I cleaned up and polished the emblems with a very mild abrasive pad, tooth brush, and Mother's Chrome polish. They cleaned up well, but show their age in scratches and chips if you look very close and stare at it. (They are plated, not chrome. You can have them replated with excellent results, I've heard.) I opted not to wet sand them as I worried it would dull them. I used 3M's Plastic and Emblem Adhesive. It is messy stuff (like a silicon that is usually liquidy) and it comes out fast -- so be CAREFUL. You are to press it on, remove it for 10 to 15 minutes, and the reapply. I did not do that because it was so messy. I ran a fan on it all night to get air around. I only had three studs on the back that were way to short to put the emblem on correctly, plus one hole was filled in my body. So instead of drilling it, I chose to file it off and use the adhesive. So "NOT" the purist technique.
I used a small file to clear out the two holes in the legshield to install the front emblem. This photo is of the file on the floor rail, but it is of the same principal so I am showing you. Don't drill stuff out. It's messy and screws your paint. Take your time and hand file EVERYTHING! You will regret it if you don't. I do. Learn from my mistakes.
To install the gas tank cap seal I used another 3M product designed for seals and gaskets. It dries super fast and does a great job.
Things really came together on the bike last night. The headset is on and all the wiring is labeled. One recommendation I have for running the clutch and front break cables is to remove the inner cables and run them down starting from the headset. It's much easier that way. Pictured below you'll see blue painter's tape over the Vespa emblem, which holds it down flush to the frame while the 3M Adhesive dries.
Here's the next HOT items to tackle:
1) Determine why the gas tap flows so poorly and replace if needed.
2) Connect the electrical.
2 comments:
Be careful "cleaning" the "Vespa SS" and "Super Sport" emblems. they are nit just aluminum, they are anodized aluminum. In other words, they are plated. So they look really shiny and don't tarnish and fade to flat(ish) like plain aluminum. If you scrub it too hard, or with something abrasive, you can take the plating right off. You can have them re-anodized with excellent results.
- Paul B.
Thanx Paul. The wool sponge isn't as it sounds. Bad description. It's a very mild abrasive pad and super fine.
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