Hey guys/gals,
Need some help here. I have finally decided to start on my 76 Bonneville project bike. I rescued her from a basement in Maine and brought her down to the desert in Arizona. I've sent the engine to a brit bike guy to do the hard work of tearing down the engine and rebuilding it. Now I have to get to work on the frame.
The frame is in good condition. Doesn't look like it has ever been dropped but due to the decade of basement storage it has quite a bit of surface rust. From what I can tell the frame and swingarm are solid. Rust should come off easy. What are some suggestions for getting it all off. I've heard there are companies that will dip the whole bike in some sort of evil chemical bath which will take it down to bare metal eventually. Sounds expensive though. Also, I understand "aircraft stripper" will remove just about anything from the metal underneath. I'm also concerned that since this is an oil in frame there will be some rust in the reservoir part of the frame. Not sure if I should bother with that part or not.
This will not be a trailer queen or show bike. This is a cafe project and I could care less if it's ugly or nasty because that's part of what makes it beautiful to me. It will probably end up with a rattle can finish on the frame bits but I want the frame to at least start out as smooth as possible with ALL of the rust removed. I'm a novice at these bike builds but I'm willing to give it a try.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
