Bicycle Mechanics - '96 Trek 2300 Restoration

I have a 1996 Trek 2300 which I'm disassembling for restoration. It has a major corrosion problem on the aluminum joint(not sure what you call it) where the seat tube slides into. I can fix that pretty easy but the other major problem is the clear coat on the carbon fiber tubes is flaking in many places so I need to remove the clear coat and spray a new coat. I assume that lacquer is the best choice for the new clear coat. My first question is how can I remove the clear coat? Second problem is the handle bar stem is froze in the headset. I loosened the stem binder bolt and beat on it for quite a while but it wouldn't budge. Any ideas on how to loosen it? Thanks...

Sounds like it's seen it's share of sweat. As far as the stem being frozen I think there's a puller made especially for this problem, someone correct me if I'm wrong. My first road bike developed the same problem from sweat. Now all my bike stems and seat posts are greased regularly. My '92 2300 has the clear coat coming loose from the water bottle mounts. I'm not sure what can be done about that problem. An automotive type clear coat would probably work best if you can get the old off.

I would not try to remove the clearcoat, just sand it with automotive sandpaper and then spray it.
Make sure the main tubes are still bonded to the aluminum lugs, try twisting them, if they are loose look for a replacement frame.

Al

Al, thanks for the reply. Some of the clear coat is peeling so I'm having success removing it with an Exacto knife. I'll take your advice about sanding the rest of the clear coat. Do you have any recomendations as to what grit of paper to use?

Al, thanks for the reply. Some of the clear coat is peeling so I'm having success removing it with an Exacto knife. I'll take your advice about sanding the rest of the clear coat. Do you have any recomendations as to what grit of paper to use?

Haven't done this on a bike frame but my inclination is to use automotive paper wet. I'd start with something pretty fine depending on how much needs to be removed. Just guessing, maybe start with a 340 grit, finer would be better. Then use progressively finer paper up to 600 prior to painting. There are papers with a much finer grit that may be used to finish the paint if needed after it has dried and hardened. Your choice in sandpaper grit size depends on how much patience you have and what kind of results you want. You'll find a better selection of sanding supplies at an automotive paint supply store.

I would not use any type of chemical paint remover on carbon fiber.
Sanding plastics dry creates toxic dust, keep the paper really wet.
Most spray paints are toxic to some degree, some worse than others, I'd wear a mask.

Let us know how it turns out.

Al