Monday 1 August 2011

Ok, so its.....

................ been more than the week or two since I last posted, but I have at least worked out what bits I want first in order to get me started.

So I have ordered some stuff to get me going (it wasn't loom and cables as I suggested in this blogs inaugural post) and I now can't wait for it to come so I can get started, I could have gone to a local shop (have 2 quite close) but being due to being a lazy bugger the time it would take, I thought online ordering was easier quicker.

I know it means waiting for it to arrive but I'm not off again until Sunday so no rush. Who knows, I may even raise a spanner in anger (probably not anger, just a saying) towards the TV for the first time since I dismantled the thing years and years ago, here's hoping.

Mind you its the Charity Community Shield on Sunday so I will be drinking much alcohol and shouting loudly at the television too, maybe its best they don’t arrive yet, alcohol, spanners and nice paintwork do not a good combination make lol, COME ON CITY

Saturday 18 June 2011

Rain didn't stop play

I thought it might, as its been persisting down most of the day, but then the majority of what I was doing was under cover so it wasn’t likely to anyway.
As I said in yesterday’s post the plan for today was to clean, polish, check and photograph all the painted bits (in between tinkering with the beetle for Volksfest tomorrow) and I’m pleased to say I managed to, I even got all technical (for me lol) and put a little flickr widget on the sidebar with all the pictures I took in it, I will add to that folder as time goes by and the build progresses.
Considering it has been painted for about 6 years and stored ever since the paint is remarkably good, I’m very impressed. Aside from a small nick on the horncasting, a slightly bigger one on the rear light (can be seen in pics) and a bit of tidying to be done on the bottom of the forks and rear of frame (where they were sitting on a concrete floor) there is nothing to do repair/paint touching up wise, all things considered quite a result, I expected worse so am rather pleased.
As you can see in the pic at the top of this post, the new legshields look sooooo much better than the original ones (pic in this post) no dents or rot, the original colour and no Opel Corsa sticker either, which is a bonus lol.
Next weekend the plan is to actually make a start on the rebuild……….

Friday 17 June 2011

I have to admit I have.....

.....not done anything much since the last post, predominantly due to a hideous abscess in my gum, but I think (keeping things crossed) that the worst has passed so I can get back to normal.
 I do like to have a pic on each post too (even if it’s not related to the TV or what has been done to it since the last post) hence the image at the start of this post. It’s something I stumbled across on tinterweb, a future Vespa apparently, more info here, I must admit that certain angles and aspects have given me beginnings of an idea for part of the next project, but that’s way off, need to start this one first really lol.
Anyway, back to the TV, I’ve finished sorting the garage out so tomorrow I plan to give all the painted bits a good clean and protective polish (been stored for about 6 yrs so in need of it) I haven’t done anything with them since collecting them a couple a couple of weeks ago so it will be good to see exactly what’s there and more importantly what condition it’s in after all these years passing since it was painted.
I did have a quick look over everything when I collected it and aside from a few small areas all looked good so fingers crossed (again)….(second time in the post lol) It will also be good to check what’s needed, if memory serves right its very little metal work wise, if anything, but it has been 6 years or so and the memory is not what it was (it’s an age thing I’m told lol) I know I need other (non-metal work stuff) but will address that a later date.
So hopefully by this time tomorrow I will have gone through it all (painted stuff for now not the rest) and taken some pics which will go in the new section >>>>>> over there, beneath "about this blog" and above "search this blog"
However, if it’s not done by tomorrow it will have to wait until next weekend unfortunately, I am off Sunday (after managing to swap with a colleague lol) but it’s London Volksfest and that is something I will certainly not be missing if I can help it, a cracking day and much fun, especially the drag strip J

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Way back when......


If you want more info on what this blog is about have a look at the section over there on the right >>>>  entitled “about this blog” obvious really, but it saves me repeating too much in this first post, lazy eh J
At this point I’m not too sure how frequent the posts will be, like most things I imagine it will be very dependent on the 2 key factors in any sort of project,  time and money, but I would like to think I will post relatively frequently, even if there is not much to report since the previous one.
So, where to start (with the blog not the TV) I know where I’m starting with that and will come to that later. The picture at the top of this post is of its original legshields, complete with various stickers, including an Opel Corsa one with Spanish writing under it, at some point I will post a close up pic and decipher what it says, purely out of curiosity if I’m honest.  Why a Lambretta in Spain had an Opel Corsa sticker I don’t know, maybe it’s a cultural thing?????????????
Along with the above, the legshields are also covered in hand sprayed paint of the strange, sea green variety. Although parts of them do have the original 46yr old light metallic blue factory colour on them (where they attached to the frame and were covered by the horncasting and mudguard). They also have numerous dents and rot hence a replacement pair being used before everything was sent off to paint.
I used as much of the original metal work as possible though, along with various other serviceable parts from the whole scooter, I wanted it to keep as much of its integrity as was possible, taking into account that some things were just not worth saving due to it being financially ridiculous to repair rather than replace them. Engine wise will be a whole different story in relation to “originality” that will be covered at a much later date when I get to that stage lol.
I will finish this first post with a bit of background about the TV, it was bought in from Spain by a guy that is quite an aficionado of Spanish Lambrettas and he had planned on keeping it for himself due to it being the earliest one he knew of (possibly one of the first off the production line) but I had already bought a few off him over the years (more on that in later posts no doubt) and he agreed to part with it. So I acquired it and it was then stripped, relevant repairs made and replacement metal work sourced and sent off for the paint to be done and returned to me.
There the story ended for approximately 6 years (for various reasons I won’t bore you with) but it’s now back in my possession and the rebuild can finally start (6yrs late lol) and I thought that as the poor thing has waited so long I would honour it with its own blog so the progress can be seen by others (if interested) and either way I have a record for posterity’s sake J

I nearly went then before telling you where I’m going to start (I mentioned it earlier in the post and almost forgot, you already had hadn’t you, be honest) The very first thing I will do once finishing my workshop/garage space/build area/ vicinity for to doing mechanical tinkering and greasy playing type thing (not long moved in so pretty much started with a bare garage but it’s almost there) is to take stock of exactly what I have got and make a start on the list of what I need. I will then take pics of all painted metal work (and possibly other things) and load them up into an as yet unmade folder that will be on the blog somewhere. As for what’s first buying wise and building wise, I’m thinking loom and cables but all will become clear over the coming posts.