1982 Profile Racing Champ Pro 24

My Seafoam Green 24" Dream!

Resuscitated from near death-by-corrosion and restored to a custom incarnation adjacent to it's former glory!
Top tube was replaced by the master, Johnny Chopper. Ridiculously delicious glossy seafoam powder coat by Roberto's Custom Powder.
Special Features: Custom engraved head-tube badge, custom hand-tooled leather LixBMX seat, 45th Anniversary Profile Box Cranks.
My colour choice was inspired by Fender’s iconic seafoam green electric guitars. While the purists’ jaws may drop and you may never see another vintage Profile frame (nor likely another race frame of any brand from this era) in such a hue, this particular colour is quite the vintage classic, imbued with vehicular and creative history. Fender began using the colour on their Stratocaster in 1960, and like all of Fender’s colour choices they drew their inspiration from the automobile industry where, four years prior, Dupont had created the colour for GM especially for their exquisitely minty 1956 Buick.

FULL BUILD DIARY WITH RESTORATION PICS AND FRAME BACK-STORY AT www.lixbmx.com/profile-24-pre-serial

PARTS LIST
FRAME: 1982/83 Pre-Serial Profile 24", chromoly, powder coated in seafoam greenFORKS: Hutch (drilled), chromoly – identical geometry/dropouts to the origins Profile 24" forks powder coated in seafoam greenBARS: S&M 5.75" Slam Bars, chromoly, chromeGRIPS: Cult Vans Waffle Grips, gum colour, flangedBRAKE LEVER: C-Star Pitbull Lever, Polished and Black (rear only)STEM: Profile Pro XL retro stem, black anodisedHEADSET: Neco H671 Alloy Sealed Bearing Headset, black anodisedCRANKS/SPIDER: Profile 45th Anniversary Box Cranks & Spider, chromoly, re-issued from the original 1979 toolingCHAINRING: Tufneck 39T, polishedBOTTOM BRACKET: Profile sealed USA BBPEDALS: Carbon Cycles PC Pedals, transparent ‘cola’ colourCHAIN: Izumi, black and nickelSEAT CLAMP: Profile (contemporary), alloy, black anodisedSEAT POST: Generic straight, chromoly, chromeSEAT:  GT Dropnose with custom hand-tooled LixBMX kangaroo leather coverBRAKE: Odyssey Gen1 Pitbull, polished, with Skyway Tuff Pads (rear only)WHEELS: Skyway 24" sealed bearing Tuff Wheels, blackFREEWHEEL: ACS Crossfire, 16tTYRES:  Kenda K-Rad Skinwall, 1.95"

AS IT WAS...
The frame as it originally came to me in grey 2pak primer after a top-tube replacement by Johnny Chopper (not including the custom head tube badge which I had just stuck on with blue-tack at this stage to quell the complete nakedness )...

A CLOSE-UP OF THE SEAFOAM POWDER & CUSTOM DECALS...

MAKING THE CUSTOM SEAT...I found an Paris Metro ticket in the pocket of my jacket when I was brainstorming design ideas for this seat. It's crazy how the simplest things can trigger inspiration. The fleur-de-lis design grew from there...

Wet-moulding the verge-tanned Kangaroo leather around the centre piece of the dropnose seat...

Moulded and the design drawn on…

Tooling the pattern...

Tooling finished, ready for dye...

Dyed and buffed ready for fitting...

C'est fini!