Kicking off restoration project - Marin Sausalito FS

[takeawaydave]

Came across this forum whilst researching for my first ever restoration project.

I have recently bought a new bike and now am planning to restore my Marin Sausalito FS to its former glory. The bike I have in question is the 1999 model and its had a fair number of miles ridden on it and is starting to show its age and wear.

Here are a few photos:

Here is a close up of the frame condition:

Once I have stripped the frame bare what would be the best approach in getting the aluminium frame stripped back to nice shiny new metal ?

Would Marin have used some kind of varnish or lacquer in the original finish ?

Any idea on where to get replacement decals ? I tried contact Marin however they couldn't help and referred me to their dealer network which wasn't so helpful. I also tried looking on Ebay but most of the Marin decals are very MTB generic ones.

Thanks for reading and any advice appreciated !

 

[02gf74]

Re:

That doesnt look too bad.
Is it a valuable frame, welding on joints is fine like it coukd be Ti.

Anyways, id leave it as is or find the worst places where presumanly the lacquer has chipped and repair that using some fine wet n dry eg 800 or finert, then spray on laquer.

 

[brocklanders023]

Gil-m on here will sort the decals.

 

[takeawaydave]

Re: Re:

That doesnt look too bad.
Is it a valuable frame, welding on joints is fine like it coukd be Ti.

Anyways, id leave it as is or find the worst places where presumanly the lacquer has chipped and repair that using some fine wet n dry eg 800 or finert, then spray on laquer.

Not sure of the value of the frame but really wanting to just show it some love... I gather from what you say about the chips that this is probably just superficial damage to the lacquer as opposed to the metal itself - If so this is pretty encouraging. Any lacquer products that could be recommended ?

Given I'm not in any great rush and winter is on the way I was hoping to get stuck in to a proper polish job with some Autosol and elbow grease... then recoat with lacquer for final protection.

Better give the frame a good going over soon to ensure that there aren't any cracks or other damage tucked away.

The specs I have managed to cobble together from Bikepedia and elsewhere are:

Frame Tubing Material: TIG-welded 7005 aluminum, butted
Fork Brand & Model: RST 802, 1.6" travel (Replaced around 12 years ago for RST 801 following accident)
Brakeset: Shimano Nexave modulated V brakes BR-T400
Brake Levers: Shimano BL-T400 (some mint ones recently purchased on ebay)
Shift Levers: Shimano STX-RC RapidFire SL ((Replaced since with Shimano Alivio)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Nexave FD-T400 (bottom-pull/clamp-on 31.8mm) (Replaced since with Shimano Alivio)
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Nexave RD-T400 (Megarange) (Replaced since with Shimano Alivio - which is now broken since derailleur hanger broke)
Front Chainwheel / Crankset: Shimano Nexave FC-T401, 28/38/48 teeth
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-UN52, 110mm spindle
Bottom Bracket Cable Guide: Shimano SM-SP18
Rear Cassette: Shimano Cassette Sprocket CS-HG40-8 (8-speed, 11 - 34 teeth) (Replaced since with SRAM)
Chain: Shimano CN-IG51, 1/2 x 3/32" (Replaced since with SRAM)
Seat post: Marin Ovation
Saddle: Marin Comfort (Replaced since with something else)
Handlebar: Marin alloy (560mm JD Comp JD-810.6)
Handlebar Extensions: Marin alloy (Replaced since with Profile Design ends)
Handlebar Stem: Marin alloy (Replaced since with Zoom)
Headset: Marin
Wheels Hubs: Shimano STX-RC
Rims: Mavic T138
Tires:700 x 38c street tread

 

[takeawaydave]

Gil-m on here will sort the decals.

Thanks for the contact!

 

[takeawaydave]

Re:

Update:
- Finally completely disassembled the bike some photos below:

- A few of the components I am planning to reuse

Here's a close up of part of the frame. These lines seem to be pretty much all over the frame:

I am pretty sure they are superficial (on the lacquer) can some one confirm what they are and are common on aluminium ?

 

[xerxes]

Re:

You are right, it's corrosion under the lacquer. If you get a small scratch or even a microscopic hole in the lacquer, perhaps from a stone chip, moisture can get to the aluminium and corrosion can spread under the lacquer.

Other than completely strip and re-finish the frame there's not much you can do about it.

 

[takeawaydave]

Re: Re:

You are right, it's corrosion under the lacquer. If you get a small scratch or even a microscopic hole in the lacquer, perhaps from a stone chip, moisture can get to the aluminium and corrosion can spread under the lacquer.

Other than completely strip and re-finish the frame there's not much you can do about it.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like got some work yet to do here. What would the process to get this stripped down and re-finished?

 

[mechanical_vandal]

Re: Re:

You are right, it's corrosion under the lacquer. If you get a small scratch or even a microscopic hole in the lacquer, perhaps from a stone chip, moisture can get to the aluminium and corrosion can spread under the lacquer.

Other than completely strip and re-finish the frame there's not much you can do about it.

It doesn't even need a chip or scratch. Lacquer is moisture permeable.

If you wanna stick with the same look, removing the lacquer isn't too hard a task, polishing the alloy once you do will be.

Media blast and powdercoat is the easiest and cheapest option.

 

[xerxes]

Re:

As mechanical_vandal says, you can strip it, polish it, powder coat it, re-clear coat or lacquer it, even have it anodized.

However, it's not a rare, exotic or particularly valuable frame, so, personally, I wouldn't be inclined to spend a fortune on it. Lavish a little TLC on it, clean it up and get it running nicely, but be aware that you probably won't recoup your investment if you spend money on newer or better components or on having the frame re-finished.