Going Retro on a Zefal HPx
I think the the greatest pump series ever made is the Zefal HP-HPx
series.
You can still pick out the "old farts" on the road because they've got
a Zefal on their bike.
The HPx was an improvement over the HP because it was self-mounting.
But they slowly standardized on all black finish (from white, silver,
and black),
and while you could omit the chrome mounting cap, the spring handle did
make the whole package seem bigger.

I decided to see if I couldn't strip the paint on one of my HPx pumps
and make it look a little more retro to go with my bikes.
Disassembly of the tube was easy, just unscrew the top cap and remove
the handle and plunger assembly
Then unscrew the big screw inside the pump body that holds on the valve
head.
Don't try to screw off the valve head, it is captured by a hex in the
pump body.
The bottom handle is glued on, but will slide off with some persuasion.

I stripped and polished the pump body. I've done two, one was
painted and one was anodized.
The painted body was easy; spray on some paint remover and peel off the
paint.
The anodized body took Dow Oven cleaner to remove the anodize. Four
applications, waiting about three hours before steel wooling.
I polished the tubes, fine sand paper, then aluminum polish.
When I reassembled the pump, I left off the bottom handle. Pumps get
hot when you pump, but I think it's going to be worth it.
If it's a problem, I'll just put it back on.
I used the chrome pump head from an old Zefal HP pump. They're the
same and interchange.
I did use the screw (valve) assembly from the HPx because it seemed
like an improved design.

Can anybody tell me how to disassemble the top handle assembly without
destroying it?
Back together and looking plenty retro!
