94 Shock-A-Billy - Project 2012

[northerndave]

Here we go... This weekend I'll be taking delivery of this...



It's going to be a long, long project but I'm totally determined to bring it back to it's former glory. I like to think under it all there's a classic waiting to get out. We'll get there... One Day.

[tvcreative]

It looks like the good bits are still there....

[chefmiguel]

Looking forward to the development.

[northerndave]

Originally Posted by tvcreative

It looks like the good bits are still there....

Yeah, the front triangle...and even that needs a repaint..

[tvcreative]

That bad? It looks fairly nice in your photo. Is the rear end shot?

[nader]

Originally Posted by northerndave

.. I'm totally determined to bring it back to it's former glory. I like to think under it all there's a classic waiting to get out. ..

do it please and kick all these modern parts away, although the fork is not so bad.
much fun and good luck!

[northerndave]

I suppose I'm seeing the worst of it..

The biggest thing is the rear end. The Amp triangle is a B3 so the geometry is all out, shock is too short too hence why the previous owner has fabricated a different mount under the top tube. I'll pull it all aprts and work out how best to move on with it. I've hopefully got an Amp B2 doner frame on it's way as a backup plan.

Hopefully the steelwork is good and then that can go for a new coat of paint.

Non correct components are all easily stripped and moved on. I'll need to asses the Ringle bits to see what's good and what's bad.

Forks will need a good strip down and then be fitted with springs and new carts. Wheels are trash.

Watch this space..

[Zamfir]

Great potential.

Too early to start thinking of colors? For me the Aquafade with blue Ringle parts on Retrobike is a great combo.

[northerndave]

Originally Posted by Zamfir

Great potential.

Too early to start thinking of colors? For me the Aquafade with blue Ringle parts on Retrobike is a great combo.

Never too early think about colour. Thinking, dark and solid. Don't see many in black. Also quite like the idea of team lavender too.

[northerndave]

So the build/rebuild begins... Pulled it out of it's box and had a good look over it.

It's in fair condition really, nothing seems cracked or bent, just really dirty. aim is to now fully strip and review from there..

Ringle bits have been polished removing the Turquoise which is a bit annoying but all good. Now all for sale if you;re interested . Contact points are trash really, the bars and stem are for the bin i think as are the shifters and levers.

Some interesting bits.. The Rear end seems to be a B3 and has a very short shock, hence the inclusion of the home made frame mount. the rear end does seem solid though, haven;t found any cracks yet. Brilliantly it came with an older and crucially longer shock so this should be usable. It's got the original TWP/Fat City brace which is awesome. The Judy's have the original SL steerer which is really great as finding 1 inch crowns has always been tricky and I have another really, really nice Judy to drop on the front in place of these.

Next step is to strip it down and get a closer look at everything. Most parts are for the sell off. I think I've got enough parts to build back up into a nice rider.

[WVEddy]

Awesome bike. I always want a SAB. One just never crossed my path. Can't wait to see the build.

[nader]

one might almost say that this is also a SAB




but it isn't! I would say this is a SAB made ​​in Italy (..and someday I will build it)

[northerndave]

Got this pretty much down to it's bare frame now. I've refitted the original shock and removed the extra mount plate, geometry seems to be now back to how it was out of the factory. Still believe the rear end s B3 but seems OK. I think the currently fitted shock is a B2. Brion at Amp has nicely provided me with some shock details to help identify components.

[northerndave]

Had some time this weekend to put together a tester build to make sure everything was working OK.. Nice basic build :P XTR M900, Graftons + ActionTec Ti rings, Syncros and Renthal.. Having gone out on a little test ride this evening I'm really pleased. It's a really chuckable size and the shock's actually quite responsive. I think this is going to be a really nice rider.



Earlier in the weekend I did some shock servicing and put fresh oil in the shock as well as in the Judy. Now just keeping an eye peeled for leaks. Fresh oil and springs in the Judys have massively improved the ride too, it all feels really plush.

[northerndave]

Updates. Turns out my Amp shock is incontinent! Found a pool of shock oil under the SAB...

I've now got a doner Amp frame so I can replace the incorrect B3 rear with a correct B2 which brings it back to spec.

[northerndave]

Some detail pics...





Now time to figure out the colour scheme...

[theredchili]

Looking good Dave,

colour wise yellow/black or yellow silver would both look great imho

[northerndave]

Ah, the yellow is going. It's a nasty powder coat and I want to do something a bit more special. Thinking maybe Candy Wild Cherry or something similar with a matching rear end. Or maybe Aquafade harlequin...

[tvcreative]

Very very nice...

your patience has paid off...

Do you have to literally bake it to get the old powder off or will it strip like paint?

Sapphire fade is tasty for a repaint

[I-ROBOT]

Hi Jim
You can burn the paint off (if you dare, I mean if you are careful) without damaging the steel. Heat it just enough to get the paint to bubble and then start scraping. Chemical strippers can be less hazardous but take much longer. A good heat gun is your best bet.
Regards
Scott

[theredchili]

Originally Posted by tvcreative

Very very nice...

your patience has paid off...

Do you have to literally bake it to get the old powder off or will it strip like paint?

Sapphire fade is tasty for a repaint

Kandy wild cherry is a great colour, not sure Aquafade Harlequin will work so well on this the of frame due to the complex shape - just my opinion, I'm sure it will look stunning once done ,which ever colour you go with

[Zamfir]

Excellent build.

Just out of curiosity do your Grafton's have the titanium insert on the non-drive crank, it surrounds the square bb opening.? I broke that arm years ago and contacted G, he sent the newer version as a replacement.

[nader]

Originally Posted by northerndave

Ah, the yellow is going. It's a nasty powder coat and I want to do something a bit more special. Thinking maybe Candy Wild Cherry or something similar with a matching rear end. Or maybe Aquafade harlequin...

It's already so beautiful, only the decals are missing.

But I think a shock a billy in "kandy wild cherry" could be a bit more special, however then the Judy needs to be go in other colour. (just my two cent )

[northerndave]

Thanks for all the commentary guys...

Colour is going to take a while to decide upon I think. I do really like the idea of a colour matched rear though, seems in keeping with the original intention for the SAB colours if the catalogues are anything to go by. Dint think I've ever seen a Amp SAB with a painted rear. Scott, did any leave the factory painted or were they all raw alloy?

I want to get the B2 rear end sorted out first so it gets back to the original spec and then go from there. Need to reach out to Brion at Amp and I had to drill the bolts from the doner Amp frame to get the rear off. Need to get either a new Horst link pivot kit it some imperial socket head bolts - looks line a metric M4 but isn't.

I think I'll also colour match the Judy so it's an option but will probably run either a Judy SL or XC in stock colours.

I'll check the grafton for a Ti insert but I don't remember seeing it - I think it's just CNC alloy.

[IF52]

Originally Posted by Zamfir

Excellent build.

Just out of curiosity do your Grafton's have the titanium insert on the non-drive crank, it surrounds the square bb opening.? I broke that arm years ago and contacted G, he sent the newer version as a replacement.

I never heard of that. I do know they redesigned that end of the crank at some point, I think rotating the square or something, and I know they had a bad run of product due to bad billet from their supplier, but never heard anything about a Ti insert.

[WVEddy]

I would definitely color match the fork or include it in the paint somehow. It will look way better than stock RS colors. It would be cool to color match the rear triangle and the fork. Do wild cherry on the frame and a silver/grey Metallica on the triangle and fork. Or leave the rear polished and do a chromed fork for some extra bling. Then any frame color will really pop. I did custom fork graphics to match the lettering on the fat stickers. It ties the fork into the overall theme of the bike better. Just my 2 cents. Bike is awesome regardless of what you do. Thanks for saving it and bringing it back to life.

[Zamfir]

I could take a picture of the insert and post if for info.

I still remember when the arm snapped, right in the middle of a busy intersection, I almost went down.

Of course I was gutted because I just love my Grafton cranks. Luckily the company was still honoring their warranty and after a nice discussion with Mr.Grafton he sent me a new crank arm with the insert. He said they have never had one of these break. So far so good.

Anyway back to the SAB build. I like everything about it and i'm very interested in seeing how it turns out. All of the color options sound awesome!

[IF52]

Originally Posted by Zamfir

I could take a picture of the insert and post if for info.

I still remember when the arm snapped, right in the middle of a busy intersection, I almost went down.

Of course I was gutted because I just love my Grafton cranks. Luckily the company was still honoring their warranty and after a nice discussion with Mr.Grafton he sent me a new crank arm with the insert. He said they have never had one of these break. So far so good.

Anyway back to the SAB build. I like everything about it and i'm very interested in seeing how it turns out. All of the color options sound awesome!

When did they start doing that? I personally had a set in 93 or so that definitely did not have it (pre-redesign), and don't recall that on any of the later post redesign sets we sold at the shop. A letter I have from John dated 8th May 1995 regarding several issues including the non-drive side crank redesign also makes no mention of a ti insert.

[Zamfir]

No idea when John started putting the insert into the arms or if they were only available as a warranty replacement, which would make sense.

My memory is a bit hazy but i think I originally bought the cranks in 1993 and I think the 1 arm broke in the later half of that decade. Perhaps 97?

Shall i snap a pic and post?

[IF52]

Originally Posted by Zamfir

No idea when John started putting the insert into the arms or if they were only available as a warranty replacement, which would make sense.

My memory is a bit hazy but i think I originally bought the cranks in 1993 and I think the 1 arm broke in the later half of that decade. Perhaps 97?

Shall i snap a pic and post?

Yeah, I'm kind of interested to see what they did. I think the original redesign was something to do with changing the shape of the BB end of the crank, teardrop shape, but I was out of the industry by 97 so never would have seen the insert fix

[rick]

I have a few bikes with Grafton cranks and none has the insert, but none are as new as the circa 97 cranks mentioned. I too broke a set of cranks (on my road bike!) and they were replaced with a set that had the revised "teardrop" end on only one side. I was not happy with the look and sent them back for a refund. The story from John G. was that a sub-contractor had used the wrong alloy

rick

[Zamfir]

Hi Rick.

See the new Grafton thread in the "Retro MTB" area.

Trying to avoid hijacking this thread.

Z

[I-ROBOT]

Originally Posted by northerndave

Thanks for all the commentary guys...

Colour is going to take a while to decide upon I think. I do really like the idea of a colour matched rear though, seems in keeping with the original intention for the SAB colours if the catalogues are anything to go by. Dint think I've ever seen a Amp SAB with a painted rear. Scott, did any leave the factory painted or were they all raw alloy?

I want to get the B2 rear end sorted out first so it gets back to the original spec and then go from there. Need to reach out to Brion at Amp and I had to drill the bolts from the doner Amp frame to get the rear off. Need to get either a new Horst link pivot kit it some imperial socket head bolts - looks line a metric M4 but isn't.

I think I'll also colour match the Judy so it's an option but will probably run either a Judy SL or XC in stock colours.

I'll check the grafton for a Ti insert but I don't remember seeing it - I think it's just CNC alloy.

I don't remember seeing any AMPs painted in Somerville, but it's possible that a couple of customs could have been. Aluminum can be tricky for good paint adhesion
Scott

[even]

How about the team lavender you were thinking about at the beginning?

This is your ex Independent, now in lavender...

http://www.fatcogs.com/forum/showthr...7602#post17602

[John]

Interesting Grafton discussion. SAB looks good too, decide on a colour?

[northerndave]

The yellow's now gone, man it's nice to see it without paint. You really get a nice idea of the workmanship and detail of the build from a naked frame.

Interestingly I found the serial which was hidden under a heap of powder-coat.

Serial is 056P3SM

So, that says to me it's a 93, it's Small/Medium, but crucially does the P indicate it might be a Prototype? I know 93 is early for a Shock A Billy but what do you think? 94 Catalogue seems to hint at there being a few 1993 prototypes doing the rounds.

[retrobate]

Im affraid that you do not have a prototype. All the AMP rear ended shockabillys have P as the model identifier.
Have a look in the frame register if you dont belive me

[northerndave]

Slow progress on this one... Paint coming soon..

[northerndave]

Hubba hubba

Just waiting for clear coat...

[northerndave]

Not be described as 'patient'...

Clear coat went on yesterday, 24 to cure and i thought i'd drop a few bit on to see how it looked.. What do you think?