So,
here we go… I started taking it apart and media blasted everything to get it
down to bare metal.
If
I’m gonna do it, it’s gonna be done right. I know you guys understand.
Well,
during this time of reworking and learning all I can about them, I found
another one on ebay and it had the ‘high-class options’ of “wheel pants” and a
foot tray. These are groovy little fenders that cover the wheels and don’t let
the rider’s feet scrub on the tires and a tray that is put under the rider’s
feet when the stroller is used as a ‘pusher’. Lucky me, I won the auction- so
now I had 2. (it really does end, but who knows where?). So I get the second
one and right off, I discover that it still has the date code that was stamped
underneath the seat AND it has most of an original seat decal still in place –
oh my…a prize catch indeed! This thing was made in 1949. Ok, change of
priorities… the one from ebay became the project.
I
completely disassembled the entire stroller, media blasted everything on this
one and primed it. I had the original color matched at Dupont and shot it with
color, and then went back and sprayed it with a hardening clear coat. Wow -
this thing shines better than my truck did.
It
turned out nice…but it has to be just RIGHT. That leaves the decals, buggy
bumpers and wooden roller beads to need the same attention.
During
the time I was restoring the body parts and the mechanical parts, I was also
looking at the various decals that came on them. As I said earlier, the
professor sent me a copy of his front decal - it was paper. I suppose I could
have glued it on and no one would have been the wiser…but I would know. Ya
understand?... and if I’m going to go ‘all out’, the seat decal needed reviving
too. So I took the paper front decal down to my local sign shop and had them
make one in vinyl. The seat decal was a bit tougher. The wording was not
completely readable, but as my good fortune lasted, I kept watching the ebay
ads and someone posted the wording from their stroller seat decal and WALLA
(that’s a Southern term for “Hot DOG”!) mine made perfect sense. So I took what
I had back to the sign shop and after 2 tries, they got the thing just right.
Send your questions or comments to:
Toolsmartz@bellsouth.net and we’ll see what we can
do to help you.
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