.  Rebuilt headset (not perfect but not too bad), installed new BMX style BB and cranks, stem, handlebars, front wheel and front brakes.
2016-04-02_08-39-13 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
Then I went to the Broken Spoke and swapped the old cruddy freewheel for good secondhand one they had. With back wheel slotted in, back brakes present but no cables, and no chain it looks like this.  I think it looks pretty decent. If I get a chance after boxing up the Islabikes, I'll try to complete it and give it a first ride tomorrow. :) 
2016-04-02_08-39-32 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
Cheers
Duncan

Re: BMX resurrection
« Reply #5 on: 03 April, 2016, 04:50:33 pm »
Finished.
2016-04-03_04-47-42 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
I need to fiddle with the back brakes to stop them rubbing, but it's all completed.  :)
Cheers
Duncan