Retro Custom 67 T120 Project

[Cosmoline]

Very excited to have brought home this girl today from the back woods of Maine! Starts on the first kick, runs and drives fine, matching numbers, 11k miles, supposedly even has original tires and brakes. Quite a find! She'll be getting a full restoration and returning to her former glory very soon. Planning to do a fairly mild retro custom build while also restoring and preserving all the original parts should I ever want to go the concours route. Stay tuned for plenty of pics and progress reports. Now on to the photos!

Bought from this fine fellow (Coburn Benson) who used to own a Triumph dealership in the 60's & 70's in Haverhill, MA:


Here's a shot of his shop back in the day:


All loaded up and tucked in for the ride home:


Coburn included some extra parts he'd been hoarding as well and included a bunch of paperwork, documentation and manuals. Check out the red one, it seems to be a hand typed engine overhaul manual for the 650...


And some various shots of the 67...






Stay tuned as this project progresses!

[ul39sugar]

Nice find

[SpeedAndNoise]

Oh, man, I'd have a hard tome changing anything on that bike. I love that old original paint! How about getting another tank to paint, and keeping that one OG?

[Von Zacho]

Originally Posted by speedandnoise

oh, man, i'd have a hard tome changing anything on that bike. I love that old original paint! How about getting another tank to paint, and keeping that one og?

+ 1

[Cosmoline]

I'm not going to do anything to the original parts. Anything original will be removed, some of them will be restored to original spec and safely stored away. For example, the frame will be a new one, but I'll refurbish the old one and put it away. The engine will remain stock (but be rebuilt).

[need louvers ?]

X3! I'pack all of the stock tin away carefully, Then do what ever I wanted with replacement stuff.

[Cosmoline]

Basically, this project will consist of a new frame with a 4" stretch, 2" drop, full fenders, 19" x 4" rims/tires on the front and rear, custom made grey top solo seat, lowered headlight, stock engine, stock front end (lowered slightly), twin leading front brake hub from a 69, stock taillight, stock gauges, etc. It'll have a mix of 1967/68 paint colors - 67 Aubergine base but with the silver center stripe and gold pinstripes of the 1968 scheme. Fenders and oil bag will be straight Aubergine (no stripes). Frame will be black, rims black.

...or at least that's what I'm thinking today. Subject to change at a moment's notice as the build progresses.

[SpeedAndNoise]

Sounds like you got a plan! Are you only using the engine from that bike? Just pull it, and hang the chassy up in the rafters!

[skinthead]

DUDE! You got a prize! You bought a prize from a prize! i hope the old guy is willing to assist with information along your way. I could only hoe to have an old master to call on sometimes.....

[flatman]

Pic of that ol shop is neat. 5 vincents and a brough out front? I think they did a article in Cycle World on him years back and he had a bobber like vincent.

[rockett]

Glad you're not going to cut up the old parts. =) That man you bought it from has a truly epic beard. I have beard-envy.

[Bugsy]

MAn...I'm jelous!!! What a great find and thanks for sharing all of the pictures. I LOVE the shot of his shop and good of you to take the pic of him with the bike. You'll have to motor it up to show him when you finish it! Sounds like you have a good plan for it and like everyone has said...hang on to the chassis and tin!!!

[Cosmoline]

Originally Posted by SpeedAndNoise

Sounds like you got a plan! Are you only using the engine from that bike? Just pull it, and hang the chassy up in the rafters!

Yep, that's the plan. If I use anything from the original bike, it will not be altered in any way.

Originally Posted by skinthead

DUDE! You got a prize! You bought a prize from a prize! i hope the old guy is willing to assist with information along your way. I could only hoe to have an old master to call on sometimes.....

He absolutely is willing and has a HUGE wealth of info tucked away in his head. Very nice guy.

Originally Posted by flatman

Pic of that ol shop is neat. 5 vincents and a brough out front? I think they did a article in Cycle World on him years back and he had a bobber like vincent.

When I was buying the bike he told me stories about the shop. One of the more interesting things he mentioned is that his shop sold more Vincents than BSA's or Triumphs combined.

Originally Posted by rockett

That man you bought it from has a truly epic beard. I have beard-envy.

Me too. I immediately started growing mine out.

Originally Posted by Bugsy

MAn...I'm jelous!!! What a great find and thanks for sharing all of the pictures. I LOVE the shot of his shop and good of you to take the pic of him with the bike. You'll have to motor it up to show him when you finish it! Sounds like you have a good plan for it and like everyone has said...hang on to the chassis and tin!!!

Thanks man. The first bike I ever put together was a 68 Bonnie with my dad when I was 12 years old. It was a basket case (literally - it was in about a dozen milk crates and boxes) but the numbers matched. That was in the mid 80's and back then there was no internet and sourcing everything was a nightmare. We painstakingly restored that bike to concours condition over 2 years and won shows with it. It was the very first bike I ever rode, and is the one by which I have judged all others since. I owned an 05 Hinckley Bonnie Black a few years ago but it just wasn't the same.

The point is, I am very aware of the value of this bike having all original parts and will definitely respect that fact. While I may decide someday to go the concours route, for now I want to make this bike into a rider that is pure Triumph, but is longer, lower, and cleaner in appearance.

[dvrogers]

Originally Posted by von zacho

+ 1

+2!

[Cosmoline]

Scored a very nice condition twin leading shoe setup yesterday...

[Cris]

Great find/great story.
Mr. Benson has a HELL of a car collection...

Cris

[Cosmoline]

Originally Posted by Cris

Great find/great story.
Mr. Benson has a HELL of a car collection...

Cris

He sure does. Those steamers and coaches are amazing!
You live out that way?

[Cosmoline]

Also scored a nice little oil bag the other day. Probably will need to be expanded/modified to take 2 full quarts...

[takin-care-of-business]

damn, that's one fine Trumpet. you can't find them in that nice of stock trim anymore.

[wannaby]

I wonder why you would even tear it apart why not just find another .that thing is pristine and why bother even replacing or turning a bolt.just get it running and ride it as is. seems to me once parts come off it and it gets hung in the rafters then somebody else finds it with no motor or half parts missing then they will think its o.k. to hack it up ...and another original is gone....oh well...