Classic & Vintage - 72-73 Raleigh with lots of scrapes+chips

I've got a 72 or 73 Raleigh Record that I'm trying to make as pretty as possible. Before taking it apart I thought the paint was in pretty good shape. The "Raleigh Record" stickers on the top and down tubes are in good shape. The large vertical sticker on the seat tube is partially scrubbed off. Many of the other stickers have faded or have completely worn off. As many of the pictures show there are numerous scrapes and areas where the paint is gone.

I have considered buying a reprinted sticker set and repainting the frame in it's white with orange+ black. My friend and I have been repainting frames for 4-5 months now and have gotten good results with quality auto paint and clear coat (+hardener). I've thought about just replacing stickers with reprints that are gone or have been damaged. I could try touching up the paint- but matching may prove to be a huge chore. I could buff and wax the heck out of what's there and just leave it as is. This would be the least expensive thing to do, but after putting a lot of effort into removing rust and cleaning, I hate to have shiny parts on a frame that looks beat up. The paint seems fairly thin- perhaps why there are so many scrapes. I'm not quite sure what that's about unless someone removed a bunch of the paint with a harsh chemical cleaner or something.

Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

If I did repaint it any suggestions of working around the head badge? Removal is my first thought, but I'm not sure how to remove the Raleigh insignia without damaging the pins or rivets (I'm not sure what they are) Holding it onto the head tube. Taping is also another solution.

Well, if you do decide to repaint it try and source your decals before hand. You may have trouble finding the decals for that model.

If it were mine, I would just buff and wax it. The main reason being that it's a lower end frame and I wouldn't want to put much money into it. I think I spent $40.00 or more on replacement decals for my Raleigh. The other perk being that you can ride it sooner.

I realize there are reasons besides the cost. I think you might be surprised at how nice the old paint can clean up. Keep in mind, you will notice fewer paint flaws once the parts are mounted again. Take some brasso to that head badge to really make it shine!

When you see large areas of paint flaking off (as in the last picture) it can indicate that the frame has been crashed. The metal deforms more than the paint does and the paint simply delaminates. The only shot that looks suspect is the last one though. If the bike was crashed, I would expect to see stuff like that on the top tube and down tube just behind the head tube.

As far as repainting, I'm of no help to you. Good luck with the project.

I don't see anything that looks like crash damage. In the last picture, is it that silver sticker that you are looking at?

I think it is the sticker, popped paint was my first thought until I enlarged the picture. As mentioned, source the decals FIRST. Nothing wrong with a repaint if you are willing to spend the money. I am doing an old low end Motobecane frame, just because I can.:lol:

Aaron:)

I advise that you clean the bike up(pretty much free to do), apply some lubrication, tune it so that you can at least ride it and then test ride the bicycle. I failed to do this with the first bike that I restored(painted) only to find out that the bike was bent.

Once test ridden, then you can decide on a paint job. Keep in mind that painting the bike will likely lower its resale value since it will no longer be original.

On a side note, I had an identical Raleigh Record from the early seventies. I liked the look of the bike, but the assembly quality left a bit to be desired and the ride was not to my liking. Of course, the Record was an entry level mass produced model and quality of construction was not a priority - I guess.

From a purely financial perspective, a Raleigh Record is not worth the cost, time and effort to repaint and rebadge. Low end bike.

+1 Reassemble it and ride it for a while. Then if you will know if you want to go forward with the repaint.

If your remaining parts are good, you can also keep an eye out for a replacement frame. I picked up a Raleigh Record with good paint last year at a thrift store for $5.

On bikes in that condition and general "low end" quality a brushed paint job is a good alternative. Get a good quality gloss enamel and a 3/4" art brush. Apply a couple thin coats and you will be amazed at the results. I have had very good results using Benjamin Moore Impervo gloss enamel. Flows on beautifully. I work around the original decals and headbadge. I prepare frames by sanding and wiping down with mineral spirits. Takes about a half hour per coat to paint.

(spray paint)

You can mask off the areas and spray them separately, and it gives a much smoother look, if you can find the decals.

No, don't repaint it. Clean it thoroughly, touch up the scratches, and wax it, and it will look great. If you take your time with the touch up, you can make the scratches disappear. The only problem will be the decal on the seat tube; you can find a replacement for it, but I'm not even sure that's required. It's an old bike! If that's what you want, don't be ashamed of it! If you want a new one, get a new one.

I don't see anything that looks like crash damage. In the last picture, is it that silver sticker that you are looking at?
It looks like a shop sticker to me, not something that Raleigh put there.

I don't see anything that looks like crash damage. In the last picture, is it that silver sticker that you are looking at?


I think it is the sticker, popped paint was my first thought until I enlarged the picture.

Yeah... I was talking about the sticker. Nevermind. :innocent:

I advise that you clean the bike up(pretty much free to do), apply some lubrication, tune it so that you can at least ride it and then test ride the bicycle. I failed to do this with the first bike that I restored(painted) only to find out that the bike was bent.

HAHA, yep, been there, done that! (and felt like a real loser too, of course, :o - what with all the work and 'tuning' for nothing - AARGH!:crash:)