53 Columbia

[matco]

This is a project that I've been tinkering with off and on this summer, saved from the trash at an estate sale, brush painted black and silver over the chrome

 

[matco]

It had a lot of character, and had a blues brothersish quality to it, but also had lots of issues that kept it from being rideable as is

Broken spokes, loose new departure hubs, rotten rubber etc

 

[matco]

I didn't document the build as much as I had originally wanted to, but I stripped down the frame and fork to bare metal with a brass bristle wire wheel and primed it. Decided on a red and white twotone approach

 

[matco]

I had a bit of trouble getting anyone at the LBS's in Omaha to tackle relacing my rear wheel so I could keep my New Departure hub, but in the end our recycle bike shop here in town had a nice used coaster 26 with nice chrome for 20 bucks

I mocked it up with some bell streamliners and a bell seat along with a pair of nos red glitter grips from the recycle bike shop

 

[matco]

Finished up the chainguard and added a nice chrome bell where the tank ought to be, if I had one

I never had a headbadge for this bike and my folks had given me a few mementos from my Grandpa after he passed including a sweet brass bolo tie clasp that i rounded on a chainlink fence post with a rubber mallet and then epoxied it to the headtube.

 

[matco]

Thinking about naming it Red Bull, although I'm sure that's been used by someone else.

I keep scratching the paint on the bars, so I think I'd like to switch them out to something chrome... any suggestions?

Also the Bell Streamliners are ok, but I'd love to switch to the ones I saw on the Big Daddy bike at Kmart, anyone know of a way to get some out of Huffy without buying the whole ride?

 

[kngtmat]

Wow, very nice paint and great work.