Ross Adventurer Update / Polishing Brake Levers

Hello and Welcome,  I hope everyone had a nice Holiday. We have not seen any  "real snow"  here yet.  The  temps however have dropped back down to a  more normal range.(Highs in the 30`s - 40`s Fahrenheit ) I`m guessing that the snow will be here soon. I have done a few posts about cleaning-up brake calipers, so this time I think I will talk about cleaning-up the brake levers.

Above: This is my product of choice  "Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish". I started using this stuff years ago on my motorcycles and it carried over into my bicycle restorations. I have only heard good things back from people who have started using Mothers on their bicycle projects. I will be cleaning-up a set of vintage "Schwinn Approved" levers (dated 12-83) for the Ross Adventurer.

Above: Here is the comparison pic of the levers. The unpolished lever does not look bad at all. That is until you compare it to the polished one. It`s all a matter of how good do you want them to look?

Above: Step one is removing the "Safety Lever" I think that is what Schwinn originally called these. Now they are commonly referred to as "Suicide Levers".
Personally I think they got a bad rap. When the the wheels are true and the brake-shoes are adjusted in as close as possible, these actually work "fairly" well.
But if the brakes are not set tight, due to the wheel(s) being out of true. And if the levers are not positioned properly, then they do not work so good. Back on topic, You want to always use the largest screwdriver that fits. This will minimize the chance that you will damage the slots in the screws.

Above: Once the screw is removed the safety lever will pull-off the mounting post easily. Remove the bushing from the safety lever and make a mental note of the order in which the washers are placed on the mounting screw. And be careful not to loose the little spring! If this is the first time for you, you might loose the little spring without ever even knowing it was there.

Above: This is where the little spring is located. If it does not fall out, just tap the frame with the screw-driver handle, that usually will do the trick.

Above: Apply a light coat of Mothers on the area. Then wipe off and buff with a clean rag or paper towel. Aluminum bleeds-out quite a bit over the years. So you will likely see a lot of black residue on your rag. You may need to repeat this two or even three times depending on the condition of the aluminum. Because of the black residue I like to use paper towels. It is important to use the clean-part of the towel when polishing the part. Or you just end-up smearing the residue back on to the part. I will re-use the dirty paper towels latter to "line the pot" I use for spraying /de greasing parts. Then I will use them again to wipe-out the pot. I do not use rags because of the chemicals. I do not want to wash them (rags) that would just spread the chemicals around more. So by using the paper towels for three purposes I fell like I am minimizing the amount of waste I am creating.

Above: The difference is dramatic! I will polish the rest of the frame in the same manner.

Above: Due to the indentations I usually have to clean/polish this part of the lever three or four times. But the finished product is well worth the effort.

Above: Now that the safety lever part is all polished up, all I need to do before re-assembly is clean-up the screw-head and the washer and plastic bushing.

Above: I do NOT recommend you hold the parts like this when brass wheel brushing.
I am using the low-speed rechargeable drill. And as always this is a "fine" brass brush. You will probably want to hold the smaller parts with a pair of pliers. When polishing the screw head you may want to thread it into the post while brushing. Your fingertips will thank you latter.

Above: The wheel brush is probably the most important tool I have for restoration work. Second only to having a good work-stand. In a matter of seconds it can make old bolt and screw heads look like new. And also too many other applications to list here.

Above: To clean the bushing I just spray it with Simple-Green and wipe it clean with a paper towel. Actually in this case I used Castrol "Super-Clean" bio-degradable cleaner. Both very good products. Although I suspect the Simple-Green is cheaper.

Above: Here is the same bushing after cleaning it up using the Castrol Super-Clean.
Is it really necessary to clean the bushing? Probably not, But that has never stopped me before (:

Above: Basically it goes back together the same way you took it apart. Just don`t forget the little spring. After the brakes are hooked up you can adjust the tension on the safety lever. I tighten it until the lever hangs-up or sticks, then I just back it off a little. It should spring back to position when the lever is released.

Above: The levers mounted and hooked up to the refurbished Vintage "Made in Switzerland" Weinmann Center-Pull brakes. The cables are new Jag-Wire and the new cable housings are Jag-wire L3. and I finished it off with new Jag-Wire brake shoes.
These brakes and levers will be a huge improvement over the original generic side pull brakes with generic levers.

Above: I did the paint touch-up yesterday and wrapped the handlebars. The only thing left to do is remount the rear wheel (removed for paint touch-up) and shine it up and take some pictures. I should be able to have all that done tomorrow.
Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE and RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh