With the frame almost ready for primer and paint, and the steel wheels sporting new rubber, most of the remaining parts of the 1964 CCM cruiser are packed temporarily into a cardboard box.

The clock is ticking on the restoration, as Quinton is arriving back in Canada in May after an exchange in France. Let’s break down the contents of the bike-in-a-box with the hopes that these parts will make it back onto the frame in time — and in the right places. The box includes:

— a sturdy one-piece pedal crank and arms. The ingenious engineers at CCM created this integrated design, which fits nicely into the pedal bracket on the bottom of the frame. The design requires just one pedal to come off to remove the whole unit. No pesky cotter pins are required for the pedal arms, and therefore there is no risk of a pedal arm getting loose on the bike. The bearings are cleaned and ready to be repacked for a smooth drivetrain action.

— a short chrome seat tube. We will need to replace this with a slightly longer tube so the rider’s knees can straighten out while pedalling. Adults may have been shorter on average when the bike was built in 1964. The dude at Cyclemania on Danforth will have a longer chrome seat post, or I may have one kicking around in my drawer of bike treasures in the kinrosscordless workshop

— the black made-in-Japan seat is not original; we’ll find a modern seat that provides comfort and blends in with the bike’s retro character.

— the handlebar post was removed from the fork with the help of some primal screaming and my father-in-law’s vice; it has about an inch to spare to make the handlebars higher so we’ll use the original post

— the handlebars look original but the handgrips are aftermarket black foam and a bit ratty. The folks at the VintageCCM web site have told me that the bike had original white handgrips so we will scout for a new pair of white grips. They will nicely complement the bike’s white fenders, and counterpoint the frame’s true blue metallic tone.

— the original rear reflector on the rear fender is a bit banged up but will add character. The fenders are being stripped of paint, including a bad brushed-on paint job from a few years back, and will look sharp.

— the pedals are both original and in good condition and will get some lubrication before they are back on the bike. Some great videos on YouTube show the proper procedure for pedal removal — the thread pattern on the pedals are opposite to each other, so you can damage the pedal if you are wrenching it the wrong way with your adjustable. When the bike mechanic was younger he knew the principle behind the opposite thread pattern; now it’s easier and more entertaining to look it up on YouTube.

— the two-pronged kickstand is non-original but highly functional and non-intrusive so will get bolted back onto the bike once the paint is done

— some period CCM decals have been ordered from a gentleman in Truro, Nova Scotia, a fellow participant on the VintageCCM web site. Wayne has created sharp replicas of post-war CCM decals, and has dropped a couple into the mail. They will go on the seat tube and down tube to complement the original CCM metal badge on the front tube.

— the chain is soaking in varsol in an empty cat-litter pail. It’s caked in grime and will need a couple of varsol baths and lubrication before it goes back on the bike.

As George Michael sang, You gotta have faith…

The bike-in-the box parts will soon be installed on the CCM frame, with some fidgeting, finessing, praying and cussing.

Stay tuned.