What on earth have I bought!

[HMS_Dave]

What you'll wake up to tomorrow morning.

 

[Jenkins]

I've seen less rusty Alfa Romeos from the 1970s. Where in the garden was it stored - the pond?

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

That rear triangle may be scrap but I’ve seen worse saved. The problem with stuff like this is you end up spending more than it is worth. Thing is… you have such fun doing it that you just go and do it all again!

good luck with it!

 

[si_c]

I've seen less rusty Alfa Romeos from the 1970s. Where in the garden was it stored - the pond?

It would might have been less rusty if stored undernwater.

 

[Gunk]

Well I’m fully committed now, just ordered about £150 of replacement Brompton parts plus another £100 in used bits, paint, sanding pads etc.

I’ve had a closer inspection of some the rusty areas and ground down some test patches with a Dremel and it’s looking reasonably encouraging, structurally it looks pretty sound, it’ll just be a lot of work bringing it back, But no pressure with this one, I’ll just take my time.

 

[brommieinkorea]

Food for thought....Why does someone treat a relatively expensive item like this with such disregard? Statute of limitations in England/UK ?

 

[PeteXXX]

Chain's slack.. Apart from that, have fun restoring it!

 

[Gunk]

Food for thought....Why does someone treat a relatively expensive item like this with such disregard? Statute of limitations in England/UK ?

What’s really sad is that it’s had very little use, still on its original tyres which are like new.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What’s really sad is that it’s had very use, still on its original tyres which are like new.

Clearly just left outside in the rain

 

[Gunk]

 

[chriswoody]

Am I right in saying the rear triangle is powder coated rather than painted like the main frame?

I'm fascinated by how bad the rear triangle is compared to the generally excellent condition the main frame appears to be in. It seems the powder coating or whatever is on there, has let the water in and not protected it at all.

Love the orange of the frame though and I'm not at all jealous, that's the sort of project I would love to have a crack at.

 

[Gunk]

They are powder coated, that’s why it looks so bad because it’s lifted.

 

[Gunk]

The weather was too bad to get out in the garden and strip the rear triangle, so I turned my attention to the main frame hinge which you could barely open it was that stiff (the marks are where in the past someone has tried to prise it open with a screwdriver!), I sprayed some WD40 in to the gaps and left it overnight, this morning I cleaned it out with dental floss and after a day of short manipulating sessions and an application of wet lube it now moves perfectly. I also cleaned up the clamps and lubricated the thread, fitted some aftermarket little springs which I had spare, and it all works perfectly.

A very small but very rewarding job.

As you can also see the paintwork has now been cut back (I’ll give a final polish before assembly) and has come up really well. Probably my favourite Brompton colour.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I could be interested in 'improving' Bromptons if I could buy a genuine Brompton frame and add parts of my choice. Choosing wheels, gear etc would improve the experience for me. As an example I recently made the move to 160 mm cranks and fitted a front derailleur - minimal weight penalty, but more 'my' bike.

 

[Gunk]

I could be interested in 'improving' Bromptons if I could buy a genuine Brompton frame and add parts of my choice. Choosing wheels, gear etc would improve the experience for me. As an example I recently made the move to 160 mm cranks and fitted a front derailleur - minimal weight penalty, but more 'my' bike.

It did cross my mind that I would make more money cleaning everything up and sell it for spares, but the biggest pleasure for me is that first ride on a fully restored bike.