Classic & Vintage - Anyone ever painted a mid-80's Cannondale?

I'm wondering what you did about the top tube's small (what appear to be) plastic cable housing guides prior to sending it for paint.

Those can be carefully pulled out. There are 2 little plastic rods (cylinders) that push into the ends of each cable guide and expand against the plastic of the cable guide to hold it in place. Carefully pry against the end of one of the cable guides and it should start to pull out. Many times these things would break and you would have the little plastic rod (cylinder) rattling around in your top tube. Don't worry if you break one or lose one because any Cannondale dealer should be able to order some if they don't have em in stock.

PM me if you want a pic of one and I will get one.

Andy

Thanks Andy; so you're saying there are holes drilled into the frame and these little guides insert into them?

Thats exactly right. Most of the frames that I see in from that vintage have at least one broken guide - usually the middle of the 3 on the top tube. If they don't want to buy a new one I usually have it zip tied in place.

Seriously let know if want some pics. PM me if you do and I will dig them up.

Here's a tangent to the thread: anybody considering new paint on a Cannondale or other painted aluminum frame, you will save yourself a big headache if you don't strip it down to bare metal. Sand and scuff up the existing paint and let that be your primer, or under-primer. It's much easier stick new paint to old paint than paint to aluminum. You HAVE to use a special primer made for the job or even the best paint will flake and chip when applied to AL, ask me how I know...But the factory did that already when they painted, so you can piggyback yours on their paint. Powdercoating does not present the same sticking problem, AFAIK.

Thanks un, I'm thinking of going the powder coating route. Using the topcoat as primer probably isn't an option for me as I have some areas of total paint loss under the top tube (couple decades of sweat accumulation, blech) and various other scratches and scuffs.