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What does the bike look like now? I doubt a bike that was underwater looks that good.
I don’t know how I missed the submerged in water part.. sorry Joe, that’s a whole different skill set of restoration. I’m not a professional who deals with that kind of stuff, but I’ll make a suggestion.. I’d completely disassemble, pressure wash the frame externally and as much as possible internally. Then if nothing else buy a big 5 gallon bucket of penetrating oil. Fill that frame internally in each and every hole you can find up top and let it drain out any hole in the bottom… then flip it and fill every hole you can find in the bottom and let it drain a few days out the top.
‘’Personally I’d remove the front end off the frame as well and fill any hole with penetrating oil. Was it submerged with sea water or fresh water?
‘’After many days of filling and draining I’d make sure it rests where there is lots of air movement and sunlight. I’d fill every spoke hole with penetrating oil. If it was as high as the wheel barrings I’d completely take them apart and inspect and re-pack.
‘’The motor, I’d at the very very minimum remove the cam cover. If there is any sign of water inside… sorry, but i’s split the cases.
‘’Water damage is a bigger deal than most think. It’s not about it’s condition right now.. it’s about it’s condition in the next 2-5 years. The corrosion gets in and eats metals.
Last edited by Rains2much; Jan 29, 2025 at 01:51 PM.
That's what the bike looks like now. They cleaned it up for sale. There was 82 pictures on the auction and I looked at them very carefully. It shows more corrosion from being a Florida beach bike than from the flood. I've done frame-up restorations but I'm not going to lead with that. I'll see how deep the water went. They can be ridden in the rain, so it may not be all that bad. I like your suggestion to fill the frame with penetrating oil and letting it drain. It could be a good use for WD-40 actually.
I intend to go over it carefully, for sure. BTW the seller says the oil is clean, but I will see for myself. He seems like an honest guy who flips bikes as a side job. I could hear little kids in the background when I talked to him on the phone.
I have a set of take-off wheels at home in CT to replace these, but I'll save that for next winter.
Joe, salt or fresh water? Fresh water would not be a major concern, flush everything out etc. Salt water, the WD-40 in the frame is a good idea. Good luck.
Hopefully it’s fresh water.. but if it is salt I’m not so sure WD-40 would be as good as Penetrating oil. WD-40 is a good cleaner, but I don’t think it would soak into the metal as well.for one thing a good portion of it is made to evaporate. Penetrating oil would not just be on the surface, it would stay in the metal longer allowing it to soak in.. “penetrate” more.
I’ve never restored a submerged bike before but I have worked on cars. I worked at a body shop all through high school and they restored and did a lot of muscle cars. We had a big block 68 Vette once that was in a flood. The owner used penetrating oil and literally had me keep the frame soaked for a month. In the end he even torched the inside of the frame before putting one last thick coat and just leaving it inside the frame. Beautiful bike. Worth doing whatever you need to to keep it that way.
Last edited by Rains2much; Jan 30, 2025 at 07:00 AM.
That's what the bike looks like now. They cleaned it up for sale. There was 82 pictures on the auction and I looked at them very carefully. It shows more corrosion from being a Florida beach bike than from the flood. I've done frame-up restorations but I'm not going to lead with that. I'll see how deep the water went. They can be ridden in the rain, so it may not be all that bad. I like your suggestion to fill the frame with penetrating oil and letting it drain. It could be a good use for WD-40 actually.
I intend to go over it carefully, for sure. BTW the seller says the oil is clean, but I will see for myself. He seems like an honest guy who flips bikes as a side job. I could hear little kids in the background when I talked to him on the phone.
I have a set of take-off wheels at home in CT to replace these, but I'll save that for next winter.
You're a braver guy than me. I'd avoid that thing like a cocktail from Bill Cosby.
I arrived in Florida last night about 8:30, and picked up the bike today. I will go over it another day, this is enough in one day for a retired guy. LOL
The guy and his wife are pretty cool people. They have a lot of old cars and bikes. My bike is too new for them, lol. The Harley and Triumph behind it are 72-73 vintage. He also has a thing for oddities:
He's on the lookout for a Batmobile, but I didn't get into what version. In my eyes there's only one.
Looking good! It really does look clean. Again.. I’d pull the nose cone and primary cover, if they have no sign, still oil the way it should be, you’re probably in good shape.
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