Restoration or preservation

[slvrbrdfxr]

Bob,
I plan to be at the AMA POG meeting as long at the weather looks good and I can get a seat on the plane. Talk to you later.
Dave McC

[rob w]

Dave,
Alrighty then, good to hear, looking forward to seeing you. I missed last year because of the bad winter weather. Remember this meeting about 4 yrs. ago, it was warm and sunny. Let's all hope for that again.
Bob

[tomale]

I was pleased to hear what you all said and I have to agree.. A couple of years ago I was trying to decide what to do with my MC5 would I restore it to its orginal condition and make it look like it did when I brought it home from the shop or or would I clean it up and but leave it as it is... I chooze the third... deal with what ever problems but leave it as it was when I last raced it back in the day. I decided that it was important to show the changes that were made to some of the race bikes back then... So I have a set of aftermarket shocks that I had on it back then as well as a hand made pipe that had been built for me back then as well... The only thing that is change from back then is the Mikuni carb that I put on it a couple of years ago.. the stock carb just wore out... and since that too could have been done back then too I left it alone...I think it is important to no only preserve how they came new but also how they were used as well.... I don't ride the bike much now and have thought a time or two of selling it but then I realize it will only be owned by the orginal owner once and that too is important so it is safely put away, Now that I think of it, hmmm it maybe time to get it out fire it up and take it for a spin....

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)
72'sixday (project bike)

[Rain Man]

This thread brings up another good question too Rob.  When to restore or preserve the bike and also when to just take all the good parts that are still useable off the thing, and use it on another fixable project.
 If the projects been left out in the weather for any time, you can bet taking it aparts gonna "make you cry". It just kills me to see, here or use a 3lb hammer to drive a piston outta the bore
  and the many  horra  stories of what cheezy way someone welded things up, to "hide the mistake" yeooww !!!
 I got buckets and buckets of trashed parts our Prez suggested to "never throw out".
  BTW anybody figure out how to repair the rear conical hubs yet ??[V]


Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[G Ellis]

Raymond if you have a cracked hub I can weld them. Is this what you are talking about? Later Gary

[Rain Man]

Gary, crack would be putting it mildly, the 2 that I picked up with another bike are  broke right from 1 bearing web to the other. I think their fubar'ed at this point . The winter weather probably broke them in half...


Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[brian kirby]

This is an interesting subject. My Dad restores Barrett-Jackson style concourse quality Mustangs, and they talk about these same issues, restore or preserve. They also talk about "over-restoring" where the end product is actually not accurate because although its not modified it is better than original, its too good. For example, stock Mustang paint had "orange peel" it was not smooth and perfect. My Dad replicates the texture of the original orange peel, while others over restore and wet sand to a mirror smooth finish. Seems like Pentons, or any thing collectible that needs restoration would have these same issues of over restoration, but I'm not sure. Looking at the fiberglass on the unrestored Pentons I've seen, I think it would be easy to over restore one.

Also, there is the issue of bikes with a documentable race history, like Paul Danik's Blue Six Day. I think it would be destroying part of  history if you restored that bike, or even Young Ted's bike. It should always stay as it is with its mods for the ISDT and its dings and scratches, its "patina". If its just some bike a regular guy used for racing, restore it, if its a bike with an important place in racing history DO NOT RESTORE IT, preserve it.

Brian

'72 Six Day (on loan from Ernie P.)

[OhioTed]

Speaking of "over-restoration", I've never kidded myself about being able to rebuild a bike to compare in any way with the kind of work I've seen turned out by guys like Rod Gorzny, Gary Roach, or Kip Kern.  However, there are instances when I chose to build something into the bike which exceeds original specs or finish, in the interest of durability, reliability, or ridability.  

With that being said, does anyone care to comment on the application of a high-temp coating process (such as Jet-Hot), to Penton exhaust pipes?  I just want the pipe to look good, and stay looking good, with the bike seeing some running time.  Or, is there a better way to go?