1951 Schwinn Black Phantom

[Smellslike1974]

Roughly a week ago my mom and I were out and about.The location we were heading to was up the road from a corner lot where a guy sells used cars,he also always has bicycles out front for sale and I'm always sitting forward In my seat seeing what hes got.He always has some nice bikes but not nice enough to where Id purchase them.Well this particular time I made her pull over on the way back because I saw a new bike sitting there,isolated away from the others.I walked up to it and my jaw dropped.It was a bike I had seen while spending endless nights looking at bike pictures on the internet.

A Black Phantom

Its missing a few things.Lights,front fender may be from another bike or they just filled the headlight housing mount holes when they painted It.Handle bars were also painted.It needs a chain and its also missing the key for the fork lock.All that stuff I wasn't to bummed about but what really made me sad was the tank has the horn button but the horn Is no longer In it. but I'm still completely happy about this.I...I..I could just die now..haha I don't want any other bike now!

I'm not restoring this bike.I like It the way It Is.Which Is good because I wouldn't be able to afford to restore this bike. :lol: If any one knows anything about these please let me know,I wanna know as much as I can and more then what I do already.

 

[user 135]

I'm not restoring this bike.I like It the way It Is..

Great bike and attitude. A newer horn could be a nice addition if you could figure out to replace button with the original.

 

[Smellslike1974]

I'm not restoring this bike.I like It the way It Is..

Great bike and attitude. A newer horn could be a nice addition if you could figure out to replace button with the original.

Thats what I figured,find some cheap horn with a sound I like and be happy.The button has the wires and all just nothing else,ill try using the button.If not ill bag,label and shelf it for safe keeping.

 

[ratina]

Nice score.

The front fender is not original, looks like its off a Cleveland Welding bicycle. Cant see the back enough to determine if its right.

 

[dogdart]

Nice find , I'd love to find a Phantom :!: I believe the broken key should be in the lock , as with key out , it should be locked :?:

 

[Smellslike1974]

Nice find , I'd love to find a Phantom :!: I believe the broken key should be in the lock , as with key out , it should be locked :?:

Ahhh is that how they did it!So basically if i can get whats left of the key out I should be able to get a duplicate made?

 

[Smellslike1974]

Nice score.

The front fender is not original, looks like its off a Cleveland Welding bicycle. Cant see the back enough to determine if its right.

Thanks.Since fenders aren't original to the bike I think I may sand and repaint them,looks like they have been painted a couple of times.Its a shame who ever did the re paint on the fenders,bars and rear rack didn't even take anything apart.There's metallic paint over spray every wheres.

 

[ratina]

Nice score.

The front fender is not original, looks like its off a Cleveland Welding bicycle. Cant see the back enough to determine if its right.

Thanks.Since fenders aren't original to the bike I think I may sand and repaint them,looks like they have been painted a couple of times.Its a shame who ever did the re paint on the fenders,bars and rear rack didn't even take anything apart.There's metallic paint over spray every wheres.

thats how the did it back then. the back looks like a round fender and could be original, the front is peaked. you might want to find a matching round front one

 

[Smellslike1974]

Well since I have gotten the bike I have been busy doing other stuff,but today I went over the bike.the handle bars were loose so I tightened them.Tires had air In them but I put a little more In.I did have the tank apart,I grabbed a small horn from a junk electric scooter we had,Its mounted in the tank bracket I just need a battery to power It.I grabbed a few junk 70s bike I had laying out back and punched some pins out,then hammerd them back in creating a chain for it.(who needs chain tools or master links???)

While messing with the chain I noticed the back sprocket Is missing a few teeth.

This doesn't really bother me.I mean they put how many teeth on there,You really don't need ALL of them do ya? :lol:
I will eventually get new wheels for It though,but for now It rides fine.

My only other problems other then the rear wheel Is the tube bolt for the handle bars Is snapped.I guess years of rust Is keeping the bars from twisting.So Ill eventually have to take the front apart,and when that time comes I'll see about the front lock.I also need to fine a beefier front spring,I'm a big guy so It compresses quite a lot when I'm on It,that could just be age to.Since I'm In love with the bike how It Is Its not much of a epic build. Sorry!

Heres a pic of it with two other bikes.

 

[KJV]

Ratically Phantastic 8)

 

[Smellslike1974]

I haven't had much time to work on the bike such as getting It apart.Soon though I would like to take the front end apart.Now this Is my first suspension front end bike.Is there anything important I need to know about?

By the way.Like I said before the handlebar stem bolt was snapped,so the rest of It along with the wedge Is rusted stuck inside the forks( Ill have fun trying to get It out)..Also since this has the locking fork.How does that work?Theres no key In It but I can still steer,however I do feel It catch a bit when riding.Could the fact that the bike can still steer with It being locked caused the stem bolt to not want to come out,which made It snap?I'm just trying to figure out what and how It happened.Thanks in advanced!

I so want to have pics to post and make this build entertaining but I gotta be patient and find out whats going on first.

 

[Smellslike1974]

I finally had free time today and started working on the front end.I have a lack of room In my garage due to a side job so I setup shop In my bedroom. :lol:

First thing I did was remove the front fender.I then started on the handlebars.Now remember the handle bars were stuck,so for about 3 hours Id put some WD 40 above the thread every 15 minutes.After all of the soaking I then positioned the forks against the frame and the handle bars broke loose.BUT the stem Is shot.Apparently all the rusting with the wedge ruined the stem as well.

So now I have a small piece of the stem stuck inside the fork tube,AND the wedge Is stuck In there as well.Seeing It was getting late I wrapped up the fork with WD 40 still inside,hopefully It loosens all of It up so I have better chance of removing all of It tomorrow.

So far the things I need are:
bearings :lol:

I have a stem so I don't have to worry about that.Which puts a smile on my face.
I also took a flat tip screwdriver and turned the key lock.Apparently It works.Maybe not the intended way but It works.

 

[Smellslike1974]

Soall morning I have been trying to get the stem and wedge out of the fork tube.I have looked at the how tos on this site but they dont exactly explain a solution to my problem...

The stem rust apart inside the fork tube,so theres maybe an inch of stem left inside.underneath that Is the wedge,which has a broken piece of stem bolt inside of It.

I made this diagram to explain things easier(from what I can see with a flashlight looking Into the tube this Is what I imagine It would look like If there was a cut away side view...

Is there anyway of removing the tube from the rest of fork?There's a small pin going through the forks,and also i have the lock mechanism.I'm just not sure what i can do,maybe find a huge drill bit and try to drill everything out.

 

[CCR]

looks like the actual steering tube is swelled out too where im guessing the stem parts are stuck, when i run across this i cut tube below the swell and replace the upper section. i dont know if the swelling is from overtightening at some point, but with the rust issue too id bet it was where water froze in there at some point, hence all the rusting. maybe someone else has some different advice, but that mine.

 

[Smellslike1974]

I'm capable of cutting and welding It but I wanted that to be my really really last resort.Wasent sure if there were clever ways of fixing this without cutting.

I did use a big deck screw with some vice grips.I kept turning the screw until It grabbed onto either the stem screw thread or the stem itself,then Id tap It back with a hammer,I managed to get the stem piece out.The wedge Is still In there though.I have It soaking right now.

 

[CCR]

....I wanted that to be my really really last resort.Wasent sure if there were clever ways of fixing this without cutting...

completely agree on that point, just saying if it was me, my patience and tinkering skills would have run out and id grab the saw ... never been accused of being all that clever myself :mrgreen: but theres plenty of others that may have some tricks around here i haven't learned.

aside from throwing the thing in a drill press and ramming a sacrificial hole saw bit through it hoping to knock it loose in there, but theres the problem of a bit clearing the broken stem bolt. i would say to ram a piece of pipe down there or at least slide the steer tube downwards on a pipe, kind of in a reverse slide hammer sort of deal hoping to break it loose but im not familiar with the locking steer tubes so i dont know if that would be the wrong thing to do or not.

good luck either way man !!!

 

[Smellslike1974]

....I wanted that to be my really really last resort.Wasent sure if there were clever ways of fixing this without cutting...

completely agree on that point, just saying if it was me, my patience and tinkering skills would have run out and id grab the saw ... never been accused of being all that clever myself :mrgreen: but theres plenty of others that may have some tricks around here i haven't learned.

aside from throwing the thing in a drill press and ramming a sacrificial hole saw bit through it hoping to knock it loose in there, but theres the problem of a bit clearing the broken stem bolt. i would say to ram a piece of pipe down there or at least slide the steer tube downwards on a pipe, kind of in a reverse slide hammer sort of deal hoping to break it loose but im not familiar with the locking steer tubes so i dont know if that would be the wrong thing to do or not.

good luck either way man !!!

Yeah I have my set ways of doings,but I figured Id post my problem on here that way If someone In the future has this problem hopefully they can look back on my post and see a solution(dont have one yet!) :lol: but soon hopefully!I also thought of welding a nut to a small metal pipe that would fit on the broken stem bolt,thread it tight,than trying to pull out the wedge..I mean I dont care If I cross thread the nut on the stem bolt,as long as it gets stuck on there i should be able to pull everything out. :mrgreen:

thanks for the help though.I appreciate It!

 

[heyslugger]

I have the same stem.wedge problem on my locking fork too. Thanks for the advice and the graphic you made up. Mine is just like that except the wedge has fallen below the stem. I'll try the deck screw trick and soak the wedge. Thanks

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