Dia Compe Tech 7 restoration

[tfi_friday]

I've restored a few sets of these now and it's relatively straight forward but the prices of Tech 7s are a bit silly for a clean set so to clean up might save a few quid.

Here's what I started with. They came on an 1987 GT PFT I picked up for £40 (complete bike)



Not in bad shape, but I need a white/silver for my next build and there's heavy rust on the locking pins.

That's where I started first remove the locking pin spring and to dremel the rust off the top of the locking pin as best I could. Stuck the spring in Citric Acid at the same time.







To get a nice finish on the bolts and locking pin I put the end of it in a drill and spin it around against sand paper. Works great and fast to do.





With that done, it's to remove the paint (black is paint not anodiized)





Then it's just to clean it up and remove the small blemishes from the body and levers.



All done and ready for paint/powder



Here's a couple of sets I restored earlier

[Andyboy77]

Excellent job and guide!   

[BMX1973]

Very nice. 

[griff]

Nice work 

[CustardLips]

Bolts, drill and sand paper... great tip. 

[Taipan]

Nice resto  and if these can fetch this money  god knows what yours will fetch   

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OLD-SCHOOL-BMX-DIA-COMPE-182-TECH-7-FREESTYLE-LOCKING-LEVERS-OG-WHITE-/182564081461?hash=item2a81aacf35:g:vD4AAOSwfRdZDxBx

[tfi_friday]

Bolts, drill and sand paper... great tip. 

Gives a nice brushed finish...

A bit of autoglym and a rad will polish them up also (just watch the rag and the drill)

[tfi_friday]

Ready for paint :-)

[deeman]

Great work Alan 

[tfi_friday]

Great work Alan 

cheers :-)

They're turning out nicely.

Cleaned up the levers since they won't be painted and started painting the bodies.

[tfi_friday]

...and done!

[brimfull]

Hi Alan, sorry to drag this up but I've just bought some that need restoring. How do you get the locking lever and spring off and back on - do you need a press or something?

[kalex]

Blimey how a year flys by, I thought this was a recent thread until I saw the date.

[tfi_friday]

Hi Alan, sorry to drag this up but I've just bought some that need restoring. How do you get the locking lever and spring off and back on - do you need a press or something?

The spring is easy to remove, just pop if the start of the sprint over the lip of the locking button and move the spring round and around the locking button till it comes off.

The locking button can be painted/powdered without removal.


The lever is bolted in place... not a rivet like Tech 3

[brimfull]

Hi Alan, sorry to drag this up but I've just bought some that need restoring. How do you get the locking lever and spring off and back on - do you need a press or something?

The spring is easy to remove, just pop if the start of the sprint over the lip of the locking button and move the spring round and around the locking button till it comes off.

The locking button can be painted/powdered without removal.


The lever is bolted in place... not a rivet like Tech 3

Thanks dude   

[Taipan]

Is that a pair of your refurbished levers on ebay for £350 

[PHIL9HUF]

Great job Alan 
Didn't they only make them for 1 year ?
Hence not too many about that makes them expensive !

[tfi_friday]

Is that a pair of your refurbished levers on ebay for £350 

Nope all mine in use :-)

£350??? Bloody Nora

[tfi_friday]

Great job Alan 
Didn't they only make them for 1 year ?
Hence not too many about that makes them expensive !

Think it was a couple of years, but they broke at the clamp which also makes them a tough find

[PHIL9HUF]

There is a nos pair in an auction on eBay for over £900!


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