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

[yorkie1956]

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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 theAm 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!

Thanks for the tip Bruce. I bought this just before Christmas after it had been advertised for ages. I'm working away so won't see it until I get home. Shame about the original paint being covered over!

Dennis

 

[yorkie1956]

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Wow... January sale time for BSA stuff!

 

[yorkie1956]

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Thanks for the for sale tips twosheds and Piperdave.

 

[Piperdave]

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Thanks for the for sale tips twosheds and Piperdave.

Pleasure, it nice to see some "common" bikes here, something not "exotic". Bikes like this were the mainstay of leisure cycling and commuting back in the day.

 

[twosheds]

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

.....

Thanks for the tip Bruce. I bought this just before Christmas after it had been advertised for ages. I'm working away so won't see it until I get home. Shame about the original paint being covered over!

Dennis

Well done Dennis, I'm glad someone on here bought it. It sounds like its in safe hands now!
If that green paint has been badly applied, you may be able to remove it without damaging the underlying paint, which will be tougher than the green. There are various methods, from using a plastic scraper to graffiti removal solvents. If it doesn't work out, I'm currently working on some artwork for the decals for this bike, as I have got another (bare) frame for a future project.

 

[yorkie1956]

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Great advice Bruce. Good luck with the Tour of Britain decal artwork.

I'm hoping that the green paint is applied from a rattle can and is still soft. If that's the case I may be in with a chance of getting the frame back to it's original finish, I plan to try anyway. Hopefully graffiti solvent won't attack the original decals. I haven't used it before so am in unknown territory. Would you know if the decals were laquered over at the factory?

Should I fail and a repaint is needed, I hope you may be able to sell me some frame decals.

Dennis

 

[quiet mike]

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Well done Dennis! Look forward to following it's resto!

 

[yorkie1956]

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

Front hub anyone?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-NOS-VINT ... Sw5cNYcnOr

It's the wrong type for my spare wheel, but correct for 1955/56

I've won it! Great stuff. And it looks like new. Okay, they all look new in the photo's. Anyway, not at all like my luck to win anything on ebay for sensible money! I usually lose out to auction windmills but not this time.
Now to find wheel rims.

Dennis

 

[twosheds]

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Nice one!
Have you got your hands on the bike yet? Check out the rims on that before you shop for the (expensive) Dunlop SL ones. There is some advice on Dunlop SL rims in section D here - http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/wheels-avt.html

By the way, I'm not sure if the decals were factory lacquered. I already clear coated mine before considering that.

Looking forward to your build thread.

 

[yorkie1956]

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No Bruce I haven't seen my bike yet which is a little frustrating. Sadly I'm out of the UK for a time so my rebuild is likely to be a protracted affair. I am enjoying watching yours progress on here, it's looking very nice by the way. I have a few questions that you may be able to answer which I will ask on your thread as I don't want to hijack this one of Mike's.

At the moment and in the absence of a thorough inspection of what I've got, which is the complete, but with many wrong parts early "green" bike and a later 1955/6 frame-set, I'm looking for parts that I know I will need. Meanwhile, good luck Mike if you decide to restore your complete bike.

Dennis