At a budget stand still

My summer vacation is nearing its end and I will be returning to the East Coast in a couple weeks. Upon my return I hope to finalize my parts list and get quotes ASAP. While that is happening I'd like to rebuild the rear shock so I can mount the engine in the frame.

During my vacation I worked on the parts list for the VSC to finish it up and I also created my first draft parts list for the restoration of the 1962 Lambretta TV175 -- hey, seeing as I am out of money right now I figured I should do something productive.

www.lambrettarestoration.blogspot.com

I will post a final parts list after I compare my parts to the preliminary list and it should extremely detailed and complete.

These part lists took hours to create so please feel free to email me for them or copy/paste them for your own needs.

I am a teacher and we believe there is no need to recreate the wheel and often share our lesson plans, etc.

I hope that giving you guys my parts list will save you time that you can invest in your restoration to make it even better.

I hope to have a Vespa update in August for you all.

Final Parts List & More

If there is such thing as a "restoration diary" you're looking at it. The pages below are from my personal notes and communication with my bud Ted, who will be helping me in the final assembly of the VSC.

It is my goal to scan in PDFs of all parts I ordered and convert to JPEGs so you guys can see all that I ordered. Unfortunately, I can not post it as a MS Excel or Word doc so you guys could just download and revamp per your needs . . . but feel free to email me if you want what I have.

I wish I had time to write up one long well organized parts list for the VSC (I will do this for the 62 TV175, which I will restore after this bike is complete).

The list below should prove helpful for all newbie and SS restorers as a good starting point.

Click on the images below to make larger. There are six pages total.











The more detail oriented you can be the better. I have a binder at home that is extremely detailed with prints of email discussions on how to best achieve results for many steps along the way to a full restoration. This Blog is also pretty detailed and I have careful to point my mistakes and process (i.e. this entry is all about my process and showing you what and how I chose to document) to help you have a smoother experience than me.

I am taking a 2 month vacation back home . . . Portland, OR (my wife is native) and S.F., CA (where I grew up) and my bud Ted is double checking my parts list when ever he gets a free moment. Once done and when I have cash, we place the final order and then reassemble the bike.

Rebuild Rear Shock

I've changed my mind. I have opted to rebuild the rear shock using a TaffSpeed spring. After chatting with a few folks on the Super Sports Yahoo Group I opted to reuse the housing on my rear shock. For consistency sake, I had the housing powder coated in silver to match the front shock. This is NOT true to the bike, but again this bike is mildly to moderately customized. I feel good about reusing the rear shock and not replacing it. A lot of SS owners replace it with the red/white adjustable Sebac shock for $90, but I didn't want to strip it of paint and powder coat a new shock to match the bike and in my opinion original parts are important to use as often as possible.

What's wrong with this SS180 body?

Fellow VSC restorer, Mark, wrote me with a question -- is his SS 180 body correct and original?

---- Here's what he said ----

Jeremy,

Take a look at these 2 pictures of the back of my SS.

Notice one side (right engine) has a small lip on the frame around the wheel arch and the left side (spare tire) doesn't it has a rounded more flat edge.
Does/did yours look like that?

Don't worry if you cant remember, Im going to ask around some other places, want to make sure this is standard and not a sign of two scoots being welded together.

Mark.
I have a lip on my Lammy for the cowl to hang from, but this lip is lower and I remember having a lip like this on the SS and looking at my photos of the finished painted body on this blog I don't see lip on the batt side at all, but do on the engine side and it does curve all the way down like Mark's does.

My guess is the left side of Mark's bike was knocked somehow and the lip should arch over the wheel as the right side did and that YES this lip is correct and if he is getting the bike painted he should have the body shop repair this lip.

Please don't just lurk, if you have a response or know where to go to get the answer let me know POST A COMMENT by clicking on it.

Vespa Aviation History

Is it any wonder that Vespa came from aircraft . . .

Above, my son, Hudson Rogue poses in front of a Waterman's Aerobile airplane. For Father's Day we went to the Udvar-Hazy Center. Airplanes are another hobby of mine -- I build and fly RC. After the completion of the 1962 Lambretta TV175 S.3 (I would also like to find a nice S.1 or S.2 and restore it as well for my wife . . . and one for me too), I will build my own ultralight airplane and fly it.
Check out the front light and fender on this baby. Doesn't Vespa scream airplane design (we already know this from our Vespa history books).
Though after looking at this bird, I think I rather ride a Vespa than fly this guy.