Rust Removal

I had some time today to experiment with removing rust from the bike's wheels using Coca-Cola and aluminum foil. Although the frame & engine will be soda blasted at a later date, I always wanted to try this method.

I must say the results were pretty decent, especially for the cost. I'll still soda blast the wheels to get rid of some of the deeper rust but it was nice to be able to see the wheel maker's (Radaelli Milano) stampings.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ignition System Installation

Image
Back when I had the engine on the workbench, I installed the first portion of the Powerdyanmo Ignition system. I had previously installed this system on my other bike and have enjoyed excellent results, so I repeated the process here with photos: After removing the side cover the clutch and factory alternator are visible. I removed the clutch plates & basket along with the alternator in order to install the Powerdyamo magneto: After reinstalling the clutch the next step was to install the control box and ignition advance unit. As with the other bike, I chose to mount these together below the seat cowl: At this point, it's simply plug and play - no more adjusting points or worrying about having a fully-charged battery. The Powerdyamo also 'upgrades' the ignition system from 6-volt to 12-volt and provides a more reliable spark as well as better lighting. I will be taking my time with the wiring as to make sure everything is a clean installation.
Read more

Wheels & Tires

Image
I got some new tires mounted on the original wheels, after soda blasting and polishing them as best I could. It would have been nice to get new rims or re-chrome the existing ones since the chrome is flaking away at certain points, but I'm trying to keep costs down so it isn't a priority at this point. With the hubs removed I inspected the brake shoes and the appeared to still have some life in them, so for now I will not replace them. What you see is after approximately one hour of polishing and removing small scratches.
Read more

Ducati Monza History

Image
As mentioned earlier, the bike we will be restoring is a 1968 Ducati 250 Monza. Ducati produced the Monza model in 160 and 250cc variants from 1965 to 1969. They also offered a 350 model called the Sebring which looked very similar to the Monza. The Monza was Ducati's road-going, commuter-type bike, compared to the off-road Scrambler or the race-inspired Mach 1/ Mark 3. As such, it was a big seller and many examples can be had for decent prices in today's market. With proper maintenance and care these bikes can be especially enjoyable and rewarding to ride.
Read more