1970 Fox Minibike Resto Mod Final Instalment

Well, with the test ride proving successful, the refinishing process began.  

A brace was welded in across the down tubes, where they meet the headset.  When I widened the down tubes to fit the engine cylinder in, it stretched them just below the triangle gusset that joined them, just below the headset.   Some grinding was necessary to remove the spatter from welding.  Also, the original bearing races in the headset were removed with a long punch.  Measuring the o.d. of the races showed that the upgraded tapered roller bearings used in aftermarket Honda kits would fit.  The new races were tapped in after the grinding was done and they were covered to protect them during the paint process.  Next up, the frame sanding and body filler.

The frame was quite rough, with dings, flaked paint, etc. Sanding alone wasn’t going to make it presentable, so a bit of welding to build up gouges and scrapes began the process.  The entire frame was sanded and a thin layer of body filler was applied to the whole frame.  Once sanding was done, the frame was smooth and ready for primer.  Once primed, two colour coats were added, finishing with clear coat.

Trying to keep the vintage look, I decided to paint the forks to match the frame.  They were sanded and the chrome parts and steering post were masked off.  I had difficulty matching the paint colour on the forks, so I ended up painting them silver.

The pit bike main tube was angle cut and welded shut at the top.  The swing arm and brake pedal were cleaned up and the parts were painted semi gloss black with Tremclad fast dry paint.

 I resanded and resprayed the forks four times!  A terrible paint match from the same code paint caused the first redo.  The second and third time was because the paint reacted into a wrinkled finish, requiring the forks to be stripped and sealed when I painted them for the last time.

Not even a close match!

The engine was scratched, rusty and generally dirty.  A thorough cleaning with varsol, sanding and spraying silver made it look new.  Duplicolor’s silver wheel coating was used.  This requires a primer to be applied first and a clear coat added after.

All the brake linkage, sprocket, axle adjusters and springs were cleaned, sanded and painted silver.

As mentioned earlier, the brakes were in poor shape.  A web search and phone calls to some pit bike suppliers came up with only expensive replacement shoes.  Going that route would have cost $100 for brakes!  An eBay ad came up with a set for $13 shipped.  Two sets were ordered and looked great when they arrived.

All the nuts and bolts were cleaned, painted and replaced as necessary.

Everything was laid out and assembly began.  Masking tape was added in places to help prevent paint chipping during assembly.  

The new rear spring preload was adjusted to accommodate rider weight before being installed.

A new seat base made of plywood was cut and sanded.  Some new foam and batting was added to smoothen out the original foam.  My wife made a pattern and added white piping to make a nice vintage looking seat.

The original chain was stretched and binding in spots, so a DID gold chain was cut to length and installed.  I had to do something with the”Gio” name on the flywheel cover nameplate, as it wouldn’t go with the Fox theme.  I ground the name down until smooth and sanded the plate.  A bright red was sprayed and the hardware was painted black.  Once dried, it was put on and looked good on the silver background.

I decided to strip the paint off the intake manifold of the engine and polish it.  It took on a nice glow and suited the look I was going for.  

New gas lines were added as a new carburetor was fitted and some fresh premium was poured in the tank.  A few kicks and the mighty Fox 50 roared to life.  A test ride confirmed it’s ready to go!  

Thanks for following along with this build.  Maybe we’ll see you on the trails!