Parts PreparationThe thing I like about this restoration is that once the body parts are removed you're left with about three boxes of bagged bits to sort through. I initially spent many a night in the kitchen sorting through these boxes and cleaning parts. With all the grease and dirt removed, I then thought about the best way to restore the part and bring it back to new. This is my first time for a lot of this, so I'll be learning as I'm going along.The Vespa's parts preparation falls into:  Cleaninghere is a heap of metal and aluminum polishing you can do on the Vespa. Floor strips, end caps, tailight, brake pedal. Using an angle grinder and wet and dry sandpaper has worked the best although in the end I sent the bits to a local polishers and for about $100 they came back looking great. Metal Polishing There is a heap of metal and aluminum polishing you can do on the Vespa. Floor strips, end caps, tailight, brake pedal. Using an angle grinder and wet and dry sandpaper has worked the best although in the end I sent the bits to a local polishers and for about $100 they came back looking great. Chroming The only part I had chromed was the air cleaner cover for the carby. The rest of the chrome Powdercoating Since I had my wheels on the HT powdercoated, I've become a fan of the process. The powdercoat colour is a silver with metallic specs through it. Parts that are powdercoated include wheels, engine shroud, manifold cover, kick stand (including brackets and springs), seat frame and seat mount. Nut and bolt replacement I thinking of replacing any visible nuts and bolts with zinc plated or stainless items. Not sure how crazy I'm going to get on this particular subject. New parts Handlebar grips, rubbers and gaskets were replaced with new items to replace the worn out ones. I picked up a NOS front shock absorber that looks good and actually works, compared to my rusty item. The steering lock is new and the glovebox lock has a new keys refittted by a locksmith in South Melbourne. Speedo face, glass and surround have been sourced to replace the original worn items. Next- Body & Paint Work |