Maclean barn find

[EltonFrog]

You’ve done a nice job of that, I’d leave the frame as is.

 

[Bobby Maclean]

thanks for the advice and good to get some feed back about keeping it with its war wounds.

There are some scars on the frame that I feel I have to something about. What’s the best thing to do with the area rusting up in the photo. I can take the bike to the paint people and they will mix up as close a match as poss, so do I rub down that bit, treat it with rust preventer and then seal it?

 

[midlife]

The crown race isn't fitting down on the fork, does something feel loose? The top of the fork needs a good debridement and then you can decide what to do.

 

[Bobby Maclean]

The crown race isn't fitting down on the fork, does something feel loose? The top of the fork needs a good debridement and then you can decide what to do.

Thanks for pointing that out, I am not to sure what a crown race is mind! There is nothing that feels loose on the steering/ fork area.

 

[Drago]

Soak the rusty parks in a solution of oxalic acid. It removes the rust, doesn't harm the paint, and doesn't leave ugly black marks like some rust ungents.

 

[midlife]

Oxalic acid and paint sometimes don't go well together.... Wire brush might be better on the fork.

The forks really need to come off given the pic of the headset.

 

[Drago]

Bilt Hamber Deox Gel. Not cheap but incredibly effective, just melts the rust away and definitely will not harm paint.

 

[raleighnut]

I'd have the fork off too

 

[Illaveago]

With the fork out could you lay it in a container so that only the rusty area is underneath the de- rusting solution? That area definitely needs sorting out.

If you know the people in the spray shop they should be able to do a "blow in" on your crossbar. By giving the crossbar a good clean they should be able to use some soft edge tape on the lugs, mask off the rest of the frame and fade a light coat of colour on before lacquering over it.
Your bike is coming on well.

 

[Poacher]

Beautiful looking bike there, congratulations!
BUT that headset problem - looks like a good quality ISO race (26.4mm) sitting on top of a JIS seat (27.0mm).
See Sheldon's cribsheet - fairly straightforward for a well-equipped bike shop to mill the fork to ISO standard.

 

[Bobby Maclean]

Beautiful looking bike there, congratulations!
BUT that headset problem - looks like a good quality ISO race (26.4mm) sitting on top of a JIS seat (27.0mm).
See Sheldon's cribsheet - fairly straightforward for a well-equipped bike shop to mill the fork to ISO standard.

Thank you @Poacher , I am not that clued up on bike mechanics so all the advice is very gratefully received.
Is a milling job expensive and also if the bike does not feel loose in that area, is it something that has to be done for safety?

 

[Bobby Maclean]

Bilt Hamber Deox Gel. Not cheap but incredibly effective, just melts the rust away and definitely will not harm paint.

Thanks @Drago , picked these up at a booty, do they seem like the thing to use, one is a jelly type liquid.

 

[raleighnut]

Thank you @Poacher , I am not that clued up on bike mechanics so all the advice is very gratefully received.
Is a milling job expensive and also if the bike does not feel loose in that area, is it something that has to be done for safety?

TBH I'd fit a JIS 27mm bottom race to the fork, it should fit the rest of the headset.

 

[Poacher]

TBH I'd fit a JIS 27mm bottom race to the fork, it should fit the rest of the headset.

'Appen so, but you'd still be left with a (now) non-standard fork crown. I'd prefer to get it reduced and use the crown race that Campag intended. However, none of this is certain without checking exactly what goes on here. Vernier calipers across the exposed bit of crown below the race might be a start.
@Bobby Maclean , the bike is probably rideable, and as you say doesn't feel loose, but that may be due to the top race being screwed down tight to keep things together. heavy braking could cause the lower race being tilted forward and result in damage to the headset. As to cost, my LBS would have done it for less than a fiver, which is probably why he took early retirement and closed down. There must be quite a few reputable shops in your area; phone round a few and ask for an estimate for milling a fork crown and seating a crown race. If they don't understand the request they probably wouldn't know how to go about it. If they want further details, consider referring them to this thread. As noted elsewhere, I'm a notorious skinflint, but I wouldn't expect the cost to be very far north of a tenner.

 

[Bobby Maclean]