'The Headset' | Vespa Restoration - Episode Three 

Whatever you don't fully repaint that headset! I restored a mobylette a few years back that had a similarly bad area around the rear of the frame. I repainted that area and have regretted it ever since as it looks gash. Clean, rust prevention and original patina is deffo the way forward. Love the new channel, from my point of view you can go full on geeky detail for hours and I'll still watch it 😂👍

come on Dominic get on with it cant wait to see the finished project I know most of the scooter guys are watching this to see if you do a great job.?.of course you will do it .?.who else has got homemade tools in this lock up.?. yes you .? . might haveb to miss afew bits but I share your put it all back together ,got a aprilia that needs looking at how do you fancy doing it for me .?. your the man for the job .?. dominic jonathan c

Couldn't believe my luck when i found my favourite chap off the repair shop has a youtube channel, good times👍. Steve a close 2nd lol but love you all obvs lol

Binge watching the whole series 👍

Hi Dom, if you didn't already know, with particularly stubborn seized fittings, a bit of heat, as you did, then quench with cold water. I've seen seized bolts unscrew by hand after. The shock gives extra effect, but only when you feel confident about the surrounding area!

You can restore something a hundred times, but it’s only original once! I’ve had a similarly ‘Shabby Chic’ 1965 Lambretta for 20 years, people couldn’t understand why I didn’t want it all sparkly! Now they totally get it! You can’t beat a few battle scars!

So far so good Dom, you have done amazing work, and sparked my enuthsiasm in doing a one off custom cutdown vespa.

Ahhhh Wendy 🐶 ‘play with me daddy?’ Bless her. Touch up rather than repaint. Your so clever Dom x

I don’t know if you would remember but I asked you some time ago on insta if you would ever do a RU-vid channel? So glad you are on here now.

Perfect length clip. Detail is good, making tools is good level of detail.

Loving the channel Dom, you always hit the nail on the head when it comes to the level of restoration required. Can’t wait for more. 👍

Hello Dom, I think you made the best choice to touch in where needed. The decisions you have to make with look you want are far harder than it will ever be if you just went for a total respray. Cheers Simon

You're mad! SO much work. SO good. Thanks for sharing.

Loved it! So pleased you are on RU-vid.

Hey Dom. 👋🏻😃 Another great vid buddy. Love the cobbled together polishing machine!! You do know that now you own a Vespa, you’ll never stop tinkering with it!! 🤣 Thanks for sharing, take care and stay safe. 🇬🇧 Deano. 😃👍🏻

Clean it, paint it and then distress it. Love the process, thanks Dom for sharing it with us.

Hi Dom, it needs painting my friend. Love everything you do mate. Thanks for sharing.

Loving the Vespa project Dom, takes me back to working on them back in the 60's. Whatever you decide on the headset paint will be the best solution.

Excellent stuff man, I respect your careful discernment between what to fix and what to leave be. This series is great homework for my current project, a '59 VBA. I also come from a prop/set building background but am now focused on this kind of restoration work so this is very inspiring to watch. Thank you Dom! Subscribed 👍👍

Dom, You have the patience of a saint 👍

I have a yellow 1970 150 sprint .keep the touch up .something about beat up yellow paint looks great!

Absolute treat being able to see the Vespa restoration on RU-vid! Glad you're limiting the repainting of the headset, absolutely the right decision.

If it's not gonna be a show pony, I'd just give it a clean-up and mechanical refurbish, and call it done. Ride on!

Had one of these back in the day in orange. Can’t wait to see this finished

This is so far gone, but, I think the patina is awesome. I would repaint the gear indicators.

Wendy the hound at 1.50...."nah you don't want to do it like that mate.....me help". Perhaps Dom could manufacture some of his special tools to compensate for her lack of opposable thumbs :)

We used to remove the paint off the headset and polish the aluminium. People also had the side panels chrome plated to add some bling. Chrome plating the front mud/wheel guide is another option.

Great part 3 .yep paint the headset yellow and blend it in as it's what you see when riding

Good hands on informative educational video showing not all schools have four walls Well done you should include Doms Tip and give a piece of advice either health and safety or nut removal it all helps the novice Danny Sellers

Excellent!

Definitely a repaint. Powder Coated.

Really good brush work, Dom! Loving the channel!👍

Good episode. Aluminum has twice the coefficient of expansion as steel, roughly 26 vs 13. I've put aluminum motorcycle cases in my propane BBQ at about 150° for five or ten minutes and the steel bearings just fell out. Might do well for that steering head, the lower heat wouldn't have damaged the paint.

Don't paint it unless it is way beyond the rest of the build. At most, a "quick" touch up to blend with the rest.

Great work Dom 👍

Looking good, like the way your restoring the scooter,not to much but enough to make it look still original.

Steady progress, enjoying the channel.

Headset? Me and my mates always called it the headstock, back in my scooter riding days. Maybe it's different on Lambies 😆.

great work dom have just subbed

Loving the channel so far . Keep it up

Love your channel already! Can't you paint the headset and then kind of age it a bit to make it fit with the rest?

Wendy's hilarious, she's a character!

Your polisher looks like Bender 1.0

Loved the hammer victory. Good times :D

brilliant series so far dom :)

Speak to the Vespa Club of Britain if you need a replacement lens or front light unit. Also if those are 8 inch wheels on the super, you can get a ten inch conversion which will in my mind make it ride and handle better

I take it it came from somewhere near to the sea, looks like salt corrosion. I think keeping it true and as close as you can to its 'barn find' look, Aluminium is tricky, shame you can't anodise it the same yellow

Why ask us what should you do with the headset, you already know you're doing the absolute right thing with it!

Great work cant wait to see more :)

Was it gentle persuasion that got the other handlebar off or did the heat work? I'd paint it. Regards Keith

Hi Dom Touch the paint up.

Wendy 😍😍😍😍

Did he save the original air in the tyres ? 🙄

Come over from insta.. Good luck for the channel and future.. Im so close to starting a channel.. 😬😬😬

polish the ally to a mirror finish mate :)

Pleased you went with a touch up on the headset rather than a repaint. Wendy is gorgeous.

“It’s not bad, is it? Come on... This area here is quite bad, in particular.”

Repaint, it's too far gone

Will you keep the Vespa Dom or sell it? 👍

No repainting. Naa

Sorry Dom.. I think you're wrong about the pain... only my opinion

Your doing it the hard way, WHY didnt you soak it overnight in penetrine or something similar, save you all the bother of heating.

I prefer to see old vehicles etc restored to their former glory. Strip and repaint I say. Patina doesnt appeal to me at all. Just my opinion. I had a Vespa in the 60's, no rose tinted spectacles here. It was horrible. Lambrettas were far more popular. The bulbous Vespa side panels were prone to being stamped flat by bikers.