My Boot Sale Special

Oh dear. I couldn`t leave it there looking so sad and dejected. No-one else was crazy enough to pay the man the extortionate price he wanted for it so I made the wife a promise I knew I`d never keep in order for her not to disown me if I bought it.

Nothing worked on it, I had to carry it to my car because the back wheel was seized solid. The gear shifter was held in place by coat hanger wire. The handlebars were bent, the seat was a spiders holiday home and it shaked, rattled but didnt roll all the way to the car park.

The only consolation was it didnt matter if I dropped it. It went in the boot of the car no problem - or at least half of it did, the other half hung out and flapped about like a shirt lap in the breeze.

Even the dog shook her head as I brought my latest project home.

The bike was bought 90% complete but most parts needed to be replaced due to severe rust damage. Im convinced it had been at the bottom of a stagnant pond for a very long time! This was evident by the amount of green algae I had to remove from it and the entirely seized rear hub.

Parts I`ve replaced:

Both wheel rims, tyres, spokes, rear inner hub mechanism, both mudguards, chainguard, chain, pedals, rear seat springs, seat cover, reflector, gear shifter mechanism, fork dimples, brake levers and handlebar grips.

The handlebars were "remanufactured" from two pairs of badly mis-shapen `bars. Each was cut in half and the best halves welded together. You might notice they are a little wider than normal and raked backwards like the mk1.

The decals were specially made in chrome vinyl.