Rusty Brit

[pvwacko]

I saw this Armstrong leaning up against a tree in a driveway just outside Lagunitas California, just north of the bay... On my way back from the wedding I was attending near Point Reyes I stopped to ask about it. A little scary because of the Big fence and all the no parking signs. However the owners were more than surprised that I wanted it and gave me a columbia 10 speed as well. Said I saved them a trip to the dump... So with that good luck I decided to throw this bike together for the buildoff. Gives me something to work on while I'm in california away from all my other projects. Hope you all enjoy.






sturmey archer 3 speed rolls just fine but it needs a new shift chain before I can test the gears...


this is an electric bike conversion... motor drives the front wheel, speed controlled by the second brake lever. battery was probably in a basket.


I'll use this bike for some parts but I'm most excited about the head badge which I was missing from my tandem.

[pvwacko]

Breaking into the bike... I'm using lots of penetrating oil and plenty of brute force to get this bike apart. The cottered cranks are being a real pain... if anyone has any hits on these I'll gladly take your advise. I'm going to try adding a little heat at work tomorrow. This bike has sat in the open against a tree for something like 6 years in the wet north bay woods. the worn paint and rusty chrome have so much character that they are going to dictate the rest of the direction of this build. all work will be purely mechanical rebuilding the general looks of the bikes finish will not improve. Need to make and angled seat post and get one of my ancient brooks saddles sent from phoenix. rear fender will be bobbed and the rest used for a front fender. Maybe a tank from some weathered wood hung from the top bar. need to find some really rust accessories now!

[deorman]

There is a specific tool to press out the pins, if you plan on using that crank, try to find one. When they were common, I used to loosen the nut and try to tap it out. If it didn't come easy, I'd just wale on it with a hammer, and if they got ruined buy new ones. If you find someplace with replacements, or don't mind replacing the crank set with a modern square-ended axle type, that could still be an option.

[Kreep]

Looking good.I hope you stopped by the Lagunitas Brewery for a couple while you were out there!As far as the cotter pins go,like "deorman" said,loosen the nut up until the end of the threads,then smack it like it owes you money.If that doesn't work I have broken the threads of the pin(not hard to do) and then just used a nice sturdy punch and a hammer and gotten them out.Last resort would be an air chisel with a punch on it.If you need cotter pins most of you local bike shops should have them or access to them.Just bring in one of your old ones for them to measure.If they don't I do have a bunch of NOS ones.Good luck,keep us updated.
-Kreep-

[Skipton]

dig that frame... great start!

[hubgearfreak]

ignore the rough arses and their big hammers. that'll murder the bearings.

the way to get cotter pins out are to loosen the nut until the threaded end is just secluded within the nut, but mostly still in there. then, with a friend and a good 4" bench vice, get the frame horizontal with the nut facing flat on one jaw and the fatter (unthreaded) end in a suitably sized socket (c. 3/4"AF/19mm), so that the compression of the vice can force the cotter out into the socket. you'll hopefully hear it ping or thud out, so loosen the nut off another half turn and repeat. continue until either
a. the cotter comes out by hand,
b. (more likely), the nut comes off.
if b. continue with the vice and socket with the nut off. hopefully you'll get to stage a. if not, now you may tap it gently out with a suitable drift.

if you can't find new ones, very carefully just neaten up the flats with a fine file. to re-fit, they must be tapped in before the nut's tightened...the nut isn't designed to pull it tight. the cotter pins are made of softer steel than the cranks and axle, and trying to tighten them up with the nut will lead to thread strippage.

good luck

[hubgearfreak]

as for the hub. it's a doddle to strip, claen and dismantle.
to use it as is with decades of dirt and old, varnishy oil in would be a shame

here's a couple of starters...although if you need any more help with it, don't hesitate to ask.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea6krXSs-lc
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4689&start=15

[deorman]

"..the nut isn't designed to pull it tight." - Hubgear freak Important point. I guess I should have mentioned clamping or bracing the sprocket side on a bench if it doesn't just tap out, then you can take the crank off the bike for the other side, BUT, I don't like rusty old bearings and races, so KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL!!!! MWUAHAHAHAHAH!!! Actually, I don't like cotter cranks either.

[pvwacko]

hubgearfreak, do not confuse my passion for the "well used" look to mean that this bike will not be mechanicaly sound! Every moving part on this bike will be rebuilt and tuned but all visable parts will be left as close to their found condition as possible. As for the cottered cranks I got the pins out but with considerable muscle so new pins are in order. the bottom bracket is lucky because the drive side was exposed as it sat against the tree leaving the adjustable side sheltered so it was (relatively) easy to take apart. the drive side cup shows no inclination to coming free so it will get cleaned and repacked from the left. Now it's time to clean and repack all the bearings (includes rebuilding the rear hub) and she'll hopefully be on the road for a weekend cruise. The last picture is how well a little WD40 and a scratch pad cleaned up the chrome forks that came off the columbia 10 speed. The search is now on for an equally wasted brooks saddle to compliment this worn british iron.

[hubgearfreak]

hubgearfreak, do not confuse my passion for the "well used" look to mean that this bike will not be mechanicaly sound!

i realise you'll do a spiffing job on the mechanics, i hope that i didn't come accross as suggesting otherwise
pleased to hear you got the cotters out.

[pvwacko]

I got to work putting the bike back together today. regreased the bearings in the bottom bracket, headset, and front wheel. headset had 48 loose bearings in it. went everywhere when I opened it up but I only lost one. I love having a hardware store just a minutes walk from the house makes replacement bearings so easy! Crank shaft looks like it may in fact be a raleigh. I think that's who made the armstrongs. If anyone has any more info on these bikes I'm not having great luck tracking any info down. Did a quick mockup in the kitchen just for pictures since it was dark outside. I'll take the rear wheel into work tomorrow to break down that 3 speed. then it's time for a trip to college cyclery for some parts.

[Skipton]

I love this one ... great job, as always

[pvwacko]

Internet was down yesterday but I went shopping at College Cyclery. Got everything I needed in one stop! Threw the bike together so I could ride it around friday. No gears yet but it was still alot of fun! Still looking for an old beat up leather saddle and I'll be done.

[pvwacko]

today I got the 3 speed hooked up... only have 2 of 3 working so far. sturmey archers are new hubs for me so it's going to take some tinkering. I also made the lay back seat post. I saw another person do the seat post like this and I still have to weld in the gussett that the seat post clamp bolt will go through. Fun ride and 3rd gear is really heavy, lots of speed though with these kind of skinny tires! Picked up a Lagunitas coaster at The Shack in east sacramento today to stuff in the spokes like all the hipsters. Kind of cool because it's so close to where I found the bike.

[pvwacko]

Finally got back to where this project was waiting in sacramento and found the perfect seat just in time! Not a brooks but it is nice and comfy even without any padding. She's all done now and ready for some rides around the bars.