Best Guess: 1947 Schwinn DX (+ odd parts)

[VonFink]

-----(just edited post to add best guess to thread title)----
I bought this off Craigslist today and I'd sure like some help figuring out what it is. Many thanks, in advance, for your help!

26" wheels • juvenile type seat • morrow rear hub • no head badge (2 holes -vertical format like a Schwinn oval badge?)
"AS" Schwinn bolts on the stem • no markings on chainguard • non-Schwinn sprocket
Tires say "26 x 1 3/4 for Schwinn S-7 rims"







Cheers,
Tim

[cman]

Frame/fork and stem are all Schwinn.

Date looks older than 1948. Pull the crank to see if it is has a date. "SA 46"
http://www.angelfire.com/rant/allday101 ... odes1.html

[VonFink]

No markings on the crank at all. The tires say 26 x 1 3/4 for Schwinn S-7 rims.

I am beginning to wonder if this was a bike Schwinn made for somebody else. Here's a description on an almost identical seat on ebay:

"Mead sold bikes built by Schwinn from at least the early 30s thru the 50s. At some point they parted ways with Schwinn and sourced their bikes elsewhere. White's Auto was a chain of auto supply and hardware stores that had Texas Ranger Bicycles for sale in the 1950s. Original Bicycle saddle made by the Meade cycle company in Chicago 1960s.

This seat is from my old Texas Ranger Bicycle."

Hmmm....

[cman]

Probably a parts is parts bike. Wheels may not be original to this bike. Nor is the seat or the chainring.

The hockey stick chainguard doesn't seem to match if the bike is older than 1948 either. Are there serial numbers on the left rear dropout by chance?

[B607]

That's a parts bike for sure. Probably made up at some mom and pop bike shop years ago. The frame is a late 40's, early 50's DX balloon tire Schwinn frame. It's been repainted as all of them had 2 color graphics. No DX's ever came with S7 rims. Those are from a middleweight. Lots of good parts to leave in place or swap onto other bikes. Gary

[VonFink]

Great info everybody, thanks!

To sum up:

Originally (best guess) a 1947 Schwinn DX
Evidence:
• serial number on BB tube only, predates known Schwinn serial number records
• welded-on, un-tapered kickstand- first year is 1947
• frame, fork, stem, handlebars, kickstand, fenders all believed to be original equipment

Bicycle subsequently rebuilt or modified by later era components & repainted
Evidence:
• Non-standard 1-color paint scheme
• Later-era Schwinn components: S-7 wheels, chainguard
• Non-Schwinn components: grips, seat, crank, pedals & sprocket
• Missing components: tank, head badge

Conclusion:
• Could keep & ride as is (needs tires)
• Could keep & customize
• Could part out (possible)
• Could restore (probably not a reasonable option)

[Jpromo]

The Morrow hub is likely original to the bike even though the wheel hoops were swapped out for S-7s as Morrow evaporated in about 1950 and S-7s didn't come out until '55. Morrows were date coded. Look on the hub for a letter, which signifies the year, and a digit 1-4 which signifies the quarter of the year it was produced in. eg: P3 = third quarter of 1946. Hopefully mystery solved!

P='46
Q='47
R='48
S='49

[VonFink]

Here's what the rear hub says on it (ignore the lines):

_________36______13_________
_____ECLIPSE MACHINE CO.____
_________ELMIRA, N.Y.________
________MADE IN U.S.A________
_____________F1_____________

[B607]

Eclipse was bought out and became Bendix. Gary

[Jpromo]

Here's what the rear hub says on it (ignore the lines):

_________36______13_________
_____ECLIPSE MACHINE CO.____
_________ELMIRA, N.Y.________
________MADE IN U.S.A________
_____________F1_____________

Darn, thought that might have done it. Hub is a '36 but the bike isn't that early.