99% Complete

I am nearly complete with the reassembly. Some very minor work will be required after I move home (back West) to finish the bike up, but for now my goal is to get it to the painter on Tuesday for touch-up.Overall I am proud of my first restoration and I have learned so much (as my readers know)! The photo above does not show all the angles of the bike, so I shot a video of how the bike looks right now.

Tomorrow I will spend 3-4 hours finishing the bike up . . . torquing the hardware, adjusting the cables, hopefully test riding, and then loading onto the truck for tomorrow's delivery.

Thank you all . . . you have been with me each step of the way with over 15,300 visits to this blog since January 1, 2007.  Toast me folks . . . I am almost there!

Final stretch to completion

Here's a sneak peak of where I was two days ago . . .

The race is on to finish assembling the bike by Monday, May 26th.  On the 27th the bike is due to the paint shop for touch paint before I move back West on June 10th.  The bike is coming along quickly and smoothly.  I am working on it for about 3-4 hours per day.  I will continue to work on it on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  I believe I will be able to complete the bike.  

Pictured above is the floor rail kit installed.  Note that the kick stand bolts will need the stamps on the heads ground off.  

Many posts to follow from Tuesday on.

Reassembly: Progress is made

Here's a sneak peak with the status of the SS180 reassembly with my buddy Ted above. Ted has done most of the work and has been teaching me a lot along the way. We spent over three hours on it last night and will spend quite a bit more on a weekly basis moving forward.
It looks really clean and I am beginning to get very excited about the progress being made.
We're going to be able to add fuel soon and fire it up.
Without a doubt this is my favorite stage of the restoration, because the countless hours of research and shopping for parts is paying off.
Cables and electrical are all run. Oil will go into the tranny soon and the gas tank will be installed in the near future.

Reassembly Update #5

Engine is installed. Cables are run.

Photos to follow soon I hope.

Reassembly Update #4

I am looking forward to late Feb. or early March when I can start getting my hands dirty again with the Vespa. It would be so great to have the bike done in time for riding season. Ted continues to tinker here and there with the Vespa. Below you can read his newest update:

2/1/08

J-bone:

I have the Haynes book with me right now. I am going to make copies for myself.

I also found some of my tech manuals that have the bolt grade list.

I will also be looking at the torque chart for all the critical nut/bolt tightening specs.

The motor is almost in. The new paint thickness has decreased the size of the area. Also I think Christopher installed the new engine mount bushing in the front of the engine and the metal sleeve is just a tad too long. I will do some filing and grinding and get it to fit.

I would prefer taking some off of the engine mount bushing. It is easier than grinding anything off of the inside of the body. You have to remember that the new paint added some thickness to everything. Bolt holes have to be large enough for the bolt to go through. I little filing increases the diameter without really showing anything.

I am very careful doing this process.

I still have the scooter on the large bench because it is easier to align the engine for mounting. I have the cables laid out.

I’m still looking for the rear shock n/b (bottom) and I never came across any fender n/b’s? There are a lot of baggies, however I will keep on looking.

Later,

tedster

If you're looking for a lot more movement on a restoration follow Eric W's VBB restoration. He works on his scoot daily for up to four hours per day.

Reassembly Update #3

Until the end of Feburuary 2008, my plate is so full that I can't see over the top of it; therefore no work on the Vespa from me.

But I did tell my buddy, Ted W., who has the scoot at his shop that he can tinker with it, but not to knock himself out. Just have fun, is what I said. Ted has ol'school shop experience that nears at least 2/3 of my lifetime. He does nearly all his own work on all seven "running" motorcycles in his shop. So you can say, I really trust him. He is teaching me a lot!

I just got a total surprise email from him, which reads:

1/29/08

J-bone,

You know I had that thought when we talked about stainless and the blog
is correct in that they aren't really any stronger.

The # 5 nuts and bolt will suffice, or even one with a higher rating as
long as the size 14mm is correct.

Update:
The tires are mounted on the wheels,
Rear shock is done and ready to install,
Complete Steering stem is in place. Top collar screw is hand tightened
right now. (I still have to locate the fender nuts/bolts)
I will be moving the scooter off of the large platform and putting it on
my m/c lift so that the front and rear suspension hang free and are more
accessible.

I will use the larger platform to lay out the rest of the pieces so we
don't have to keep digging in a box to find things. I also want to make
sure parts a clean before installing them. I am not throwing anything
away for fear of needing a non-obtainable part later on. After we finish
we can decide what to pitch and what to keep.

Maybe we can hook up after school and head for Lowes nut/bolt department
to get what we need. I will get the nut /bolt rating list for us to see.

We are making good progress.  
Later dude,

tedster

Reassembly Update #2

Front shock is installed on the fork. It's ready for the front fender. Need to find hardware (go through my boxes) and take it to a hardware store and replace it with stainless steel hardware and install the front fender. I also need to polish the exposed bearing race so it glitters in the sun once more.After that the steering column can be installed.

I did not tape up bearing races on the top of the steering column and the bottom of the steering column before paint and THEREFORE had to remove the paint. Make sure to tape that up before you paint. If not, use a razor blade to cut around the paint and then chip away or sand away to avoid chipping any paint that will be exposed. Don't ruin your new paint job!

Ted used his Dremel tool, on a low setting, with light emery paper and ground off the paint of the bearing race without damaging the race or the paint.

Rear shock is almost rebuilt and ready to attach to the rear hub.

Inner tubes are purchased and tires will be mounted on the rim and then on the hubs. It's time to get the bike down on its own two feet.

The lower bearing cover appears to have been damaged while being removed. It is soaking in solvent and if the bend is minor it will be straightened again -- if not it will be replaced.

Reassembly Update #1

The front shock has been attached to the fork and the front hub has been out back together with a brand new pivot pin. For the roller bearings in the pivot pin use a thick "sticky" grease to hold them in place -- kind of a grease glue, for lack of better description.

The rear shock is being rebuilt and then the steering column will be mounted and the engine will follow.

I will post some pictures and more details as soon as I can. Feb. is going to be a tough month for me so not a lot of detail expected until later in Feb.