Bianchi catalog 78 Help neded
 

Hi guys,
I just bought a couple of vintage Bianchi bikes ready to be restored to participate to the next L'Eroica race.
I saw in a very old post thet you have a PDF copy of the Bianchi catalog 1978 in which I hope to find a full description of one of the two that is a model 00.4.23.
Could you share with me that catalog?
Please find in attach a picture of the "sisters".:)
Thank you
P.

Day one!
this is one of the two Bianchi Rekord 74 model 00.5.67
before
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=298413
and after, but I need to find a 14 key!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=298416

Day 2
I cleaned all the gears and chrome parts... But the frame has a lot of rust and scratch!
do you know the reference colour for a Bianchi Rekord 74 to create some touch up paint?
I checked with my Pantone guide and my one seems very closed to PMS 337C
advice are very well accepted!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=299738

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=299739

VERY cool find! On getting paint to match, factory color may NOT be a match after all these years, paint color fades. Your best bet may be to take it to an automotive parts house that matches color. They can custom mix an automotive quality paint matching up to your bikes. Only a few do it. In our area, it is a NAPA shop.

Great looking Bianchis. I wish I could run across some good looking '70s models.

Thank you for the advice and the appreciation of the bikes!
I'll try to find a mix paint touch up in my area... I'm living in London (but I'm Italian :)) and I don't have a clue of who is doing it here, but I'm sure there will be someone...
I'll keep you updated on the progress
P

I'm not able to go forward in my restoring operation!

the beast is the steering, are four days that I'm trying to open it!
I tried unscrewing the top cap to release the fork in first and to clean and check the balls of the mechanism but the only result is that I ruined the ring... :cry:

This is the picture of the beautiful work I did... :bang:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302016
Do you have any suggestion? Your advice will be really appreciate!
P.

PM sent on catalog. Not sure what to offer on the headset. Could someone have used glue or Loctite on it?

You might try checking some bike shops and see if someone has the correct type of spanner or lockring tool for the bottom cup. I would suspect that ravages of time have corroded the topcup and the locknut togather making removal with one set of pliers impossible.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1362206717

Thank you for the catalog... Do you have also the one of 1978? :)
the one of 1987... Is equally appreciate!


I did today, all 3 where very amazed by the frame... But they did't have the right spanner... Everyone was very surprised by the ring of the steering... One of the shops suggested me to cut the top part of the cup and change all the steering with a new one.... This will be my last chance because the fork has a bit of play, so I prefer to fix it and grease before to start using this bike.
In this eventuality I need to find a vintage steering mechanism... Original bianchi!

I just ordered, to do the last tentative, a couple of pin spanners 32mm... I'll keep you informed!

To have a minimum of joy from my restoring job, I cleaned the handlebar! I really appreciate when I saw appear the logo Bianchi and 3ttt underneath 40 years of tape!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302111http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302112

Finally I received the brake hoods for my Universal brakes...
the funny thing is that the brakes where Italian... I received in London... I bough them in US!
Cost of the uk tax apart they are at "0" kilometre

please find a picture of the hoods and of the handlebar finished?!
what do you think? It is not really vintage... I'm debated to change the ribbon or not!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302461
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302460
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302459
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302462

P.

I did it!
A guy on an Italian vintage forum told me the secret!
If your steering don't want to be unscrew you need to mount back the wheels and the handelbar!
Then you need a big friend that will hold both.

I almost forgot... you need to have,also, a spanner for the pipes.

This s the result!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302853
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302854
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=302855

I touch up the frame, I found in n Halfords shop a paint mix.
after an hour passed looking at all the colours of the cars of the last 20 years
I found a green mint of Nissan that is very similar to my Bianchi

the clerk of the shop was very kind and helped me, adding a bit of green and black, to obtain the, more or less, right colour!

P.

That's really slick. And it's vintage enough for us all, I believe.

If you still need the 1978 catalog, I have it. Sending you a pm.

Yes please I still need it... Sorry but I'm too brand new of the forum and I'm not able to send PM...
could you send me another one with your email I'll replay with my one!
:beer:

PM sent with email :thumb:

Thank you, sent back with my one
P.

I'm very close to the end of the restoring of this bike
Here you can see the touch up op the frame, I'm not completely happy with the result of my work, but considering that my intention was to conserve an old bike and not to have a shiny repaired brand new he effect is not too bad.
the only think is that it is a bit a "leopard" bike! :roflmao:

Before the touch up
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303672
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303673
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303674

And after...
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303669
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303670
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=303671

Do you have comments or.suggestions?
What do you think of the result?
P.

From what I can see it looks like the result turned out fine. Your project is coming along nicely! Beautiful bikes!

That looks really nice! Should be great riding too.

Here are a few things to think about when it comes to making a bike look shiny-new. Folks around here don't consider that essential. When a bike has lots of patina, that's considered good because it carries the scars from its history. If the bike could talk it might tell some interesting tales!

A second thing is that if it has a few scratches you won't worry about getting a few more. When it really looks brand new the first scratch really bothers you.

Finally, a lot of people here have astoundingly beautiful bikes, but those bikes got that way because the owners painstakingly made them that way, and maybe had them repainted because the original paint was trashed, and they clean them and polish them after every ride. You (meaning all of us) have to not get caught up with trying to make every bike look like that!

Nice work! Looking forward to a ride report.

Dear all,
Thank you for your support and suggestions, finally I finalise my hard work and today I commute with my "new" bike to go to the office and take these picture that you can find here!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9313247...7632995431350/

The bike is very nice to ride, and also if it is a 40 years old still has a lot of fun to share!
The only sad note of the day is that I did't "won" the lottery of the Eroica, so I'll not participate this year to the historic competition in Tuscany... I'll do the next one!:twitchy:
P.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=304575

Hi Retrofit,
Do you still have that 1978 catalogue? I would love to have it. Please PM me.
Thank You!
Vince

Does anyone have 1980 and 1981 catalogs? I am pretty sure about what I have, but it would be nice to confirm.

@vno311 sent you a PM

@John E You can download the 80/81 Bianchi catalogs from the Bulgier site (81a, 81b, 81c; 81a actually has a print date of 1980)