Project Rally 180... WTF do I do now!?...

[cartmel808]

Been looking for a new project for a while & I recently dropped onto a 1972 Rally 180... an original UK bike with V5 & current MOT - all pretty much complete & with its original engine, but in need of a full restoration.

The guy said it had been stood for the past 15 years, but it did run (just) & everything worked well enough for it to pass a recent MOT - but it was obvious it'd had some sort of half-arsed DIY resto & obligatory shite paint job @ some point in the distant past...
I could see it was definately going to need a new floor & some other minor welding/repairs to the usual places - but it's a Rally thAts been in the UK all its life - so wasn't gonna be without some corrosion issues... but other than the obvious, it looked to be straight & solid enough & a good basis for a full restoration...

So I managed to get it all stripped down last week & dropped the frame, panels, ect off @ the blasters...... anyway - the guy @ the blaster rang this morning to say it was ready, so I went & collected this afternoon & this is what I was faced with... or whats left of it

'72 Rally 180 by dent.graham, on Flickr
'72 Rally 180 by dent.graham, on Flickr
'72 Rally 180 by dent.graham, on Flickr
'72 Rally 180 by dent.graham, on Flickr
'72 Rally 180 by dent.graham, on Flickr

The shot blaster said that the back end had basically been sculpted out of bodge & you can see there's some horrendously bad attempts @ welding & repairs aswell...

Now I know it's me own fault for not being diligent enough & I probably viewed this one with slightly rose tinted spec's (or some f@@ker else's eyes in! ) when I bought it - but coz it was an original UK Rally 180 & a '72 model, which makes it the same age as me - I might have been a bit too hasty to hand over the cash ... and I'm no stranger to restoring/re-building these things (I've done 4 different Largeframe Vespas in the last 2 years) - but I've never been faced anything anywhere near this bad

So I now need to decide what I'm going to do with it - or what my options are..... any one got a donor frame they want to sell?... cheap??

[cgt75b]

That is a proper rally T bag.

I'm at a loss what to suggest !

Good luck though.

[Adam_Winstone]

Unless you want to do some considerable work, or pay someone else to, I'd think about selling it on. You have good photos and can be totally honest about the work that needs doing. There are plenty of scooterists that are good metalworkers and would pay a reasonable price for that as a project, where their own skills could make it a viable project.

Unless you can do the work yourself, I'd cut my loses (if any) and move it on.

Adam

[GLscoot]

Not looking good, but before you throw in the towel, Im pretty sure the Vespa frame jig guy is not far from you in Cumbria and it would be worth getting in touch with him first.
http://vespaframejig.com.websitebuilder ... ting.co.uk

[wack 63]

Might be worth scouring some of the German shops, I know you can buy each half for small frames so they might do lardies?

[ducksta]

Seen worse decent body guy will sort it be worth it in the end like gaz said have it jigged first then ask about here is a good start

[Muttley McLadd]

Have you got any pre blasting photos?

[GLscoot]

Might be worth scouring some of the German shops, I know you can buy each half for small frames so they might do lardies?

Yeh Worb5 seem to have body parts. http://www.vespa-lambretta-teile.com/Reparaturbleche_1

[Spanish Fly]

Matt black it!

SF

[ArmandTanzarian]

It'll cost a bit more than you planned but it's by no means beyond fixing.