ChrisCrash

Hey, how's it going with the first one? I picked up one very similar (exactly the same actually) and I've been going through back catalogues and web sites trying to figure out what I acutally have. I picked it up at a bike recycler for $25, but frame, fork and downtube shifters only. I was trying to resolve how much to put into it, and that would somewhat be determined by the end value as I don't want to get upside down. I needed some wheels and picked up a set of rigida rims with Maillard hubs from the same place for $20. Pretty fugly and the rear is a bit wonky, but I got it somewhat true. I don't think it's worth going to great lengths to get an original build, so FrankenBike it will be, but with decent stuff and original where possible. I have a guy here (melbourne, Aus) who does a pretty good powder coat for $100, and I can get the decals for around $25 on eBay so I think I can have a decent good looking bike for around $200, and something you don't see every day. It might not be the lightest or fastest, but I'm not trying out for the TDF this year, so no biggie. PS, saw the same for sale on ebay for $600. Don't know if he'll get it, but there's a lot of mystery around Peugeot models, years, type of steel, components etc.. I found you as I googled Peuegeot New Zealand as my frame has a sticker identifying it as made in NZ - where they make great sailors and boats too!. As for me - a yank, living in OZ with a French bike made in New Zealand. Don't know if it gets any weirder.

savalin

Post 3

bstrummer

Thanks for your interest! Now that is an intriguing combination! There I was just getting used to the concept of a French bike made in NZ! I’m impressed that a New Zealand made frame made it to Australia. My understanding is that they were first made under licence to Peugeot in Australia prior to Healing Industries NZ following suit.

It sounds like you are in a good position with minimal outlay on the frame and components you’ve found so far. The price you mentioned for powder coating sounds reasonable too. I’ll be interested to know how you get on with colour matching or if you go for a completely different look from the original. I wouldn’t worry too much about the FrankenBike distinction. Back in the day in NZ it was pretty much standard practice to first buy a frame then decide on the components to your personal specification. I wonder if there ever was a standard build for these bikes. Perhaps in France there was.

As for my first bike, it hasn’t progressed further than disassembly and the purchase of a second hand front derailleur, ex USA! My aim is still to one day get the bike back on the road but my enthusiasm waned slightly on the realisation that, going by local prices, there’s little chance of recovering the cost of a paint job, let alone the other components needed to complete a refurbishment. The tyres alone can be quite expensive items. One good thing with two bikes I will be able to easily interchange the wheels and hubs as required.

Of course, I could just accept the worn frame as it is, protect it with wax as others have suggested, and keep its history of wear and tear. But with two similar bikes it is very tempting to have one of them repainted.

It will be interesting to see if that bike on eBay sells for all or near to the amount being asked.

Both my bikes lack the ’Made in NZ’ sticker. I wonder if yours has a similar serial number as mine under the bottom bracket shell. Feel free to post a photo if you feel so inclined.

bstrummer

After a long hiatus, not only due to the virus but also some personal challenges prior to 2020, at last I've been able to make some progress with my Peugeot 12 Vitesses racing bike restoration project. Here's a bit of background information and project update...

A couple of years back, a local bike shop owner explained that the original bike was made in Auckland, New Zealand by Healing Industries under license to Peugeot in the 1980s. At the time, he considered it 'top of the line' in his shop. He mentioned the model number off the top of his head 'PFN10' but wasn't aware of any surviving brochures to back this up.

It's evident that a good number of examples of the bike are still in existence. For that reason I have decided to go down the path of completely stripping and repainting the frame. The decision is made easier given that I have two frames from different bikes. I don't feel like I'm erasing the past quite so much.

For the rebuild I am going to employ the services of a specialist bike mechanic named Josca who I've discovered working from his home garage just a block away from where I live. He has a real passion for classic bikes and access to spares, and examples of his work that I've seen is immaculate. The aim will be to rebuild the bike to as near as possible Peugeot period specifications and within reason.

My job will be cleaning and polishing of parts as necessary, as well as completing the frame respray which is a current work in progress. I'll explain more about it shortly along with some photographs.

bstrummer

After reading plenty of online information about painting bike frames, consultation with my bike repairer friend and an automotive paint supplier, I've decided on the DIY rattle can approach to repainting the Peugeot frame. I won't go into the debate over attempted DIY vs employing a professional spray painter. However, I will say I've always had a desire to try my hand at spray painting and currently have the time to devote to it.


I ordered the enamel paint which cost NZ$110 all up, including rust preventative primer, fill primer, base paint (colour coat) and clear finishing paint. I've also ordered and received decals from a UK supplier which cost around NZ$50.


Just yesterday the frame was bead blasted by Master Blasters and I was able to apply rust preventative primer a few hours later. The blasting cost NZ$120 but I feel it was well worth the money to avoid a really messy and frustrating job using paint stripper, steel wool, etc.


I did stop and think when I saw a post on social media from another person who is having the exact same bike frame (same colour and decals) professionally painted at the cost of NZ$300. Going by that, it seems there is very little saving when going down the DIY path. It would be interesting to know what kind of paint job the stated price covers.


As of now, the initial primer has been applied directly to the bare metal frame. As instructed by the owner of Master Blasters, there was no need to prep the frame provided I kept it dry and avoided touching the metal.


I won't go into the ins-and-outs of painting, prep etc. But here are some photos of day one of the respray, including a shot of how I used a spare pair of old bike forks to provide a spindle for attaching and rotating the bike frame for spraying. The forks have been lightly clamped to a foldable workbench. Part of an old broom handle placed in the frame head tube makes it easy to rotate the frame as required.

Next step on Day 2 is to apply 2-3 coats of fill primer. Must be done within 24 hours of the anti-rust primer to avoid need for sanding.


Newly bead blasted frame

Folding work bench and old bike forks clamped in place

Frame with rust preventative primer applied

Rust preventative primer closeup

Rust preventative primer closeup

Rust preventative primer closeup

Rust preventative primer closeup

dddd

Great to see follow-up on this bike, and looks like the makings of a durable finish.

bstrummer

Thanks for the encouragement. Two coats of fill primer went on today followed by a light wet sand with 800 grit paper prior to base coat application tomorrow. Trying not to rush the job but excited to see the colour coat. Actually enjoyed the sanding but it pays to take care not to go back to bare metal! It's very easy to mistake metal surface undulations for paint imperfection, as I have discovered.

bstrummer

I read somewhere that to achieve a perfect finish on a bike frame is a specialist's job. Having just applied the base (colour) coat to my Peugeot frame I can fully appreciate the reasons why. The frame is such a complex shape involving different angles and tubular connection points. It creates opportunities for over-spray in the wrong places and makes it hard to always keep the spray head at a constant distance from the surface. The ability to rotate the frame on an axis, along the lines of my adapted bench setup, certainly helps. However, as I discovered you need plenty of space so that you can move around the frame comfortably. My plastic "curtains" got in the way when I needed to paint the BB.

Despite the paint supplier's assurance I would get 3 to 4 coats from the 400ml can, I was only able to achieve 2 coats before the can started spluttering. Good thing I didn't use it for a test run on another frame as also advised. That said, I am happy the colour seems an acceptable match to the original.

The next step is to wait 24 hours or possibly two days for the colour coat to cure before very, very light sanding with 1000 to 1500 grit paper. Hopefully there won't be many imperfections to deal with so the clear coat can be applied with a clear conscience.

Here is photographic evidence of today's effort...


Base coats

Soody

That's a really nice colour. It's gonna look great.

Sorry i'm a bit late on this but btw i shopped it around a couple years ago and found ross at powderworks limited in onehunga who did acid strip & powder on a bicycle for only $125. Pretty good job too. I think acid dip is superior to bead blast because it flushes out the inside of the tubes too.

bstrummer

Pleased you like the colour and thanks for the acid dipping contact. Makes sense for the reason you stated but as you say it's a bit late now. I plan to coat the inside of the frame with linseed oil for protection as advised by a bike mechanic. Honestly though, I've had several different recommendations for the paint removal. One suggestion was garnet blasting, then soda blasting or acid dip and finally was told bead blasting was best for the frame. Love the striking orange colour btw!

bstrummer

Here's a tip for anyone attempting a metallic colour spray job with clear coat. Don't sand the colour coat before applying the clear. As a paint specialist advised, "you really don’t want to sand the colour as you potentially could sand the protection around the metallic flakes off." Just go ahead and apply the clear directly after the colour coat, waiting the required time between coats - which in my case was between 20 - 60 minutes.
Once the clear coat has fully cured I'll add the decals. The advice received is that 'You want to give the paint plenty of time to breath(dry) after applying as you don’t want the decals to entrap any solvent.'

Here are photos of the frame with final base coats and 1 x clear applied.

Colour and 1 clear coat applied.

1simplexnut

Hiya ,

Looks like you are doing the Peugeot justice !
Good for you .
Just a word of advice (if nobody has mentioned already )
Give the paint PLENTY of time to harden up before you start bolting things to it .
If i rattle can a frame I give it at least a couple of weeks to dry and harden properly .
Also have seen people create a baking oven out of a box and light bulb !?

Have fun with it .
I bought one like that new in the early 1980s .

bstrummer

Thanks 1simplexnut. I'm doing my very best to do justice and for the hell of it.
That's great advice thanks. Totally agree with your recommendation and definitely taking my time before moving onto assembly. It might well be two weeks or more.
With the superb summer weather and a nice warm room, bordering on too hot, the paint should dry and harden quite nicely. Not quite a bake oven but possibly also not too far removed.

BTW the paint supplier also recommends polishing the clear coat with grey Scotchbrite rather than using wet and dry. It's less abrasive and risky.

[QUOTE=1simplexnut;21908784]

Hiya ,

Looks like you are doing the Peugeot justice !
Good for you .
Just a word of advice (if nobody has mentioned already )
Give the paint PLENTY of time to harden up before you start bolting things to it .
If i rattle can a frame I give it at least a couple of weeks to dry and harden properly .
Also have seen people create a baking oven out of a box and light bulb !?

Have fun with it .
I bought one like that new in the early 1980s .

francophile 

This may end up being the nicest looking Peugeot of its class when you're done

bstrummer

Thank you. It's certainly something worth aiming for.

The next job is to polish the chrome forks so they look as good as they can possibly be and there are decisions to be made about the components that end up on the bike.

bstrummer

The time has come to add decals to the Peugeot 12 Vitesses frame. What better place to start than the smallest of the set, the 12 Vitesses decal itself? Chosen as it's the smallest and least obvious, in case anything goes wrong.
Fortunately it went well, or so I think! Here are before (the old decal) and after shots. Note the different text font and colouring for the word 'Speeds'. Even so, quite an acceptable replacement.

Old decal

New decal

bstrummer

Here's a photo of the complete decals set, minus the one already fitted. There are more pieces than were on the original bike frame. I'm currently trying to work out if they are spares or just missing from the frame I'm working on.
There are more lion decals than were originally on the frame, so I'm guessing they were intended for the French bikes, not Australasia/NZ.
I'm tempted to add the 'Made in France' decals but am not sure if that would be appropriate for a bike made in NZ under license to Peugeot.
Likewise the Carbolite decal is nice to have but it's not certain that it would be correct for the frame.


Replacement decals set


Made in France decals

Carbolite 103 decal


Replacement decals set

francophile 

But wait, what happens if you throw a 7spd freewheel on it? Then it's 14 Vitesses. Did you get a 14 speed sticker?

bstrummer

Ha ha, that would throw me! I'd be forced to use a Sharpie to correct the decal!

bstrummer

Here are some more before and after shots. One or two more differences. The 'new' orange is muted and the text for Peugeot is surrounded by white not black. What a time to discover I've got the wrong decals! Though to be fair they are the nearest match available. No looking back now!

Original Peugueot decal

Replacement Peugueot decal

Original stripes decal

Replacement stripes decal

francophile 

Don't bug out on the color. It looks good, and just makes it that much more original to you. Honestly, as long as the placement is good, I doubt the people making the frames would be able to tell.

1simplexnut

Original Peugueot decal

Rl[/QUOTE]

I reckon that will look way better than the black border !
Dont panic ! :-)

bstrummer

Thanks and agreed. As I'm often told by my older brothers, it's the overall effect that counts. The placement went pretty well or in other words it could have gone far worse! The decals instructions neglected to mention the possibility of small decal fragments being left behind on the backing strip. Thankfully the trap became apparent while applying (and destroying) one of the lion decals. Perhaps that's why they included spares - they're so fragile and easily come adrift. Anyway, lesson learned!

bstrummer

I reckon that will look way better than the black border !
Dont panic ! :-)[/QUOTE]
Thanks. Now that I'm used to it I agree absolutely. The white makes the name stand out more against the metallic paint.
I'm still trying to decide whether or not the Carbolite 103 badge/decal is right for the NZ fame. I think it probably is correct but there's no way of knowing for certain, except that Carbolite was entry level for Peugeot in the +/- 1980s. The frame is definitely not reynolds 501 or Chromoly or similar.

francophile 

To give you an example, here's a P10S (from '83 I think) I picked up on the cheap 4-5 years ago in a bulk buy. I refurbished it for free for a coworker who wanted to get into riding, but I'm ashamed to say I left old tires on it, no bar tape and the old reflectors at his request, so I'm not about to share the "finished" pics. Here are the pics as-is. Same paint color. Same orange tones in the decals. Different black border. I think I actually like your choice of white border better.