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What Am I Doing!; a novice rebuilds a fizzy!
Tweet Topic Started: Apr 3 2008, 08:05 PM (232 Views)
FCA101 Apr 3 2008, 08:05 PM Post #1
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It started on a cold Jauary night, looking throught bikes on ebay, thinking i could do with a cheap winter trailie. Then I saw a fizzy! then I googled a bit and found this site, then i started remenising about my 78/79 year with my first ever bike.
I saw Trunkie had a 79 ( i had a dx but this was close enough) called him up and brought it!.
No winter traile but a cool fs1. So you'd think that would be it. but after hiring a van and picking the bike up i then went out and bought my own cheap van just to take my new friend around in. Why do we do things like this?
It didnt end there.

Reading all the posts and the wonderful restorations you guys are doing i was motivated to have a go myself.

So i paid £360 for this nail on ebay. My van was in for a service so i picked it up in our sheep trailer.

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It has matching numbers but no vrd. So I stripped it down. As a complete novice you'd think i would take my time, stuff that the angle grinder was out and a few hours later I was left with a bare frame. I had ruined the pedal gear which was welded on and had i gone to someone who new about this i might have salvaged it.

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Then the fun starts. I cant blast or paint and ive half the thing missing anyhow.
What do i do?

If in doubt buy stuff on ebay.

I bought the manual, the supplementary manual, the restoration manual with the before and after pictures in, the nice book on funky mopeds, the wrong parts list, the right parts list and to be on the safe side another haynes with a different cover.

Oh and i got a pattern rhs switch assembly. No idea why.

Read the supplier listing on this site. Pockets now empty. Paypal suspended due to lack of funds.

Call the Per man up. Ask him what on earth i do next. He laughs a little out of sympathy.

"Oi Per how much is this thing going to cost me to restore?"
Silence. "Have you got deep pockets?"
More silence my end. "How much?"
More silence.
Then the answer we have all heard.
"s**t" I could buy 2 fully restored bikes on for that".
"Yes but you wouldnt have built it yourslf"
(this conversation went round for some time)

Per then asked 3 important questions.

"Can you restore wheels?"
me: "no"
"Are you any good with mechanics?"
me: "are you serious!"
"Can you sand blast and powder coat?"
me: "Im an accountant for goodness sake!"


Per : "wheels to Nick at Excelsior. engine to Mark the Racoony man, Frame and painting to Tony".

I was so embarressed with the engine I had that I to apologise to Mark in advance .

Marks reply was "Your engine does look rough!"

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So the frame, engine and hubs were sent away by courier in expectation that the whole bike would be magically and seemlessly returned as one.

Mark immediatley emails me to say there are parts missing and sends me a bulgarian/Russian/ Swahili list.(an engine parts list). No idea, so look them up in the wrong parts list, the right parts list and then look at the pictures in the resto manual.

Send something resembling what he's asked for and cross fingers.
He doesnt ask me for anything again so i guess i must have totally confused him.

In the meantime I attempted to strip the forks down.Unable to master this task. The pictures in the book are of them in parts. Which bit do you twist and where?

Get a big hammer out if in doubt!
Do some more shopping on ebay to take my mind off it.

More emails and calls to Per. He then went on holiday so I resorted to the blow torch. Didnt know there were rubber bungs on the inside of the collars. Nice mess!

Success. Now im an expert at destroying front forks!

Had to get a smaller socket set as my tractor one doesnt fit the fiddly little screws they put on fizzys.

Sent the wrong swinging arm to Tony. Its off a later bike. Tony notices this small detail. Find the right one and send it in.

Forgot the front hub for Nik at Excelsior. Nik asks if I have one. I am not sure what he wants so I send the round thing which is a LHS/RHS? No idea. Nik emails me to say he is going on holiday and he is leaving the brake plate to soak in diesel and then he will send it off to a friend for rewelding. I must admit i was a little brutal on the frame strip.

Why do people go on holiday after I have sent them my stuff in.


Just for good measure bought some more pattern parts on ebay and a 1992 fs1 for my 16 year old daughter.

She didnt like it. Wants a horse instead. Does anyone understand the kids of today?

Offered the bike to someone on the site. cant have it needs to inspect it first. too far to travel(?).
Mark from Coventry pms me and wants it. We do a deal and he comes over to pick it up.

In the meantime ive found some more frames and engines and bits and pieces in a "farm find". Mark is brill and knows what i should ditch and what i should keep. He's also providing me with some great advice on what to do and how to do it.
Thanks so far mate.

Per returns and im pleased to tell him my engine is nearly finished. Mark sends me a picture. Not mine surely?

Brilliant and thanks Mark for your patience. (I really do know that a carberetter a vital part of the equation).

Stunning and thanks again.

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So where are we as at the 4 April?

Frame and wheels still to return, Per, Nik, Mark G, Mark and Tony offering great advice, even Chas now assisting with one or two welding issues.(He may need a holiday soon!) Still trawling ebay.

Thanks guys and to everyone on the site who has provided me with the support and guidance a complete novice like me needs.

I will write the rebuild up when I get to it sometime later in the Month (need a holiday first).

Didnt do anything tody. Weather too nice and went for a blast on my Bonnie istead. Cheers.

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Jay Apr 3 2008, 08:45 PM Post #2
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Team Essex are ......Air Cooled
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:D fantastic mate good luck ! looks like your progressing well with the rebuild ,fs1e,s dont you just love em <_<

its going to be worth it B)
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Fs1eweb Apr 3 2008, 09:19 PM Post #3
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Great to see the progress! Sounds like it will all come together very soon!
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Drumbrake Apr 3 2008, 09:26 PM Post #4
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Beer anyone?
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haha, you've caught the bug! Good luck with the resto mate. It doesnt take much mechanical nouse to put a fizzy together. Just take your time and follow the manual!
Love the Triumph by the way, i see its not leaking oil...you sure its working properly?
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kingtut Apr 3 2008, 09:49 PM Post #5
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Ding dang do
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Keep at it, nothing emptys pockets easier than a fizzy resto.
B)
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fizzyorange Apr 3 2008, 10:00 PM Post #6
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Superb read, well done ;)
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sp885 Apr 4 2008, 05:50 AM Post #7
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Great story, keep at it you'll get there
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eightcans Apr 4 2008, 07:17 AM Post #8
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Fantastin read :D Good luck with the build up :)
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AllSpeed Apr 4 2008, 09:32 AM Post #9

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Look forward to the next installment-good read fella.
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FCA101 Apr 27 2008, 07:07 PM Post #10
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Rebuilding a fizzy reminds me of the time a friend went on a motoring holiday to Ireland and he and his wife got lost on the rounabouts of Cork. He eventually pulled over and asked a local how to get out of Cork. To which the bemused local paused for thought and replied that first he would have to be IN Cork.

Dont ask anyone not on this forum about how to start rebuilding a fizzy, their response would be "I wouldnt start with that bike if I were you!"

Where did April go?

Got my wheels back from Kwackers - superb job and tremendious help.
Engine arrived back from Marg G - again awesome job.
Quick turnarounds from both. thoroughly recommended.

Making new friends on the site as time progresses. Pleased that folks share advice and support you when it goes well and also help when it goes wrong.

Chas has provided me with a loom. Thanks mate.

Per has been a constant help and source of information both on my RD200 and fizzy rebuilds - thanks Per - again!

:D

Tony has had my frame since the 18 March, 2008. Still not returned it to me.

:(

Maybe next week.

In the meantime I kind of put the pop rebuild on hold, not difficult when youve no frame!

Got a little disillusioned with it all because these things eat into your time. ( not to mention the wallet).

So focussed on my work for a couple of weeks and not on the hobby. Besides which I was not playing enough golf!

Then.....

Got excited about doing an FS1 78 DX and was really impressed with Niels pictures on this website. decided I had to have my old bike, by what ever means.

I put a post in the wanted section, but nothing.

E bay beckoned again. oh er .... dont tell the wife!

Got keen about a 78 fs1 on ebay - had a bright idea to strip the frame and engine down and rebuild a 78dx.

Bought it - down the road from me and got it home.

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So when I got it home, gunked it, jet sprayed it and was about to admire it when.... I happend to look underneath, yep, worst nightmare, a hole in the crank.

Is there a therapist type of person for Fizzy builders?

Those of you that have finished a restoration do you need to go into rehab or something similar to get over the experience. Does anyone else screw up?

Mark G emailed me to say it was a rather nice hole. But he can fix it!

(ive a spare case, so its a question of some cutting and pasting).

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So I had a cunning plan, rebuild the fs1 as a dx. Problem was no front DX end and no wineberry red tank.

After a bit of a search, Mark came up with the tank and a seat with the matching colour band. He kindly delivered it to me. Thanks mate - pleasure to know you.

I was reading the site last week and admiring Duncanning's posts about his collection of bikes, noticed a DX bike. Duncan was looking after this 80 dx for a friend who was willing to sell it, Duncan glad of the space.

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So I popped down last night and picked it up in the van. Got home at midnight and hid it from the wife. Luckily she didnt spot me unloading it and putting it discretely at the back of the shed.

Thanks Duncan for helping me out. Appreciate it.

So today spent the day doing a bit of a tidy, quick spray of the LH engine covers, Marks seat and tank, pattern shocks and new exhaust.

Wating on side panel decals, a tail light and number plate holder from FS1shop.nl

Discovered I didnt have an exhaust spanner!

Another new tool to buy.

Its a runner and should sail through the MOT. Im taking it to a local dealer next week.

Heres the bike this afternoon.

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Heres another....


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So now ive an 80 dx in wineberry red and a 78 FS1. Neither is concourse but both could be useable with a little work.

Hmmmm........

In the meantime I took the yellow tank from the 78 to Redditch Shotblasters.

The are going to blast it and if OK powder coat it in Yamaha blue. I will put a photo up of the results in another post. (provided no filler on the tank).

Dave is a really decent guy, they were at Satfford this week and specialise in bikes.

When I first pitched up at the factory he took time to show me round, explain the processes they undertake and to ask about and understand my wants.

Proper customer service.

Fizzys are nothing new to these guys so I took another 2go frame (from my farm find) to them and he blasted it for £18.

It is in a sorry state and Chas will hopefully repair it for me.

I have had a box of of silver and black items painted by them and with good results at a reasonable price. Recommended!

www.redditchshotblasting.co.uk. 01527 529659.

Heres an RD50 from their gallery:

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So my quandry at the moment is do I strip the 78 down, balst and powder coat the frame, get the engine rebuilt and then put the 80 front end on it to get a fully restored bike or...

Ride the 80 as she is, stick a tank and seat on the 78 and sell it?

;)
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