Restoring the 1962-63 PX10 Super De Luxe Peugeot

Mike M. is a collector and restorer of bikes. From vintage beach cruisers to BMX gems to fine road racing bikes and One of Kind folk art (rat rod) bikes. Mike has collected them and restored many bikes to their former glory. After years of searching he has found a rare collectible Peugeot bike and is restoring it. I am his wife Lisa writing about this latest project.

Mike has been looking for a Peugeot to restore for a long time.  He spends hours on Ebay and Craigslist searching for possible deals and projects. This bike is a PX10 Super De Luxe and is his latest weekend project. It will take time to collect needed parts, and Mike will only use period correct parts.

Mike starts by using a car polish and wax to clean off the hardened on grime around the frame and taking special care with the decals.  Decals can be dry and could rub off easily. The PX10 decals are in nice condition and the car wax really makes them pop in color.

He slowly and carefully gets off as much grime and the scuff marks off of the frame before he starts his deep cleaning and inspection of parts. Having a good coat of wax will help keep the finish clean when it comes time to install parts and grease wipes cleanly off.

This is the before waxing off process.

Slowly polishing those scuffs off without scratching the decals or paint.

An after shot of the first cleaning.

The first cleaning of frame.

Mike takes everything apart and cleans all the accumulation of years gunk off. He soaks items and uses a brass wire brush carefully! For some parts he uses a  dermal tool to loosen up parts that are stuck.  This is a time consuming process of taken everything apart and painstakingly cleaning every little detail part by part. For greasy parts, he uses a chemical dip. Not to be used on chrome or painted parts. Good for ball bearings.

Always being careful not to damage the original paint but cleaning without destroying the little chips and rust spots which are part of the bike.  Keeping the natural patina of the bike especially when the bike is vintage is a balance between cleaning without altering and knowing when to let the history of the piece be part of the story of the bike and allowing that to show in the restoration. The scars and chinks tell a story of the bike too. Mike uses dish soap and water for chromed parts.

Slowly cleaning every bit of the bike.

This methodical work give Mike a chance to appreciate every bike he restores and see the ingenuity and creativity that has gone into designing all these bikes.

So with every part he cleans in detail he is learning as he restores.