Michael McWilliams' A1 Facelift
by Michael McWilliams
February 3, 2007
Teardown begins. My A1 will be the third complete teardown and rebuild for me. This work is easy, but filthy.
I hope to make this journal different than the Goldberg repair journals, but I don't quite know how. Essentially, it is all the same work.
This facelift should be much easier to complete. First, the engine was rebuilt last year. Second, the wiring and cables were replaced a few years ago. I wish I could say upholstery won't be necessary, but since I am changing the color, I want a different seat color as well. I plan on using gray for the seat and tire cover. I might make it two tone. We'll see once I get there.
During disassembly of the forks, I discovered that the fork bearings were dry. I expected this to be the case. There are 66 5mm bearings in the Heinkel forks. They are loose bearings. For good measure, I will buy a complete set for replacement. (I won't mention that during disassembly, I could only account for 63 of them.)
The entire disassembly process required about 8 hours. I spread the work across Saturday and Sunday. I hope to drop off the body work at the stripper tomorrow.
I plan to use liquid paint on the body, and powder underneath. As mentioned before, the scooter will be blue and gray. The frame, forks, and engine shrouds will be Pebble Gray, RAL 7032. The kickstand, turn signal bracket, and air filter can will be a titanium silver. A few years ago, I painted the rims and fenders near chrome. I'll leave these alone.
For the record, I do not consider this a restoration. It is a daily rider customization.