c1956 BSA Tour of Britain - too far gone to restore?

[quiet mike]

Well, the BSA I bought off here a few months ago has landed. Now it did look pretty crusty in the one photo I had to go on, but like you do I hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked. It was incredibly original, and that's what swung the deal for me.
BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

Unfortunatley it has turned out to be pretty far gone. I've not seen chrome flake away this bad for a long time, there isn't a single bit of plating on this that has survived at all. And the paint isn't in much better condition. The rust looks pretty bad, and my gut feeling is the frame strength may be compromised. Also it may be too pitted if I did decide to restore it? I'd welcome other poeples opinions as I tend to only overhaul not restore machines.

Anyway, I'll post a few photos up just as reference if anything.

GB Coureur brake set and what I think are GB Superhood levers, from 1952 onwards. Should clean up nicely.

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

Fork crown and Cyclo changer. All the black enamel has blistered like this.

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

Cyclo Benelux Standard. Surprisingly this still works. Wear on the cog teeth but hopefully saveable.

IMG_8065 by Mike, on Flickr

 

[quiet mike]

Re:

GB Maes handlebars and spearpoint stem.

IMG_8064 by Mike, on Flickr

Front hub

IMG_8070 by Mike, on Flickr

Crusty pedals. Haven't stripped these down yet, but initial inspection isn't good!

IMG_8066 by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

Transfers

IMG_8069 by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA fluted cranks and chainset

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr



BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

BSA Tour of Britain by Mike, on Flickr

 

[quiet mike]

Re: c1952 BSA Tour of Britain - too far gone to restore?

So there it is. Pretty rough, looks like it's spent a fair bit of time out in the open exposed to the elements. Right now I'm not feeling the love for it, and I wouldn't lose any sleep over parting it out, there are some nice components on it that would help get other bikes on the road.
It does seem a shame though as the bike is so original. It hasn't been mucked around with over the years, or crashed and bent. Just several decades of neglect ...

 

[kingbling]

Re: c1952 BSA Tour of Britain - too far gone to restore?

Brings back memories does this, as my dad used to have one which he got from my Granddad. I remember him cycling to work on it in the late 70's because he didn't have a car and on school holidays I'd meet him from work and rode home with him.
If you want to pass it on PM me

 

[biggs682]

Re: c1952 BSA Tour of Britain - too far gone to restore?

mmm could be a tough resto decision there

 

[Robbied196]

Re:

Thats a tough decision, dilemma! Its got a lot going for it, but a lot wrong with it as well.

Quite rare to find them nice and original like that but the paint and chrome look well passed saving. You could chuck all the chrome in a strong solution of oxalic acid for a couple of days then wire wool it and see what you get. Sometimes, although the chrome can be missing in patches, the underlying steel will polish up and it looks better than what it is.

If the frame is solid, I'd check around the bottom bracket area as thats where they tend to rot out, at least you have black paint which is the most forgiving colour. You could try and preserve the decals, rub down the blistered paint and touch up. More of a renovation than restoration

Its a tough one though :|

 

[Spokesmann]

Re: c1952 BSA Tour of Britain - too far gone to restore?

Love it, I think its well worth a crack at. It will be challenging, but the final result could be just gorgeous.

 

[unkleGsif]

Re:

I'll watch this with interest, as the mother in law has her mums old bike that is likely to find its way to me... a BSA ladies shopper that she can rememake being transported to see hooligans on as a nipper.
Dates from the 50s and been stood outdoors for years

 

[twosheds]

Re:

Mike, if you are interested there is a Tour of Britain frame with good chrome hiding under the repaint of this bike.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Bsa-R ... Sw8w1YA0hQ

The lugs and chrome fork ends point towards it being a ToB and that purple, or "Amaranthe" was one of the colour options on the original 1952/53 model. But most of the parts look like replacements. I don't think it was offered with a dyno hub so the front wheel may not be original, and the brake levers are definitely wrong.
Looks like a decent frame though.
It is a good job this is so far from me or it would probably end up in my shed with the other two!

 

[Spokesmann]

Re: Re:

Mike, if you are interested there is a Tour of Britain frame with good chrome hiding under the repaint of this bike.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Bsa-R ... Sw8w1YA0hQ

The lugs and chrome fork ends point towards it being a ToB and that purple, or "Amaranthe" was one of the colour options on the original 1952/53 model. But most of the parts look like replacements. I don't think it was offered with a dyno hub so the front wheel may not be original, and the brake levers are definitely wrong.
Looks like a decent frame though.
It is a good job this is so far from me or it would probably end up in my shed with the other two!

Just up the road and a Dynohub!