C5ALIVE Forum
C5Alive General Category => C5 Chatroom => Topic started by: ironside82 on 10, December, 2009 - 21:25:29
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Hi All,
Finally picked up my Ebay win today.. got it home and took some pics:
http://www.jamesblackburn.co.uk/C5/
Its in a bit of a state, going to be doing it up over the next few months hopefully. So ill probably be asking a lot of questions.
Chassis first i think.. Looks like only surface rust.. sand down and paint??
James
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looks from the chain like your going to need a lot of WD40 (i'd barter for a bulk order with Halfords ;) )
loads of info in here, and i've found many members will be happy to advise where they can.
some might have spare parts tro sell/barter, so i suggest list what you need and keep us informed of progress.
regs
alan
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Hi James - great that you have a C5 - Good to see the before photo's too - keep us posted on your progress - any questions please ask and we will help where we can.
Regards Marty
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HI THERE IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A BRITTLE FINGER MOTOR ....BE CARFULL BEFORE STRIPPING IT DOWN ....CHECK THE SITE ON HOW TO ......
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Chas is right, looks like one of the first items on your shopping list with Adam Harper will be a set of "cream fingers" to replace those "brown fingers".
http://c5alive.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=322.0
It is an easy and cheap item to replace - the brown ones will snap, just ask Radiomarty, his face was a picture when I demonstrated just how brittle they are ;D
Looks like the c5 is fairly complete and should scrub up nice 8)
Check the links found in the forum guide, the handbook should come in useful;
http://c5alive.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=627.0
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Thanks for all the info so far.
Was all prepared for a strip down this evening and got stumped by the crank removal stage to get the pedals off.
Are these crank removal tools a standard size?
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Are these crank removal tools a standard size?
..mmm, not sure if they come in different sizes.
The one pictured in the link came from Evans Cycles;
http://c5alive.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=239.0
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I brought a crank tool from Halfords recently - only seemed to be one size in stock - a point to note if you buy one with a fixed handle you will need to remove the pedals first then the arms - if you buy one that fits onto a ratchet you can leave the pedals on the arms.
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Hi James, I bet you're really looking forward to getting stuck into the restoration of your C5, it might look like it needs a lot of work, but it looks all complete which is important as parts can be hard to find, with a lot of tlc, a new chain and tyres etc you will soon be on the road, keep us update with your progress.
Retro Andy.
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Well finally had a good go at it this afternoon, tired out now. Got robbed for £16 for a crank tool at the bike shop. The chap asked me what it was for, I mentioned it was for a Sinclair C5, didn't even bat an eyelid and lead me straight to the tool
I've managed to get the chassis free from the body. It was quite hard work. First off the pedal bearing cover wouldn't come off, Finally after much hammering it started to work loose.
I gave up with the handle bar stem, it wasn't budging, despite using the tips I found on the forum. So I widened the hold in the body and it popped out. Not sure how i'm going to get it back in mind!
I was inspecting the wiring.. Seems pretty simple.. However there were a few loose wires some which just end and others that have spade terminals on them.. Are they additional for wiring in the horn / indicators etc or are they detached from somewhere. If so I can't see where they come from.
Going to start the rubdown another day. Can anyone suggest the best battery / charger to get
All the best
James
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I gave up with the handle bar stem, it wasn't budging, despite using the tips I found on the forum. So I widened the hold in the body and it popped out. Not sure how i'm going to get it back in mind!
Removing the handlebar stem is potentially the most frustrating part as the parts can rust themselves together.
Now that the body is off you should be able to apply some heat to the stem without fear of melting the shell :)
I placed a chassis upside down on a vice secured to a large workbench and used a hammer, and large screwdriver as a drift, to hammer the stem out after it had been heated. The vice was used to support the chassis at the other end of the stem.
You have to be careful when doing this as it is very easy to damage the soft metal of the chassis :o
I was inspecting the wiring.. Seems pretty simple.. However there were a few loose wires some which just end and others that have spade terminals on them.. Are they additional for wiring in the horn / indicators etc or are they detached from somewhere. If so I can't see where they come from.
You're correct - the loose connections are for the other accessories.
As for batteries, the debate on car versus leisure batteries continues...
There are several threads on the subject ;)
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Not looking forward to doing that. I'm gussing the stem and the piece on the top of the stem that grips the handle bars stay together. And it's just the stem that slides out of the chassis
The steering shaft popped out of the ball and sockect joints. I thought I'd totalled it to start with when I heard a loud bang. This pops back together ok. I hope it doesn't come out during a drive!!
Is it worth getting the chassis sand blasted or is it easiest to go at it with sand paper to remove the bulk of the rust and then paint it?
Thanks again for all your help so far.
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Not looking forward to doing that. I'm gussing the stem and the piece on the top of the stem that grips the handle bars stay together. And it's just the stem that slides out of the chassis
The steering shaft popped out of the ball and sockect joints. I thought I'd totalled it to start with when I heard a loud bang. This pops back together ok. I hope it doesn't come out during a drive!!
Is it worth getting the chassis sand blasted or is it easiest to go at it with sand paper to remove the bulk of the rust and then paint it?
Thanks again for all your help so far.
Hi James,
bein new to the C5 scene i've ponderered the same issues.
fortunately i have a 'spare' chassis and a 'spare' C5 shell to play with. overall i'd think it would depend on the amount of rust and decay on the chassis.
both my frames are not that bad, so i'm going for wire wool and 4" grinder mounted rotary wire brushes to rid the old flaky paint from them. a good coat of rust cure, then to finish coat them black stone enamel for future protection.
my view is not to skimp especially on the chassis, you hardly want to strip it down every 2 years or so for repaint. these machines i ahve noted have recently risen substantially in value so imo your work will likely be well repaid, might even turn a profit,. and you will have all the fun as well (especially if you come on the C5Alive meets).
plaes keep in touch to compare notes
regs
alan
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Well just fired the electrics up this evening having bought the Halfords 70Ah Leisure battery and...
Everything worked.. motor, pod even the light bulbs were ok.. I couldn't believe it.
Looking good so far. The motor did sound a bit rough so that'll be the next thing to sort out.. How much are the new cream fingers from Mr Harper. Those brown ones are starting to break already!
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You're right the brown fingers are not good at all - from memory I think the cream ones are about £25-£30 new from Adam
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i'm sure i've seen a mod for the brown fingers version by C5Martin ???
regs
alan
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Bit of an update:
http://www.jamesblackburn.co.uk/C5/ <-- the march folder
Been quite a while getting to this stage. Still have to get a few bits from Mr Harper.
Serious amount of WD40 on the chain and its running like new.. (well nearly)
Hopefully I'll be up and running by the summer... I also need tyres & inner tubes
James
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Coming along well - thanks for the photos it's alway's good to see people's restoration.
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cheers, Its quite tricky as i'm doing all the work in the loft. I live in a first floor flat which isn't ideal for C5 storage.. But you don't think of that when you've got the bug do you.
Having re assembled the front brake mechnism i'm having problems with it. When I tighten the nuts up they are either too tight stopping the brakes from pinching together or too loose and the whole thing wobbles about all over place.. have I done something wrong?
Also what are the stock levels like for the follwing parts on the c5alive shop:?
- wide 18 drive belt
- full set of tubes and tyres
- brake cable set
- anti chain bounce off
- decal set
Also what the best way to contact Adam harper for the cream fingers?
James
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Having re assembled the front brake mechnism i'm having problems with it. When I tighten the nuts up they are either too tight stopping the brakes from pinching together or too loose and the whole thing wobbles about all over place.. have I done something wrong?
The front locking nut might need a bit of tweaking ?
Also what are the stock levels like for the follwing parts on the c5alive shop:?
- wide 18 drive belt no problem
- full set of tubes and tyres only a couple of sets of rears at the moment,new stock on order
- brake cable set no problem
- anti chain bounce off no problem
- decal set no problem
Also what the best way to contact Adam harper for the cream fingers?
via text or phone call : 07889 646009
James
Adams site seems to be down at the moment, so I've included his number above :)
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Check this link for the latest update regarding Adams site;
http://c5alive.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1008.msg7982;topicseen#msg7982