My First bike, my first project like this - Found a bad rust hole in my R60/2 frame. I am devastated.

[PaulieB]

I purchased the R60/2 that was in Champaign IL last month after fighting in an auction type setting for it, I walked away with the bike for more than I had planned to spend.

Yes the bike had surface rust, yes, I was going to have it sand blasted, and gone over for anything that looked more than paint deep. But this came as a tough blow. My gut tells me the frame is scrap, and that I should just start over, or better yet get out while I'm behind.

It's my first bike, my first project of this scope, and I'm just reeling in my own misfortune at this point. :'-( It'll take me a year to save up enough to buy another frame.

I guess at this point I can only ask for hopeful thoughts or motivation to seek out another /2 frame...




[youtube]RcwW9_xm3FY[/youtube]

[PaulieB]

To the best of my limited knowledge, I don't believe there is supposed to be a drain hole there on the frame.

Some of the guys on the Airlist on Facebook said I should try to have it repaired as well, others said they think it's scrap if the rust has spread internally to a high degree.

[miller6997]

I agree that the hole you showed us could be repaired, but what does the rest of the bike look like? If the frame rusted through at that location, the metal may be pretty thin in other places as well. It must have seen a lot of salty roads!

[slothy]

if you know a good welder, he can camp/jig the frame cut out that piece and weld a new piece in. depending on how well the rest of the frame is though.

is there normally a drain hole there?

[Slash2]

Chin up! I see plenty of orphan frames come and go on craigslist, eBay, ibmwr, etc for reasonably affordable prices. I would bet every notable restorer in the country has a few frames hanging about the shop.

If you're out of steam, photograph the remaining parts and they'll sell quickly in the Sale section.

Good luck!

[slothy]

not sure what it would cost to get it blasted down to the metal - but you would then see every flaw when its down to the bare metal.

[tonyhutchinson]

Try not to be put off by what you've found ive seen a few Norton featherbed frames rust out along the bottom frame tubes and be successfully repaired by filling the holes by brazing.

You do need to be realistic about the size of the problem though - I would remove all the paint form the bottom tubes with an angle grinder using a wire brush to see if the rest of the frame was ok, don't get it blasted; any residue blast medium left inside the frame could act as a water trap and prolong the problem. You may need to make the hole bigger to get back to clean good metal but once its all cleaned you will start to feel more positive about it.

Once you can see the extent of the problem then decide how to repair it. If the rest of the frame is ok, a competent gas welder could repair the hole.If you need to have a new section put in would it be worth starting at the point where the thick and thin tube parts were joined at the factory to make a decent job of it.
good luck
Tony

[PaulieB]

I definitely want to get it blasted down, and flushed after that so nothing remains inside the frame.

I think my concern is that the rust at this point is internal, I won't know from the outside how extensive the damage is.

The surface rust on the exterior really is not that bad, it's basically paint level. Its this new internal rust I'm finding that is concerning. If water got into the frame, who knows what kind of damage it could have done by evaporating, and making condensation in other places of the frame.

[PaulieB]

I think I'll do just that, take an angle grinder or cutting blade and start chopping into where I think the problem areas are. But like I mentioned, I'm concerned that evaporating water may have gotten further up into the frame, in a place where I may not be able to see it.

Paul

[tonyhutchinson]

I would have thought that any water/condensation would settle at the lowest point...