gitaneusa.com :: View topic - New to this, CAN IT BE DONE? 60's Gitane?

BigBeastro

So I am brand new to bikes, this is my dads old bike, looking to fix it up, probably not restore to its late 60's glory. I want a good daily bike, redo paint, change out bad parts etc. Here are some pictures of the old chap.

QUESTIONS: Is the rust too bad to work on? What are some things I can do by hand NOW? Looking for what I can start tonight. What parts need replacing generally? What is this bike model? Can I do this on the cheap?

A Gitane at rest tends to stay at rest until I act on it!

sandranian · Site Admin

That is a Gitane "Grand Sport Deluxe". The rust issues will be difficult to solve without repainting the frameset, which is expensive to have professionally done. The rust appears to have really set into the steel and is not a "surface" issue.

However, you may be able to do it yourself, because the GSD was not a particularly "high-end" model...and it sounds like you want to restore it for more sentimental reasons. You can actually do a pretty good paint job with over the counter "Rustoleum" paint nowadays, including a clear coat. The decals are available on Ebay (very good quality reproductions) for about $40. Remove the paint...go to the local auto parts store and get some rust remover and fine sand paper. Remove the rust and paint, prime it, and then paint. You will likely be very happy with the results, and the folks here can help you with the process.

verktyg

Before going to all of the work of preping and repainting, I would suggest a major cleanup first.

Much of the surface rust may come off of the painted areas with some automotive polishing compound. Medium and 3xxx steel wool will clean up a lot of the corrosion on the metal parts too.

The 3xxx steel wool can be used on paint too - as a last resort.

Bottom line, does it pass the 5 foot test or in the case of this bike, how bad does it look at 10 feet? Wink

sandranian · Site Admin

Chas...doesn't it look like the rust on the top tube is under the paint though? It appears to be bubbling up....

BigBeastro

So I am starting to dismantle the bike and sanding the paint off, I will post progress pictures at a later date. Here are a couple more pictures. Can I sanr the rust off the gears or [polish them up? Also, how do you clear rust out of the inside of the frame or tell if there is any inside?

verktyg

If you are taking the paint off, why bother to sand it? Get some citrus base paint remover, some rubber glovers and a cheap paint brush. apply a coat and let it sit for 20 minutes. You can remove the paint with a scraper. Any that doesn't come off, apply some more remover.

Some red, yellow and orange paints used cadmium and barium pigments which are heavy metals and the dust is not good to breath.

After you get all the paint off then you can safely sand the frame where needed.

I wouldn't worry too much about internal rust unless the bike was sitting in water! The tubes on the Gran Sport are pretty thick.

As I said above, get some steel wool ad see if you can remove the rust and corrosion from the metal parts. Remove the old dried out dirt and grease first. The citrus paint remover cant help there too.

sandranian · Site Admin

I agree with Chas. You are going to kill yourself sanding the entire thing.

BigBeastro

Thanks, I have some of that paint remover from doing automotive stuff, I'm sure these questions get repetative for you senior forum members so I appreciate the help! I started dismantling the bike last night and had a few questions.

1. Cheap way to break the chain? Needs a new one and I don't have that tool.

2. How do you get the peddles off? I think after I was done last night I was researching and saw that there are caps on many rachet locatiuons?

3. Do I need any specialty tools to do this? If so where do I acquire them for the lowest cost?

Again thanks!

sandranian · Site Admin

As a general rule, using the proper tools will save you time, the parts, and perhaps even a little of your own skin. They make all the difference. That being said:

1) Chain tools are relatively inexpensive. If you don't plan to do this over and over, you can probably get by with the cheapest one (around $10-$15). A small amount of money will save you hours of headache!

You will likely need one to reassemble the bike anyways. Use a new chain. It will need to be sized though for the bike. We can help you with that. But buy the chain tool. Local bike shop or buy online from somewhere like Performance.com. Probably cheaper than paying the local bike shop to do it.

2) There are special pedal wrenches. Depending on what type of pedals, you may have to get one of those. They aren't that expensive, but try using your standard wrenches first. If they don't fit, than you might be forced to buy one. Pedal wrenches also cost around $10 for the cheapest ones. Make sure you know the size prior to buying. Or, you can spend $25 for a nice one. Again, search online.

Park Tools are very good quality. Wrench Force are good as well, but I prefer Park.

scozim

sandranian · Site Admin

Nice work. Very pretty!