Sorin

Like 1h later : - I am so happy with the results . Came out really well - from 3 feet looks beautiful, at least for me . This is before using clay bar and polish.
I must say clear coat is not in great condition but what to expect from a 47 years old bike !? I even wasn't born at that time , is 8 years older than me. 😅😅😅

Some photos before :


And after:



These are the spots who nead to be treated ...best would be to put some phosforic acid / rust converters then touch up with paint, but i am affraid i don't have such a skill to do that properly. Maybe only little touch with rust converters , better some black-dark blue spots than rust .
I will take care of the fork , soon , then i will assemble the headset to start looking again like a bike.
Cheers, Sorin.

Sorin

Another small update : today i have snatch an Ideale90TB , Daniel Rebour , saddle for my project :





Seems verry dry , but it was good prize and Ideale , France reply to my email and said it is still in good condition and will give some nice rides , worth restoring . Also want to thank you to pastorbobnlnh who recomand me to please rhm , maybe he can help with he's valuable oppinions about how to not ruin this in the process of restoring.
Those are the seller pictures , in about 2 days i will have the chance to look closely.
Little by little ...

Sorin

Update : Today , the missing Mafac break pads holder have reach me. I can say i don't have enough words to thanks markk900 for these little 2 pcs :

Also this Ideale reach me today :

No quality control in ' 70 - "I" is missing from all rivets 😅, maybe this thing make it more rare item .

Overall is not in bad contition , leather is hard but for sure with proper restoring process can be saved . No deep cracks , barrely my nail stop on them , and also the tension bolt seems untouch.
Maybe some imput about the process of restoring this beauty will be verry helpfull.

Cheers!

markk900

Sorin So glad they arrived safely.....cheapest parcel post has no tracking so I worried they would get lost. And ironically I had just logged into BF to send you a message to see if you got them yet.

They will polish up nicely!

Lovely saddle too.....count me jealous.

Edit: for your paint touch up you can try nail polish, and after treating the rust just dab tiny amounts of paint into the chips and let them self level - you can fill the chips and protect the paint and no special skill required (other than enormous patience, which I believe you have already demonstrated you have in abundance).

Sorin

Eh, Mark, about paint...i will do some high missing spots but not the scratches ...in the end i am pleased about it but few.
About the saddle i was lucky i guess , i was found it locally with just 45$ shipped . After some restoring work and with Ideale saddle clamp, i think it will be more valuable in therms of $$ than the entire bike . I have ordered 2 Continental Giro , and i am verry please with the bar tape i have found : https://www.rosebikes.de/velox-guido..._shape=schwarz
- is cotton , the same was used in '75 , maybe is not confortable to ride but i use gloves alot of time . Also ordered a KMC X8 chain and i think the only parts i miss now is cables and housing for break and shifters. I hope it can be ready to ride in about 3-4 weeks. Keep update !

Sorin

Small update for restoration process : after reading some about leather, how to revive an old piece...how to clean, how to ..and how to not ..i have decided that best for me is to make my own balm with some ingredients . In my history when i was bearded i had make my own balms so i have some experience with ratios and all process.
I have order beeswax , then some butters : cocoa and shea, then some oils : almonds , avocado and coconut , and at last lanolin and carnauba wax ( if needed) . One more ingredient i am looking for but need to make it myself is tallow . I want to make 2 batches of balms - one with tallow and lanolin for 1st part of the restoration process and let the saddle to absorb new natural oils and 2nd batch with vegetables oil which will add more protection for long run. Best ready to buy for me was something from Effax ( made in Germany) which is quite popular between horse riders who maintain their saddles but in the end i had decided to make my own cause it don't have that tallow which i really want to use is . In a few days will have all ingredients and after making those balms will start to clean and put some balm on the Ideale saddle.
I have order from France an Ideale saddle clamp , a seatpost binder ...2 cotter pins, waiting for delivery.
Last pieces i miss is just cables and housings for break and shifters which i will order this week , then the assembly can start. .
I have little time to work past weeks so the process is going not verry fast .

Sorin

Small update about saddle restoration :
- goodies arrived today in the mail : lanolin, cocoa%shea butter, coconut, avocado & almond oil and beeswax.
I have mixed all the ingredients in to a double boiled pot as:
beeswax -butter-oil - lanolin : 1:1:2:0.5 and added at the end few drops of Vitamin E.

I had clean the saddle with hot water & mild glycerin soap and let it dry for about 24h . Previous i have remove tension screw and clean all the rust then put it back but not tension yet.
And today i have apply a small coat of resulting balm then buff with a rag. Result is awsome in my oppinion :

You can see in the picture how much i have apply on both parts for the first time. Leather still feel hard but i guess it should be like that as i don't have any experience with tensioned leather saddles. At the end i will tension back the nut and ride , hopping the leather will not crack. Let's go baby !
More updates later!

L.E : My hands feel awsome now as some balm remain on my skin😅😅.

Sorin

Verry last few update before final assembly :
- parts start came back toghether :

And some details - front & rear derraileur Simplex Prestige
-Ideale TB saddle with Ideale saddle clamp and steel seat post
- Mafac Racer break with new Koolstop pads
- Suntour New Winner 6 speed 14-26 freewheel and KMC X8 chain - silver
-Lyottard pedals and Hristophe rat traps
-Stronglight steel cottered crankset - 52-45
-Continental Giro 22m tubulars with Tufo Gluing tape
-Veloflex Tressostar 90 guidoline
& some products i have used for cleaning -assembly

I forgot about cables & housings :
- CGX - SL break housing
- LEX- SL shifter housing
- Jagwire stainless slick shifter cables - Campagnolo ends
- Jagwire stainless slick break cables - Shimano/SRAM ends
- Jagwire stainless 1.5mm shifter cables - will use those 2 as a straddle cable for Mafac breaks.

Sorin

Last stage working on frame :
- i have buy Fertan rust converter to treat all the rusty parts
- and custom made Glasurit paint and hardener - for this i was taking my frame to the shop and try from dozens of collors catallogue and choose from the closest match.
This is the 2nd layer of Fertan - after 1st one let it sit for 24h and then clean with some 1/10 APC
Fertan is a tanic acid based product .



Tommorow , my wife will do the job and touch up with paint all the critical areas , i have told you i have no talent on this job 😅😅

All inside tubes are clean from what i see , including head tube and no visible rust is present.

I have 1 tube of pressurized wax and i am still thinking if i will apply it inside all tubes for more rust protection, what do you think?
Last treatment for the frame is decontamination with claybar and 3in1 polish from Mezerna .
As for the AVA stern and drop bar also need some little more attention when polish them .

Sorin

I have a few questions about how should i proceed about :
- i have spin the weels and seems to be true - maybe some little adjustmen but they need centered on the frame after putting new freewheel and hub axes and bearings. Should i put the tubular first on the wheel or not ?
- should i preestretch tubular before final glueing or is not mandatory ? As far as i read Conti Giro are pretty hard to mount or stretch ...
Thanks! Sorin!

Murray Missile 

First just let me say you are doing an amazing job, absolutely inspiring. I have a PX-10 in dire need of the kind of attention you are giving your bike and after following this thread I would have to hang my head in shame if I give it any less effort than you have here. Bravo sir, bravo.

To answer your question about mounting the tire first, I have found it easier to do any wheel truing or centering without a tire on the rim. I can't answer about the actual mounting of the tires, I have not yet had the "pleasure" of working with tubulars but my turn is coming.

Again, fantastic job and I cannot wait to see the finished bike.

Sorin

Thx, this is one of my goal too, i have read tons of posts about how to ....and want to give back to the forum what i have learned .
About truing the wheel i was thinking the same - what if a spoke will break durring the process...or what if they don't came right? It will be ashame to throw gluing tape or mess with the tubulars even before riding .
I cannot wait too to ride this, but again i think it is too big for me and i don't know if this bike is a keeper or goes for sale or as a display or to ride time to time.
I already think to another build close to the time period when i was born - 1983- Maybe some other French Peugeot /Gitane or some Italian frame set. Peugeot Pro10 will be a dream to find ,or already find a frame type which i like : https://cycles-fun-passion.com/boutique/cadre-frame-bi-tubes-artisanal-bonnet-531-reynolds-53-axe-peinture-neuve-ref30/ and i think this is a fit for me too. Is a bi-tube made from a french artisan , whish to be in a bad shape and not with new paint cause i have in mind to paint it with other colors . Will keep search!

Sorin

Some close- up :
- verry happy with the black level giving by Meguire's plastic restorer on the faded derlin derraileurs .


Home made balm was doing a great job restoring saddle

Autosol leave such a nice finnish on chrome and aluminium parts.




Doing this for the 1st time i can say that it cost at least 5 times more than i estimated and involved alot of work.
Parts was verry hard to find and shipping is verry expensive compared to the value of items i have need . Couldn't find all in one place and have to make like 7-8 orders to bring back them toghether.

georges1

great restoration job, thanks for sharing

1simplexnut

Fallout ? remover ? The mind boggles !

Nice job on the Peugeot !!

Sorin

Headset done : - 23 bearings ,5/32 size , upper and lower race .

Waiting 1/4 bearings for bb and rear wheel .

Sorin

New bearings arrived, finally i can continue my work ...huh. I will post number needed and size later trough progress .

Cheers!

dedhed

You'll find it's cheaper and easier to buy grade 25 chrome steel bearing balls in bulk from industrial suppliers. Never worry about finding one you dropped and it rolled into a crack. Just grab another.
Online or local supply houses

https://www.bocabearings.com/product...nsionType=inch

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...fi=hd:;si:;mv:[[45.795357533541605,28.0583351390625],[43.99781652929473,22.861801935937503],null,[44.903612063881404,25.4600685375],8]​​​​​​https://www.bocabearings.com/product...nsionType=inch

Sorin

Thanks for your imput ! 1st , locally for me is Romania and can't find many options here and 2nd , bulk is not an option for me as i don't have a bike shop

dedhed

I did link some possible Romanian suppliers.

You'd be surprised how many bearing balls you can go through. For example you might use 30-40 1/4" in the rear hub and bottom bracket. They also use the same sizes on modern hubs/headset/BB/pedals. Most are packages of 50-100. They're so cheap I haven't reused a bearing in years. The problem is you need to own more bikes!

Sorin

I know exactly how many i need , when i say i will wrote what number and size is just to give a contribution to this forum , maybe other read and are interested. Cheers! I will have a 2nd vintage bike soon , just need to find the right frame and repaint it in my company colors and logo and build up with some nice components , maybe 83-85 period as is my birthday year.

Random Tandem

I have a French saddle of similar vintage and condition (I mean before your treatment), would you be willing to share the details of what you did? Thanks.

-Will

Sorin

Hei Will, what you mean? I have write in post #57 how i treat that saddle . You need more details ? Cheers!
Sorin.

Random Tandem

Agreed. When I first read the post some posts were missing. Obviously, I suspect operator error. Thanks for all the info!

-Will

Sorin

Project complete :


After a verry long time , finally i had the time to finnish this project. Just a short ride for a few hundreds meter cause it was starting to rain . Will post later more photos and all the details about the whole process. I am sad because is too big for me and can't ride it .