Modern Vespa

There's no reason to use any plastic filler at all on the bottom of the floor. Once it's sanded and primed, it's good. Even if there are weld marks, so what? As someone said above, they come like that from the factory.

I agree. It's like having a supermodel wife that you just use for a prop at social events and cocktail parties, but you never ph@k her.

The great thing about your scoot is that you replaced metal with metal and did it right. Some concourse restorations and many customs use tons of filler. You have used filler correctly and because of that it will hold up as well as the paint and metal. Once you get the running gear and badges on any imperfections will be lost to the eye. Once you start riding, you won't give those things a second thought.

Got all the dings and dents out. I get the hammer and dolly. It's more tapping than pounding.

The front fender... I think I have the shape! It was easier to reshape than I expected.

Yes! That looks great. Hammer and dolly work can be subtle and can only be learned by doing.

Another thing I forgot to mention (or may have), it taking a taking a contour of a known good side or part and using that to guide your shaping of the damaged part.

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-in-contour-gauge-58311.html

You can attach a couple together, take the contour and make a cardboard template. I find cereal boxes work well. If you have a really complex shape, you can make a few. Mark both sides of the work with a sharpie for reference points. This is overkill for your fender cause it's done.

I was lucky. The curve of the good side matched one of the dollies I have perfectly.

Cool. No need to overthink it.

This part turned out well!

I am so over body work. Too much!

There are some high spots from welds along the tunnel bottom, from where I welded holes from the inside. I might leave them. they're hard to get to. Maybe like a mini file or something?

looks very good. hard work and time paid off

That looks fantastic man

Most excellent man, most excellent!

First rate work!

Closer every day.

Looking good. Ulma trim looks miles better! Should be easy to tweak the shape by hand. Tiny tweaks/twists push/pull to get it to fit. Lots of back n forth. Use your leg as soft brace to bend it across.

Chrome ring looks good too! Did you have it replated? If so, I'd love to know the source.

The chrome and trim restoration was from the person Bar Italia uses. I think Kristian did the trim himself.

The chrome looks really nice. But had some deep pitting. It had this very thick rust, that covered the whole top, so the pitting is less bad than I had expected.

Those are very hard to find!

I found another set of these, for my other Rally. They popped up on Ebay.

It's interesting. The Vespa ones were CEV 173, and these are from a Harley Davidson, and have the code CEV 207, but they are identical except for a frosting pattern on the inside of the front of the lens.

173 and 207 side by side.

that's awesome.

Are they the same as Serveta (lambretta)?

They're the same ones on Serveta, and lots of European bikes from that era. Also Ducati, Gilera. Harley Davidson had a bike called Aermacchi, that was a licensed import, so vintage Harley shops have some of these parts.

The floor rails are a nightmare.

Are there better/worse versions of these? I think I might just order a better set.

The inside angle of the outer one seems wrong on all of them. But the ones I have are particularly bad.

It seems to me that You got an especially not-great set

they always need to be reshaped, especially the inside curve against the legshield needs lots of attention in order for the whole piece to lay flat. Often you'll see new rails on a 'resto' where the outside edge touches but the inside does not.

My method….

I used some small nuts and bolts to attach the back curve of the rail first. I think I put in the first two bolts at the base before having to push and shape the rail to align with the floor board. I used vices, and c-clamps and the like to then bend and hold the rail into shape. Use a piece of all-thread, or a w piece of trim wood in the floor-rail channel so you don't bugger up the aluminum. Tape up your vice grips and clamps so you don't bugger up your primer too.

You will still have to manhandle the floor rails into shape, but the clamps and nuts and bolts should help get you there quicker.

Picture of my implements of torture below…

You're just learning why "fit the floorboards before you paint" is right up there with "don't forget the cotter pin" among the NSM mantra's.

Thanks for the tips! I think I might need to re-order just the outer ones.But I'll try to work these.

That curve at the top of the legshield, where they bend inward, is a real challenge.

It looks like the shape at the end is a difference in the new floorboard, The original one doesn't do a full 90 degrees. It's barely noticeable, until you compare them.

This bike is taking forever, bc I have to redo everything like three times to get it right.

I also used Testors enamel on my Cushman badge. I didn't bother, but you can thin it down with mineral spirits or brush cleaner to make it flow better if you're looking for a smoother finish. It'll just take more coats to get a good opaque finish.

I'll try that!

I tried wiping it softly with the Testors thinner, and it all came off.

Some videos I saw suggested diluting it. I'll try multiple passes really thinned out.

The thinner works so well, I can probably paint it smoothly and then remove from the lettrs with a q tip.

Once it's thinned down, it should just flow around the letters so you won't even need to.

Your other option would be to mask the highlights with clear nail polish, then spray paint it. The clear polish will mostly scrape right off with a plastic scraper, and you can do what's left with a tiny bit of acetone on a rag or q-tip.

Lots of ways to solve this problem. Just gotta find the one that works for you.

Brush some patroleum jelly onto the raised surfaces then spray paint it and when it dries you just wash off the jelly

This seems like a good solution. I tried masking the letters with tape, but they are so detailed, it's not possible.

It's my interpretation of a print making process called stone lithography which uses a form of grease as the painting material to draw the image positive, then acids are applied to the surface of the stone which causes the non grease covered areas of the stone to absorb water while the grease covered section will repel water even after having the grease cleaned off. This allows you to brush water onto the surface of the stone then roll the ink onto the stone and the ink only sticks to the non water repelling sections.. thus creating the ink positive that you transfer to paper through sending the stone and paper through a press.

http://www.leicesterprintworkshop.com/printmaking/step_by_step_guide_to_stone_lithography/

Thank you! I will try this!

Dry build. Before I remove the bearing races.

fantastic work, top marks all around! it's great to see this coming together.

Ah. Figured out the floor rails.

It's the replacement floorboard. It's a bit shorter. and a different shape at the rear.

You've come so far with this. Lots of little details can seem to take forever, but you're on the home stretch. It's really gonna pop when you pull it all together.

Very cool Project ! I would love to own a Rally one day !In Europe they became so freakin Pricey though!

I've been trying to think of a way you could bend those floor rails. I'm assuming they are aluminum.

I was thinking you could cut out a block of wood the correct shape of the inner radius and clamp them to a bench. Heat the end of the floor rail and slowly bend it using a hammer and a block of wood. The flat part of the channel might crumple, which is ok. That extra metal has to go somewhere. Try to make the metal crumple evenly as you bend it. Better to have a number of small crumples than one big one. Then you would shrink the crumpled flat with heat and gentle hammering.

If the problem is the floor, whatever rails you buy, they'll probably be the same. I would trim the ones you have and make them fit…

a wood form is a good idea, you could even bevel the bottom edge to match the runner as well as keep it in place. a wood block between the runner and hammer would help too.

I don't even think heat is needed, time to watch some Ron Covell for ideas.

I bought this one for $800. But it's definitely cheaper to buy one in perfect shape.

I can try that! I still have access to the shop. They have all sorts of things. A hydraulic press, I think they have a tube bender.

My OCD won't let me leave this looking wrong.

If I do another one of these, I'll try to keep as much of the original metal as possible. I could have saved the floorboard, and just replaced the center tunnel area. It's so strange how the repro parts are so perfect in some ways, and way off in others.

I can try this!