"The Phoenix rises" A Quicksilver tale

[CDBMX]

Those that have followed my other threads will know that I salvaged two vintage BMX from a bike shop fire that took place in early January 2016. The 1978 Mongoose that belonged to the shop owner is the subject of another thread [Cooked Goose].

The other bike is one that I had been attempting to buy from its original owner who lived about 1000 miles away [north] in another state, over the previous seven years. No deal.
Well now that it was reduced to a burned wreck, I was able to buy it.  It is a 1978 Aussie made Quicksilver & it carries the third lowest currently known serial.

The opportunity came last week to travel the 500 odd miles south to Melbourne to pick up a couple of new race Go-Karts for a friend & on the way back, in a northern suburb, I called into one of the two specialist firms that deal in BMX frame restoration.
I asked them to check all alignment specs & rectify where necessary, & to repair the axle nut chews in the dropouts so that it comes out as good as [or better than] new. I will get it powdered in the original colour by another specialist firm about 200 miles north of here.

I have been researching & rounding up as many period correct parts as possible for this one & have become completely obsessed with seeking the exact correct version of various components [do you know how many variations there were in Tourney brakes alone? Let me tell you, .. a lot]

My current dilemma is hubs. High flange prefered & I have on hand Campy Nuovo Tipo, Campy Record, Shimano Dura Ace, regular Shimano, Shimano DX, Sunshine High flange [with correct 5345 code] Sunshine High front with double threaded rear [for 14t freewheel] ACS,  & probably a few others. All are correct with a manufacturing date of mid 1977 or earlier. Many popular BMX hubs were simply not available in 1978 so many makes & models had to be ruled out simply because they were not around until 1979 or later, so I'm not sure which ones to use. The search continues.
Decisions decisions. Rims are gold Araya 7B's by the way.

The frame was originally a light blue [Blaster Blue] but to stave off rusting [burnt steel does that ya know] I had it powdered locally in red. I now discover that my frame was in the first batch of ten to be done in the blue, so I will strip the red & re-do it in the original blue.
Stem is 1978 Redline double clamp & bars are the unbranded, US made Redline Microline. Fork is the early straight leg Tange TX500B. Crank is Ashtabula. I have a 1979 version but still seek a 1978 example. Chainring & spider are Addicks.
Chain is the HKK Smoker. Seat post is Nitto steel & the clamp is an original in plain chrome. Seat is Messenger 'Double Dragon'. Grips? I have several NOS types from the early days to choose from so we shall see when it's built.

I'll start posting pictures when I get the frame back. I took none of it when it was still burned. Just too depressing but this was it before the fire.  I hope to use the Cook Bros fork in a 1981 Quicksilver factory race bike that I have.



It will look closer to this original 1979 ad showing a one-off factory build. They were available as a frame only, or a frame kit which had cranks, chainwheel, B/bracket, seat post clamp & headset. The rest, one sourced for themselves. Only about 450 were made in 1978 & '79 before a model upgrade was introduced.

[deeman]

Nice bit of history...look forward to seeing it powdered blue again and built! 

[CDBMX]

Yeah, me too. Once I get the frame powdered I can start the build.
One minor correction, the highest frame No. recorded so far for this model is 789489 which breaks down as the manufacturing date of 7/8/1979 with the  Serial 489, so perhaps about 500 were made with about 120 or so of them in 1978.

[griff]

Great read - some real dedication there & look forward to seeing how it goes!

[CDBMX]

The Phoenix & two other frames of my collection are in the hands of a specialist repairer in a nearby city [assuming that you regard 450 miles away as nearby] The picture that I shamelessly hijacked from their facebook page shows five frames under repair belonging to two owners.


Furthest from the camera is the 1978 'Cooked Goose' which is the subject of another thread It is awaiting its turn at the electroplaters where it will be re-nickled

The red frame is my 1978 Quicksilver [The Phoenix] The dropouts have been welded to fill the gouge marks from too many overtightened wheel nuts & the whole frame checked for alignment & axle spacing. It's all good. When I get it back it will be sent to Queensland for a show quality re-powder in the original 'Blaster Blue'

Next toward the camera are two 1981 Quicksilver Team Helium frames This was the race model. The closer one was recently recovered from New Zealand & is now owned by the fellow who also owns theMongoose closest to the camera. It bears a non standard Helium frame number, as does the one next to it. In fact they are consecutive frame numbers.
It transpires that they were built at the factory in December 1981 specifically for the McEvoy brothers as factory team race bikes but it was a rush job & Darrell the frame welder used existing pre numbered dropouts from the standard Thruster design model [they are the same] Hence the non Helium frame numbers.
Gavin was the trick rider of the two & his bike is the one closer to the camera. Shaun's is the one next to my red frame & it too is one of mine. It is waiting to receive a 'production standard' rechrome before I try to replicate its early 1982 build spec.

My wallet will be on life support for a while once these are paid for but you cant stop progress, i'm told.

STOP PRESS! I have just bought a brilliant pair of 1976 to '79 Redline undrilled, nickle plated CroMo forks. These were listed as being available in a Competition Development advertisment when the Phoenix was new, so I think I will park the early straight leg TX500B fork & use this instead.
2016 sucked, but 2017 looks like making up for it. WooHoo!

[CDBMX]

A follow up with the people who have my frame was a fortuitous event.  They were about to contact me to ask where to send my frame.
I advised them that when I got it I was going to forward it to "Roberto's Custom Powder" in far away Queensland. He said he was packing a box to send to him as we spoke & that he would include my frame with the others. Good timing, & I pay only a share of the freight cost instead of paying for two solo journeys.

I rang Roberto & worded him up on the details, so it will be stripped of the off-colour red that I had it done in to protect from rusting & it will be done in the correct original Blue with a show quality finish.
He does the best powder, it's true. It's amazing, I'll love it.    [Oh my god, Trump has invaded my head already]

Still need a 1975 to '77 Mongoose, Schwinn, Webco etc. seat post clamp. Just a plain, unbranded, nickle or chrome clamp with square holes for the pinch bolt & square shoulder under the bolt head to prevent rotation. Exactly the same as branded Mongoose ones, but no branding.

Once it's back I can start spending money on restoring the pre-owned components that I will be using, & ramping up the search for those that I am still in need of. The Redline fork that I bought might just polish up nicely, saving me a few more quid.

The bike shop will be rebuilt & ready to occupy by the end of June & we hope to have the two bikes that were dragged from the ashes ready for display on day one.  Well, that's the plan.

I also found in my boxes of bits a correct 1978 Ashtabula crank that I did not realise that I had, so another step forward. I now only need a 1977 Ashtabula crank for the '77 Goose that I am also playing with. [Not the Cooked Goose, it's a '78]

More later.

[CDBMX]

Here we have a 1979 Ad from Competition Development showing four fork offerings. Top left, Ashtabula, then Tange TX500B
Bottom left, Redline CroMo & then Cook bros.
Early reports suggested that the Redline & Cook Bros were never actually carried in stock, but I now believe that a small number of these two were in fact stocked & perhaps not re-stocked once sold. The research continues.



It's taken a while, & it's taken a bit of cash, but here they are.



The Ashtabula will go into my '77 Goose, the TX500B, well, I'll just have to think about that.
The CroMo Redline has a little rash on the right leg, so some new Nickle before being used in the 'Phoenix,' & the Cook bros. will likely be used in one of my Team Helium frames.

The '78 frame is currently at the powder coaters so I will ring tomorrow [Monday the 27th] to see how it's progressing.

Now that I have the correct seat post clamp & crank I'm getting excited. So is my electroplater as he rubs his hands together dreaming of a fresh cash injection from me. [Bars, forks, two frames plus small parts, ouch.]

[CDBMX]

I have been procrastinating over the best wheel components to make a wheelset from for about a year now. I have a tub full of period friendly, or close to period friendly hubs next to my leg as I type, but for one reason or another, I have rejected them all.
Things got worse last night when I started to have doubts about using my Araya 7B's as well. The newer 7C rims were the hot new thing in '78 , but did my imaginary 1978 bike owner think it would look more definitively vintage with 7B's or should it come with the new kid on the block 7C's

Oh dear, what to do, what to do?
At about 2am [local time] Mr eBay offered me a solution & I went for it. Some 7C's with 1978 dated Sunshine double sided rear BMX hub & an undated eight hole front Sunshine hub.
Plan 'A' is to strip the wheels, polish or anodise the hubs [they did come in colours in '78] then rebuild them into the 7B's. I will restore & anodise the 7C's & build them with some slightly later [1979 or '80] hubs. This way I wnd up with two early wheelsets & I turn some of my surplus components into usefull wheels

This is an ad showing the rear hub in the February 1978 edition of BMXA magazine.



This is the hub that is on its way to me. I have never seen a Sunshine hub with a date code this early before.



This is the front. Eight oval holes, not the usual eight flat sided holes. Again, I have not seen this version before either.



So with the frame being powdered this week, the crank now sourced & the list of components still needed is dwindling fast, so hopefuly assembly can begin later this month.

The Phoenix will soon rise again.

[CDBMX]

Yeah, it looks that way, but in fact It's an American made bike & like a canard airplane with the tail at the front, this is how this bike was riden. I think it's a Starling. Both the airplane design & this bike certainly look lke they are going backwards.

[CDBMX]

Well, a lot of things have happened lately.

My wheelset arrived today. The wheels will be dismantled & the Araya 7C rims will be anodised gold & built with another hubset into new wheels & put aside awaiting a project to use them on.
The hubs will be polished & built up with my Gold Araya 7B's for this priject.
The blue spokes will be set aside for another day. [Pictured in a previous post]

I found a new 14 tooth Suntour freewheel for the small thread side of the hub with a TL date code. [1977 December] Bloody perfect.

I bought a Cook Bros fork. My Quicksilver, [the Phoenix], had been fitted with a CBR fork from 1979 but I will probably stay with the 1976 Redline fork for now. [see picture in first post]

I got a call from Roberto yesterday afternoon [Roberto's Custom Powdercoating] He rang to tell me that ha had just pulled my frame from the 'oven' & it was perfect. I quoted my EFTPOS card number & dared not ask what his show quality preparation & powder job would cost. I hate to see a grown man cry, particularly when it's me. Roberto's is about 800 miles away so I hope to see it towards the end of the week.

The original unbranded, US made, Redline Microline handlebar survived the fire & has been declared sound. It just needs a trip to the electroplater..

I have bought a small number of original type Cheng Shin tyres in both sizes but am undecided about whether to run big & little, or two larger tyres as per the early advertising material.

I have a new 70's HKK 'Smoker' chain for it &  new Addicks spider, 42 tooth Adicks chainwheel & bolt kit. [all separate purchases] This should be about as late-70's as one could get

I'll post a picture of the frame when I sticker it with it's one & only sticker, as per when it was new. Head & seat tube stickers were not developed untill 1979.

I now have a new 1978 dated Dia-Compe rear brake cable complete. The original brake on this frame was a DC so the search is on for a 1978 dated DC model 890 brake in almost any condition. We have the technology, we can rebuild it.

I will need to find a suitable original bottom bracket for the Ashtabula crank but I need to find out what Mongoose were using in '78 as that's what would have been used in my bike when it was new.

I also discovered while ratting out stuff from my parts bins that I have a correct pair of black KKT K-MX pedals in 1/2" threading.
There were subtle differenced between early & later pedals & most of the pedals I have are '80's era but just one new pair was the early type. Hoarding seems to pay off sometimes.

This whole project seems to have turned into a contest to see what comes first. Project completion, ..... or bankruptcy.

[Coupes]

I hope not bankruptcy lol. Great thread CDBMX. It amazes my what parts are still around if you look or ask people. It's like Christmas when parts turn up. 

[CDBMX]

Thanks Coupes. Every time I see your site name I think of the 1933 rumble seat Coupe I bought in 1968. Yes, I still have it.

This is the image that has gone missing from an earlier post. The hub is branded "Sunshine Made in Japan but without the usual 5345 code & no date code either. The shape of the holes is also uncommon in a Sunshine hub with eight holes. With six holes, yes, but not eight. I wonder if it is actually a Sansin hub [same company & factory] but with the Sunshine name. This is not at all unknown & can go either way.



The nearest Electroplater is about 100 miles from here [Australia is a BIG place] so I will need to round up all the parts that need to shine, then organise a visit & have a chat. Do I want a 'production standard' job, or a 'show quality' finish? Do I want Nickle or Chrome? There is a difference in finish & price & of course there is always the debate about over restoring these things.

If I am successful in securing the brother to my bike [Shown below, it's one serial number lower.] I will over restore mine & clean up the other in survivor condition. [it's still in occasional use with the owners nephew] Original frame, fork, bars & crank. Most of the updates were done in the early '80's



Anyway, off to see if the freewheel will come off, then dismantle the wheel & get the hubs away for polishing.

CDBMX aka Chris.

[Coupes]

Funny you should say that. I had a 36 Dodge D2 coupe with a rumble seat. Australia built by T J Richards. 3 spare wheels on it! Sold it and wish i didn't. Hence the name.
Had my 76 squareback nickel plated recently and it is show finish and now I'm thinking it is too shiny lol. When i got it, it had been stripped and polished by the previous owner. There were a couple of small bits of nickel left on it. I noticed that they hadn't used a copper base on it. I believe they nickled on nickel at the time. Chatting to Byron Friday he mentioned that a few squarebacks came back with flaking nickel. The plater also said that could happen. I'll start a thred with the 76. That's a pain having a platers miles away.

[CDBMX]

Funny you should say that, my coupe is a 1933 Dodge DP three window job with a Richards body. The 1957 Dodge 325 Hemi engine is just waiting for me to rebuild it before pulling the 360 & fitting the Hemi.
 
We now return you to normal programming.

[Coupes]

I bought the 36 to put a baby red ram 270 hemi in. It was too original and restored it. Anyway yes BMX. Small world isn't it CD.

[CDBMX]

At last, the Phoenix is starting to rise from its own ashes. The frame arrived back last wednesday but I didn't get to pick it up till the next day & here it is Friday & the sun came out long enough for me to sticker it & shoot a few pictures.

Step 1. Recover the remains of the bike from the ashes of the bike shop fire, protect the metal from rust, repair chewed dropouts & re-colour the frame DONE.

Step 2. Collect up all the parts needed to assemble the bike up to a complete machine.  ALMOST DONE.

Step 3. Restore those components that are used, abused, or incomplete. This is the next step for me & I am rounding up the various parts that need to be electroplated and/or powdered [ie Addicks spider] & I'll see if I can get them away next week.

So here she is, with her one & only sticker, just as she was when new. Additional Head & seat tube stickers were developed in 1979.
The Cook Bros fork is temporarily installed to allow workstand mounting so I could affix the sticker
I have now discovered that the original owners of both this frame, & its brother [pictured with yellow Tuffs a few posts earlier] had to wait a few weeks for their frames because the first batch of blue frames were being delivered to the contract painter.  Red, the original colour was available ex-stock but both wanted the blue, which was only officially offered the week these frames were ordered, so this frame & its brother were from the first batch of ten to be blue. The manufacturer called it "Blaster Blue"
I also found that Chrome was an extra cost option to customers order in late 1978. I had previously thought that chrome was not offered till 1979.



While this picture was in an early 1979 Catalogue, it is of an early 1978 frame with the single sticker. The frame is red but one can't tell in a monochrome picture.



This is why we send frames to Roberto for powder coating. Some frames are sent from 3,000 miles away, clear across the country.
He makes sure that all rust is removed from every possible hiding place, then gets the powder right in there to prevent any corrosion in the future.
This 'upskirt' picture is looking up along the down-tube, in between the gussets where painters usually miss. Roberto misses nothing & provides the best quality job available. Even the serial number is now readable. It usually wasn't, ex-factory on the 1978 & '79 frames.

Sorry about the focus, but you get the idea.


So, it's time to get my skates on & get the small parts away, including the hubs to be polished & rims, so they can be built into wheels. Things are starting to happen at last.
More pictures as things develop.

[Coupes]

Looking great in powder, CD. Look forward to seeing it being built and rise again.

[CDBMX]

Small pause in the build timeline due to the need to buy a house & move to a nearby regional city. I don't want to move but have no choice. I will keep everyone posted when progress is made.

[CDBMX]

Just a little update while I try to turn a house that looks like an earthquake happenrd inside [stuff everywhere] into a livable home.

The picture below shows the morning after the shop fire. Above the back wall can be seen on the mezanine level, a row of fallen, & of course, destroyed bikes. This is where the cooked Goose & my Quickie were located, but further back & to the left.

On the floor, left of center aisle were the mountain bikes, most of which were carbon frame high end stuff. Almost nothing protruded above the height of my knees, such was the level of destruction.

On the right were Carbon Scott bikes & beside them, moving away from the camera were Wilier, then Pinarello roadies. Nothing that was less than Ultegra, Sram Red or Campy Record equiped
There were nine of the highest end bikes on the wall on the right. [Di2 & EPS electric shift] All totally destroyed.

Nobody was allowed inside, but I sneaked in after a few days & VERY carefuly salvaged the remains the two bmx. Removing them was particularly hazardous due to all the wire from the tyre beads. Wheels & tyres were melted or burned away, but the wire from the beads tangled everything & had to be cut away one strand at a time for fear of pulling the whole lot down on my head. Some days later the mezanine floor crashed to the floor, removing the hazzard, but no matter, I had the vintage BMX bikes safe at home.

The wall framing on the left just near the camera was the end wall of the workshop.

The new building has risen on the original floor slab & the whole business will reopen in about four weeks or less, almost exactly 18 months after the fire.

[Coupes]

Such a sad sight to see CD. Cool you saved what you could. Look forward to seeing the new shop soon. 🖒

[CDBMX]

Well, I have moved house with just one van load remaining to be brought from the last place before I hand over the keys. & about two weeks before we start fitting out the new shop. My commute will now be 3Km each way instead of the almost 70Km each way, every day. The poor old van now has over 700,000k on the clock & still going fine.

I should be able to get back into working on my bikes again in a month or so & the shop owners cooked Goose is close to finished. It will be on display on day one at the opening of the new shop. The Phoenix will be right behind it in the order of completion.

One of the two outbuildings here at my new abode is completely sealed [airlock type access, no windows, insulated & lined with reverse cycle aircon] & once properly arranged will make a great all weather, all season workshop. Untill it's organised, I have been using one of the bedrooms as a workplace. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.