I had a few hours to myself today, which is a rarity when you have 18 month-old twins.

Got some work done on the T/A finally -- I've gotten all the chrome cleaned up (except the bars) in the past month. I assembled the frame/fork today. I still have a lot of work to do on the rest of it though.

Here's the "before" pic:



And today:



Another (on the messy workbench):



All-in-all it was a productive day.

Lee

[ May 27, 2007, 07:12 PM: Message edited by: lboorse2 ]

I've done a lot of thinking about this build. It's my first and it's very special. This was my bike as a teen and the last every-day rider that I kept with me. Others evolved and eventually were passed on, but this one I kept with me.

I've debated on what kind of build it should be. Should I do a show fresh restoration or a rider build. Should I replace decals and replace a lot of parts with better/NOS stuff?

When it got right down to it, the answer was no to all of this. This is going to be a "the way it always was" build. Decals -- staying as is. Little nicks and scrapes -- staying as is. Old paint on forks - staying.

The decals are what did it for me. I just don't see them anywhere. The frame decal is the XL type with the "T/A" in there. This is not an XL and you'll notice there's no "Extra Long" on the decal.



Sure they're scratched up, but that's the way I've always remembered this bike. Oh -- and I never had the chain stay decals on it from the time I purchased it. I did pick this up 2nd hand mind you when I was about 12 or 13 years-old.

I bought a new decal set a while ago, but I'm opting not to use it and leave the old scraped up decals (although I will fix the peeling corners). In the end, that's what made me decide on doing the entire "the way it was" build.

Maybe you think, "wow, Lee's just being lazy." I'll prove you wrong with my next build though -- soon to be in progress. It'll actually be done before the skyway.

The only thing I'm missing now for the T/A is a black aero seat (can't remember if it was a Kashi, Viscount, or something else... I'm pretty sure it was a Kashi though).

Hope you enjoy as I progress. It's going to be a long ride!

Lee

[ May 27, 2007, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: lboorse2 ]

Nothing wrong with a having/keeping a few battlescars or memories on a rebuilt bike.
Keeping the original stickers on it is a good move (imho)
the repo ones lack the deep blood red of the originals.

Don't be afraid to indulge yourself a bit on the re-build , it looks like the bike was well fitted out & built up originally. Now that you got a few dollars to spare add on those extra components that you might have originally wanted to fit to the bike but couldn't afford at the time.
I can see why you were asking about finding some Skyway forks now....

Your bike , your build , your choice.

JB

A few tips , if it's going to be a rider...

Suede seats are a lot more comfy to ride around on than the old nylon seats.
Some big GT Santa Ana Pro bars or similar would look good on the bike.
Use a new teflon lined brake cable , give those sidepull brakes a really good cleanup , new brake pads & whatever else you can do to get them working @ maximum efficiency , the old brakes don't work like they did when you were 13 , it has something to do with Inertia......


JB

Riders are nice to have. I had a PK growning up so I did a restro build on a Pk I picked up. I mocked the bike the same way I had it as a kid. I look at it and I dream about back in the day. Only problem it is to clean to ride. I think I might just give in and ride it.

lboorse2 , I certainly like both your bike and your style of thinking !


Tony
Bicycle Junkie

Hotrodding BMX bikes is a lot like Hotroding a car...

I spent $6000 on my cars paintjob in the late 1980's plus plenty of other money on making it look good & go insanely fast , but the cars paint ended up being too much of a worry to park it anywhere , the "ahhhhh don't get it scratched" factor. Never again.
I now spend a minimum amount on the paint to keep the car looking "good" & easy to touch up if it does get scratched , it's more fun having an average looking muscle car that is reliable , goes like hell & you can park & drive it anywhere you want , than a pretty car yer afraid of getting scratched...

Keep your Skyway build streetable , it makes it much more fun to own.

Have you got a partial parts list for it ?
ie: Stuff in hand + stuff wanted/needed.


JB


Unfortunately you can't build a muscle BMX bike that does 0 to 60MPH in under 5 seconds very easily.....

Lee,

I applaud you for keeping the scrapes and scratches on your T/A. I have a chrome one from '83 and it has the same scraped original decals. I know I can replace them and it will look "new" again, but there is something to be said for having an all original finish. Having a few flaws gives the bike character.

Keep it the way it is. It's only original once. You can always go back and replace the decals down the road.

Looking forward to seeing the bike when it is done!

Parts list:

Frame/Fork: Skyway T/A (May '83)/CW Fork
Stem: DK (sharp edges and corners!)
Bars: GT Pro (Huntingdon Beach era - Need Decals -- have old ones somewhat in tact but very worn if needed for scans)
Grips: ODI Toadstools - Red
Seat Post: GT Layback
Clamp: GT (Performer?) Two-Tone black and silver
Seat: NEED: Kashi or Viscount Aero - Black
Brakes: DC 890 Rear only
Wheels: Ambrosio Rims/Sunshine Hubs
Tires: Cheng Shin Comp III style
Cranks: Redline 400 - 180mm worn down to the nickel -- will be lightly polished and put back on the bike with nickel showing
BB - Sugino Sealed Bearings
Chainring - Tuff Neck 43 tooth black
Pedals - KKT Lightning

[ May 29, 2007, 09:32 AM: Message edited by: lboorse2 ]

JB - I won't be indulging myself on this build. Some time in the future I'd like to build a companion white T/A and deck it out with all the top notch stuff of the era -- and lots of Skyway parts too.

This time around I did pick up an Odyssey Slick Cable from Ed at Coloredtuffs.com. Might have to go back for some tuff pads too.

I get what you're saying about hotrodding - I try to draw a link between what I like about hot rods and street machines and bring it over to the bikes. One of the reasons I got back into the bikes after 9-10 years is I just don't have the money or the facilities to work on a car.

Everyone - thanks for your compliments. I can't wait to get this finished, but I have a long way to go on getting the rest of the parts cleaned up and ready to assemble.

I have another build that's going to start and be my rider in the mean time. That will probably push the Skyway's completion date back a little more, but it's killing me not to have a decent 20" to ride right now!

Lee

edit: Woo hoo!! 200th post.

[ May 29, 2007, 09:36 AM: Message edited by: lboorse2 ]

Lee, when I get my T/A up and running I will have to share some pics with you as well. Like you I am not ready to dump to much cash into the era correct build. You were right about the Skyway forks, yesterday on ebay $207. OUCH !!!

Yeah... I keep my eye on those eBay auctions hoping to get lucky. I think I may pass on them now unless Ed Ferri can manage to get some new ones made.

Lee