what type of product do you suggest for polishing up the wheels after the oxidation has been removed? Would WD40 on the steel wool be helpful at all while scrubbing them?
Gents, I am armed with my rust remover from Canadian Tire (stuff linked to earlier in the thread, in the end I decided I didn't want to risk a household cleaner - I couldn't find Lime-a-way or Harpic in Canada and I didn't want to risk the wrong acid on the chrome) and my Autosol and steel wool. Today I'm going to start on the wheels and maybe a simple minor chrome part (the grab bar probably). I figure if that doesn't work out I don't mind blasting and powder coating it black. A question for you all - using this acid product to clean chrome, I gather you generally just wash it off with water and wipe it dry with a rag. This acid - is it ok to say, use it in on an asphalt driveway and then wash it away with a hose or will it stain the drive? Where do most of you do this type of chrome restore, and where do you wash away the product? The other option I have is to do the smaller bits in the laundry sink and wash the product down the drain, but then the header will still be a challenge. I don't want to do it on the lawn and kill the grass or get chemicals into the lawn as we have well-water and I am about to sell the house so stains on the drive/patches of burnt grass are a no-no. Suggestions? In the meantime I'll be scrubbing away at those wheels and hoping that at least the painted black portions are ok...
It is weak acid so dilution with water renders it pretty harmless much like bleaches more generally. Better over hard standing and diluted through surface/foul drains than directly on vegetation.
If you are worried about your driveway use an old sheet of plywood, OSB or chipboard. A few handy rags to soak up any drips heading for the edge and you're away. Send us some after pictures once you get a few bits done. Good luck.
Update time! So I have mentioned before I think that I'm blessed to have a mechanic buddy. Well he came over and we tore it down more. We are going to clean what can be cleaned and blast and paint what has rust. Turns out the frame proper is essentially rust free. Bits and pieces not so much. The frame will spot sand and paint in hidden bits. The cast iron bit at the bottom of the triple tree has some rust so trying to figure out fixing that without taking it all apart, same for the bit around the fork ears (headlight bracket) that actually has wires running through it. We may even be able to powder coat although the oven he was supposed to get in his shop is not there yet so it may all be painted. (Properly, prime, several layers clear coat etc). Tonight we are going to start cleaning up some and see what buffing can do for the largely unrusted chrome as well. Have decided the rear suspension is beyond saving and will be blasted and painted probably black. Thoughts on that? Attached are the many before photos. Thank to Callumity for encouraging me to do more tear down. Before pics below...
Second set of update photos. Had to screenshot these as I didn't dumb down the camera resolution and it won't let me upload originals so hopefully they will show well. I will add some soon as well of the surface rust I want to sand/scrub somehow and paint by hand or as suggested here.
Wow, that’s proper progress and the proper way of doing it. Really look forward to following this thread, right up my street!
I'm in way over my head to be honest. Luckily friend is a mechanic. Here's the plot twist: I'm an air force pilot and posted somewhere new in July. However I deploy to Japan for 1.5-2 months in a month. So... Needs to be done in a month if at all possible! While I do this my engine is being rebuilt by my dad and friend in Ontario. Hoping my cousin will make an account (he has a triumph too) and post photos of that work in this thread!
Blasting and painting part 2 Shined up the horn as well. Results have me excited for the pipes and various chromy bits.
Gents... Before I get too far into the painting I just thought of something . Obviously(?) I haven't gone out and bought a bunch of "Triumph PG Jet Black" OEM paint. This is just high quality paint from the shop with a good primer, several coats and then a few coats of clear coat . Question is... What should that paint look like? Is it a high gloss finish originally? Because so far we have been using high gloss... There are also matte versions available at the shop... I think matte, gloss and high gloss? Need advice on this asap before we do more painting . Also... The shocks are way more corroded than I realized and I believe we will be stripping and painting black . Thoughts on that?
Just a little bump to renew my pleas for help. Will be continuing to work tomorrow so any advice on the paint or shocks would be much appreciated as far as will painting them work and flat black, gloss or high heat gloss
Gloss black for metal is fine. I would not waste too much time on the shocks. That corroded I would expect the rod inside the spring to shred the seal. They have their detractors but a pair of Tec shocks for $150 US are better than the originals https://www.tecbikepartsusa.com/Triumph_Shocks_s/1826.htm N.B. SE length or you jack up the rear end!
looking into this. The bike already has non-stock shocks (I believe the front was done too) so I need to check what it already has. Going to have a look, I believe the rod itself actually is in decent shape and might be salvageable. Also want to know, does replacing/changing the rear mean the front must also be changed, ie if the rear shocks now ride differently?
That rod moves inside a rubber bush /seal so ensure it has not got a raised corroded burr that will then allow oil and gas leakage. Front and rear suspension systems are quite separate. The key variable is ride height. At the front your triple trees should be clamped at the top of the forks. However, excessive shock length at the back will give you a nose down attitude, in turn affecting steering geometry and ‘speeding up’ steering and reducing self cantering. The SE with smaller diameter cast wheels uses a shorter shock than other models.
Makes sense. Are there any options that don't have that strange looking exterior reservoir behind the shock? I love the original single spring look
The basic Tec shock..... does the North American distributor not stock them? https://shop.tecbikeparts.com/products/oe-shock-bonneville-t100
Hmm, is that these? The T100 part scared me away after your warning to stick specifically with the SE models. What is the difference between the reservoir and non, merely looks? Or are the reservoir ones better? They are $50 more https://www.tecbikepartsusa.com/Triumph_Bonneville_T100_SE_Shocks_340mm_p/t-sh18.htm
