Vespa GS 150 Restoration

And just when you thought it was over....

2011-07-26T14:32:00.010-04:00

Of course I couldn't pass this 1958 Vespa GS 150 VS4. Found this for a good price. Everything is pretty much all there. I think I am missing four parts. It has the airbox, but is missing the shroud, which do come up from time to time. Unfortunately, it is missing the legshield trim, which could be a bear to find, so if you know of any please let me know.

Wrapping up-July 26, 2011

2011-07-26T14:16:00.008-04:00

Well this is pretty much done. I've been running it all over town and don't have much let to do. It has been a great learning experience and glad that I took the time to do all of it except the paint. I have just a couple small parts to track down, including original headlight assembly and badge, but I'll pick them up when the opportunity arises. This winter I'll get the chrome redone, but for now I am going to just enjoy it.

Test Drive-May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T16:46:00.002-04:00

I got the scooter back together and was able to go for a test drive. Still need to finish some small tweaking and put on the last remaining pieces. It was great to be able to get this back on the road.

Video One

Video Two

Putting it back together-April 17, 2011

2011-04-17T09:36:00.007-04:00

I got a lot done the last two days. The wiring harness and cables got ran, forks mounted, engine attached to the frame, etc.

I have one more parts order for the exhaust, seat cover, and misc rubber bits. Then it will be tweaking time on the cables.

If anyone has a seat bracket for sale, let me know. It is the last part that I cannot find.

Front End Work-April 4, 2011

2011-04-04T20:28:00.003-04:00

I finished rebuilding the front hub and attaching the front fender. Things are finally coming along.

Floor Rail Installation_March 23, 2011

2011-03-23T09:43:00.003-04:00

I got the scooter back from the painters. It looks great. The lighting in the basement doesn't do it justice, so I'll post some better pics of it when I can get access to a larger shooting area. In the meantime, I am about finished with the floor rails. The two sides are done. Now I am just waiting to get the screws back from the platers to finish the middle. Overall, it wasn't too bad of a job. Just takes some time and patience.

New Seat Cover-March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T10:08:00.002-04:00

I will be putting in an order today for a new seat cover to replace this sad thing. I emailed these folks pictures for an estimate, but never heard back, so I'll try replacing this myself.

Pirate Upholstery

Eastwood Polisher-March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T10:01:00.004-04:00

Here is another example of a polished axle cover using the Eastwood Polisher. The same four step method was used on this piece as listed below.

Eastwood Polisher

Repairing Floor Rails-March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T09:34:00.013-04:00

I finished repairing the floor rails. They were covered in orange paint, dented, and bent. The two steps was to use a wire wheel to remove the paint and some hammer and dolly work to get rid of the dents. The rails were hand sanded to remove any scratches using some 400 grit sandpaper. The last step was to polish the rails using a multistep compound that I picked up at Eastwood for $35 dollars.

Eastwood Buffing Kit

If you see something you like....

2011-03-08T21:41:00.002-05:00

please click on a sponsor link. Payday for scooter parts.

Out for Paint-February 21, 2011

2011-02-21T21:46:00.004-05:00

Around the 1st of February, I dropped off my GS to get some holes filled, body work done, and a new paint job. I gave up on trying to remove the orange paint shortly after I started. Once I got to the left cowl, there was a lot of bondo. Someone had dropped the scooter and the cowl was beat up. I came across this site, which is relatively close to Kent. I checked out his work and shop. I was impressed with the projects that he was working on. Pete can be contacted here:

http://www.petescustomcoachbuilding.com/

Also I got the original paint codes from here:

http://www.vespapaintcodes.com/

I hope they both don't mind a little shout out.

Eastwood Vibratory Tumbler-February 5, 2011

2011-02-05T10:45:00.009-05:00

I picked up an Eastwood Vibratory Tumbler to restore the parts on the GS. Very happy with the results. It takes awhile though. It is a two part system. The first stage is to run the parts with a batch of green rust cutting cubes. Did this for about 8 hours. The second stage is to run the parts with a batch of Dry Shine Media for about 24 hours.

Here is the tumbler and some comparison photos.
Eastwood tumbler

Cylinder Shroud-December 7, 2010

2010-12-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

I finished sanding and repainting the cylinder shroud that I picked up on Ebay. Did the inside with a flat black paint and the exterior with the same VHT Wrinkle Plus paint that I used for the top of the airbox.

Cylinder Shroud-November 25, 2010

2010-11-25T11:40:00.002-05:00

I picked up the VS5 cylinder shroud off of ebay. Can't believe that I got it for about $100. The only ones that I have come across typically run $250-$450. It will need sanded, primed, and painted of course, but finally glad to have an original. Other than a few little, and thankfully, cheaper pieces are needed to make the scooter complete and original.

Airbox-November 25, 2010

2010-11-25T11:00:00.003-05:00

The airbox is done. Finished the top with a wrinkle coat and the bottom with a matt black. The airbox is more shiny in the picture due to the direct lighting.

Another Scooter Project

2010-11-07T07:19:00.005-05:00

Here is another scooter project that I am working on. Not going to go crazy on this one. Just rebuild the engine, complete the front end and random parts, and get a title. Hopefully, I can make a bit of profit to fund the GS project.

http://vespav90.blogspot.com/

Airbox Cover-November 7, 2010

2010-11-07T06:17:00.008-05:00

I started working on getting the airbox cleaned up and painted. Began with the airbox cover and decided to give VHT's Wrinkle Plus paint a try to give the lid the "original crinkle coat. I picked it up at Advanced Auto Parts. After some experimenting, I am happy with the result.

According to the directions on the can, I sanded the lid down to the bare metal. The original coat was hard to get off so I used a dremel tool with a sandpaper drum to get it to the bare metal. This was followed up with a hand sanding using 400 and 800 grit sandpaper. The directions state to not use primer and give it 3 heavy coats in alternating directions with a 5 minute break between coats. I put the lid in the oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour. This was too much and the crinkle was too heavy especially along the bottom of the lip.

After the first attempt, I scraped and sanded the lid down to the bare metal again. This time I gave it one coat of primer and let that dry. I followed this up with two lighter coats alternating the directions and waiting 5 minutes between coats. I put the lid in the oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour. This worked much better and the crinkle was more controlled. The lid needed more texture still, so I gave it 1 more light coat and did not bake it.

Cylinder Shroud-November 4, 2010

2010-11-04T16:51:00.003-04:00

If anyone out there has a GS 150 cylinder shroud for sale, please hit me up. I've been looking for one for quite awhile. I've got the funds, but don't want to pay $500 for one either :).

Engine Rebuild-November 4, 2010

2010-11-04T16:39:00.003-04:00

I finished with the engine rebuild. Overall, it wasn't too bad. The hardest part was getting the crank to fit into the engine case. I would recommend putting the crank into the freezer for a night and heating the engine case with a butane torch. With some gentle taps, the crank eventually went in. The second tricky part was getting the two engine halves together while making sure that the gear selector was properly engaged. Put in new bearings and a complete set of seals. Right now I am in the process of getting the exhaust repaired and once that is complete I will give the new engine test. Once this is done, I'll move on to getting the airbox redone and flywheel cover repaired and painted. Coming along slowly, but still coming along.

Vintage Ohio License Plate

2010-11-04T16:34:00.003-04:00

I was able to pick up a vintage 1961 Ohio License Plate for the GS 150. Here in Ohio you can pay a $25 fee (I believe) to use on a historic motorcycle or scooter. The price was right and thought that it looked better than the ones that they have out now. Now all I have to do is get that pesky title issue worked out, but I've now got a lead in Michigan and will give that a try.

Winterizing your scooter-October 18, 2010

2010-10-18T16:10:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year. Here is an interesting article that talks about winterizing your scooter. They also have some fun vintage Vespa scooter videos.

Scooter Retro

Vespa GS 150 Airbox-September 19, 2010

2010-09-19T11:57:00.006-04:00

After a long search, I finally found a GS 150 Airbox for sale. It is a little rough cosmetically, but structurally it is in good shape. With some new paint, it should be good as new. Thanks Mark from Scooter Bellissimo for the airbox and your patience. I would highly recommend this guy and his company. Also picked up a junction box cover while I was at it.

Scammers-August 22, 2010

2010-08-22T07:55:00.003-04:00

In my never ending search for a GS 150 Airbox, I posted several "WTB" threads on some scooter forums and scoot.net classifieds. The scammers came out of the woodwork. One guy going by Franco Peroni claimed he was from the UK, and when I asked to see photos of the airbox, he attached an image of a V5 that is the first image when you do a google search for "Vespa GS 150". He stated that he was going to part out the scooter. This was a good looking scooter that no one would part. What an idiot.

So be careful. Personally, I don't trust buying anything oversees unless it is from an actual shop. Don't use Western Union or MoneyGram. There is no protection using these services. Once the money is wired, it is gone. Even Ebay won't offer any protection outside the US.

If you are buying a high priced item in the US, check out this service www.escrow.com. It is a bit pricey. Around $25.00 for anything up to $5000.00, but at least you won't get burnt.

If anyone has any other suggestions for services that will offer the buyer some form of protection for purchasing parts, scooters, etc, I would love to hear them.

I am leaving today for Ireland and Scotland for a week vacation, but when I get back, I will have the time for some needed updating on the scooter progress.

Scooter Shops-August 11, 2010

2010-08-11T16:20:00.004-04:00

Normally I wouldn't post something like this, but I've been amazed at the poor service I've been receiving while ordering parts from the big scooter shops. One place messed my order up the first time and sent the wrong parts. They tried a second time, and since I was in a hurry, I paid for the 1-3 day priority shipping. It took them five days to fill the order. I believe the whole affair took almost 3 weeks from my first order. Another shop's online system was down and everytime I called I got the "we will call you back. If you don't hear from us by 5pm, call us back." This happened for 3 days straight. Do I really have to beg you to take my money?

Personally, I've found ScooterWest to be quick, accurate, and reliable.

http://www.scooterwest.com/

Pride of Cleveland has also been extremely helpful when I have called or stopped in.

http://www.clevelandscooters.com/

To be fair I have not ordered from these folks, so I don't know, but I've heard good things.

http://www.scootermercato.com/

Engine Tear Down-July 31, 2010

2010-07-31T19:30:00.004-04:00

I got the engine completely tore down and cleaned. There were some chunks of metal floating around and places where the gears were scraping against the engine case. Found some makeshift parts that were questionable from the previous rebuild, so I am guessing that might have been causing some of the problems. Also as expected, the corks in the clutch were completely dry. Soaked those in oil overnight and got the clutch rebuilt. Now to put it all back together and get the parts off of the basement floor.