Project Pandemic: Terrific T5 – Part 2
Every project has a ‘what have I done’ moment, but Stan didn’t expect it to arrive quite so quickly on our T5 build.
Every project has a ‘What have I done' moment, but Stan didn't expect it to arrive quite so quickly on our T5 build.
The idea behind this year's project scooter is a simple one. Celebrate Vespa's 75th birthday by recommissioning an unmolested but rather neglected T5. As Vespa's last true sporting scooter, the T5 is a worthy representative of the marque and our specimen has barely been touched since it left the production line. On paper, it should be so easy.
Inside the factory
The first task was to break the scooter down into its component parts, then clean them and identify any work that may be needed. I'd already found a small area of rot on the footboards, so stripping the frame was a good way to properly assess its condition and make the welder's life easier. This is a task I always enjoy, particularly on an untouched scooter. I find it fascinating to discover the little details which ‘factory specification' restorations rarely capture. On my T5 the legshield toolbox's sealing rubber had been pinned together with a staple. Who knew?
One piece of factory equipment I wasn't prepared for was the sound-deadening foam inside the frame tub. I always think of noise reduction as a relatively modern development but it's clear that by the mid-1980s Piaggio was already tackling the issue. As the noise of carb induction on a two-stroke can often be louder than the exhaust it would have made sense to insulate the tub. Unfortunately the foam used had completely perished and most of it was resting in the bottom of the frame. It was such a mess that I initially thought there'd been a fire, the only saving grace is that there's no evidence of it being sucked into the carb.
Fork in hell
Prior to buying the scooter I'd checked its MoT history. This showed advisories for steering head wear and sure enough there was some play in the steering. On the T5 Mk1, Piaggio dispensed with the tried and tested method of using a pinch bolt to fix the headset to fork stem. Instead they adopted a series of locking nuts and washers. It's
an inelegant piece of engineering and not the Mk1's strongest design point. The main fastening is buried deep inside the headset and a special tool is needed to reach it.
I was convinced that the play was due to this working loose and would be an easy fix but, when I came to undo the locking nut, it was torqued down hard. It was only with the headset removed that I discovered a fractured locking washer. The washer's jagged edge has cut into the column and at this point I don't know if the threads are salvageable. I've decided to deal with that by making it a problem for another day.
It’ll never get better if you pick it…
With the engine dropped and forks removed I began to clean the underside of the accumulated road grime. Any relief I felt on confirming a rot-free rear shock mount was quickly tempered by the discovery of what looked like a stress fracture. This ran from the rear brake mounting and in line with the frame tunnel's edge for around 150mm. I couldn't imagine what had caused it but
I've been around scooters for long enough to expect the unexpected and carried on cleaning. As all the electrics were working perfectly I'd been determined to leave the wiring loom undisturbed but as the stress fracture would need welding and I didn't want the loom to melt, there was no option but to draw it out.
As I wriggled the wiring past the little bulkhead forward of the brake pedal's aperture my finger slid into what can only be described as slurry. Suddenly the stress fracture became more sinister. I gently prodded the area with a screwdriver and it sliced through the metal like butter. Ignoring my mum's advice never to keep picking at a scab, I kept pressing the blade against the bottom skin. Time and time again the blade cut through rotten metal. My guess is that the scooter has been stored off the stand, leaning against its left side. Over time condensation had formed inside the frame and pooled at the frame's lowest point. It's a lesson that even the best of us can get caught out when checking a frame. The question was, what to do next?
Fab-Rick-ation
Finding a metal fabricator isn't too hard, finding one that understands scooters is more difficult but finding one who understands the desire to preserve a scooter's integrity is almost impossible. Fortunately that's where Rick Galloway of EDM Racepaints in Barnsley entered the picture. Better known for his comprehensive range of fibreglass scooter panels, Rick is a dab hand at fabrication and also an avid fan of the T5. I'd already booked him to replace the rotten footboard patch and nervously sent him some photos of my discovery. Completely unfazed, Rick gave me a cheery verdict of “no problem” and, after an afternoon's welding, the frame was once again intact. He even added a ‘just in case' strengthening plate where road filth strikes the rear shock mount.
I'll concede that welding in a new floor panel may have been the most sensible option but my policy with this build is one of minimum intervention. The result of Rick's efforts is an honest repair, and one that's retained as much of the original metal as possible. If a future owner wants to replace the floor I won't argue but for now I'm ready to start piecing things back together. I just hope there aren't too many more surprises ahead.
Words and photographs: Stan