Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1514917
February 2024 33 The first order of business was to pull the top end and see what we were working with. As a testa- ment to quality German steel, it was s ll on the original bore. As expected, the piston was junk with a stuck ring from the mouse issue. Incredibly, the rod and mains spun freely with zero hitching or play to be detected. At this point, we decid- ed to rebuild the top end with a fresh bore and piston kit from VintCo. On a side note, Wossner, the German piston manufacturer supplies pistons for VintCo. There are no corners cut with VintCo components, everything is of the highest quality. The frame was sent to Precision Powdercoat in Augusta, Maine for bead blas ng and powder coa ng. Not being in mately familiar with the marque, a quick internet search revealed RAL3000 to be the code for Maico Flame Red. The boys in Augusta did a fantas c job on the frame and the assembly process began. The rolling stock was treated to new wheel bearings and brake shoes and the steering head and swing arm also re- ceived new bearings. As men oned, admi edly, I was unfamiliar with the idiosyncrasies of the Maico brand. Removing the engine from the frame was somewhat of a head-scratcher. The top end needed to be pulled to allow twis ng of the bo om end up and out of the lower frame mount. Installing is akin to a Rubix Cube game. I'm glad I began with a bare frame as juggling around the two components was nothing short of a puzzle. Just when I gave up to take a break, the bo om end slipped onto the lower mount like nothing. I'm told by a few Maico experts that I'm not alone and this process can be a chore. The next order of business was suspension. I enjoy dressing my builds with trick parts of the day and the hunt had been on for a THOR aluminum swing arm for quite some me. Now those who enjoy the search know all too well how difficult it's become to find some of the trinkets we like to make our projects pop. To be honest, I'd pre y much given up on finding that needle in the haystack un l I literally tripped over a NOS THOR swing arm while searching for Penton parts in my old buddy Howie's barn. I swear he's always looking over my shoulder as there's been so many of these unex- plained happenstances to count since he's been gone. NOS THOR aluminum swing arm NOS THOR aluminum swing arm