When I was a kid I was dying to get a GT Performer in powder blue. I wanted this bike so bad I could taste it. Of course it was way too expensive so for Christmas I got a 87 Schwinn Predator. Man I was disappointed. So a few years ago I finally picked up my dream bike...well sort of. I did get the bike I has been wanting for such a long time but this one was a real turd. I planned on fixing it up to like new condition but you know how that goes. I did get some better looking wheels and a nice seat from Ron (musclebikeforum)which got me started. Just one problem the brake cables for the gyro. Mine were toast. Nobody was making reproductions in white. The only ones I could find were NOS on ebay with a cost of around $200 for the set. I just couldn't do that. So I kept the bike in the state it was in with the newer wheels and seat. The bike actually looked pretty good from ten feet away. Well fast forward a few years and I just happened to stumble on a set of reproduction white gyro cables from pork chop bmx for a very reasonable price. So now this bike is ready to be restored. Of course there were snags in the project. The pedals were totally stuck in the crank. It took a 2' cheater bar over a wrench and a bench vise to get the pedal off. Then the seat post was totally stuck in the frame. After soaking with pb blaster, WD40, and other penetrating oil for several weeks and a torch with no luck I hauled the frame over to my dads house where he has a real bench vise. Not the little wimpy thing I have clamped on my work bench. Well the seat post finally came out. Man I had no idea these were so long. Oh yeah the goose neck was stuck pretty bad too. It took a few days of work and a really big hammer to bust that loose. Now it was time for paint job. I decided to go with powder coating since it is more durable. Luckily the shop I chose had the exact color. I'm really happy with the way this bike turned out. I wasn't expecting to be so happy with it. It has risen from the least liked bike in my collection to my new favorite.
Here are the pictures.
Here's how it looked when I found it.
Here it is with the newer seat, wheels and new tires.
Here are some action shots.
Some closeups showing how ugly it was.
More progress.
A nice pile of new and reconditioned parts.
Finally got the parts back with new powder coating applied.
Same forks as above filled with JB Weld. JB Weld doesn't burn and it conducts electricity so it can be used as filler for when powder coating parts. Darn bubble must have popped when it was cured in the oven
Here she looks naked after some wrenching.
All complete. I just love the decals!
As you can tell I'm pretty happy with the finished product. This bike has the wrong handle bars and pedals but they will work for me. The handlebars are off a Schwinn Predator from the same time frame. I just couldn't drop another $100 for the correct bars. Of course the day after I got the parts back from the powder coat shop I found a set of correct handlebars on ebay for $20 buy it now with $6 shipping. Go figure.
Oh the 80's
Here are the pictures.
Here's how it looked when I found it.
Here it is with the newer seat, wheels and new tires.
Here are some action shots.
Some closeups showing how ugly it was.
More progress.
A nice pile of new and reconditioned parts.
Finally got the parts back with new powder coating applied.
Same forks as above filled with JB Weld. JB Weld doesn't burn and it conducts electricity so it can be used as filler for when powder coating parts. Darn bubble must have popped when it was cured in the oven
Here she looks naked after some wrenching.
All complete. I just love the decals!
As you can tell I'm pretty happy with the finished product. This bike has the wrong handle bars and pedals but they will work for me. The handlebars are off a Schwinn Predator from the same time frame. I just couldn't drop another $100 for the correct bars. Of course the day after I got the parts back from the powder coat shop I found a set of correct handlebars on ebay for $20 buy it now with $6 shipping. Go figure.
Oh the 80's
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