'62 Schwinn American

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This is for a friend of a friend. It was her sister's bike. She died in a car crash at 17. This bike has been in the attic for 40 years.
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I want to remove the rust while retaining the patina and shine the chrome. I don't think i'll have to aquire anything but new tires.

I don't know how faithfully I'll update, we'll see...

More pics...
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The wald basket and bell seem to be the only non original parts...

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The Toledo license is pretty cool...

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After the Holiday weekend, I'll tear it down and I promise I'll try to remember to get some pics...then I'll try to remember to post them.

Thanks for looking at my addiction...
 
Plenty of potential there. A good soapy scrubbin' will make a world of difference, just don't rub on the markings TOO hard--they're in outstanding condition and you'll want to keep them that way.

REMINDER: this bike runs the S-7 rim and most common 26" tires will simply not fit them. Specialty rubber like the Kenda K75 is available, but will probably need to be purchased on-line.

You're never going to find a replacement pair of Uniroyals in that size, so you might want to remove them gently. They'd be useful for display, but not suitable to be ridden on.
 
I got caught up on other stuff and tore her down...
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I had to clean my bench (this is clean)...
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Under the grips the chrome is very nice. I think I can bring it all back...
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The inside of the chainguard is the cleanest I've ever seen!
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The crank looks right for a 1962...
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All tore down. I had to soak the screws holding the rear fender, but everything else is apart...
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RustySprockets said:
Plenty of potential there. A good soapy scrubbin' will make a world of difference, just don't rub on the markings TOO hard--they're in outstanding condition and you'll want to keep them that way.

REMINDER: this bike runs the S-7 rim and most common 26" tires will simply not fit them. Specialty rubber like the Kenda K75 is available, but will probably need to be purchased on-line.

You're never going to find a replacement pair of Uniroyals in that size, so you might want to remove them gently. They'd be useful for display, but not suitable to be ridden on.
Click to expand...

I learned the hard way about Schwinn specific tires! I've got my eye on the Kenda tires. The old tires are really cool, I wish they were salvageable.
 
I've never seen a girls american with the two color scheme. Is the blue added ?
 
I got back at it today. More rubbing compound, followed by polishing compound on the frame and fenders.

I started the rear wheel. Took apart the bendix hub and started on the rim with WD and steel wool...

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An hour (or so) and it's all ready to put back together...

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And...done...
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A cool thing I hadn't noticed, the bell that was on the bike was so dirty it was unreadable. I cleaned it up and...
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A Saint Christopher bell! My name is Christopher. :)
 
Wildcat said:
It's cleaning up nicely. Did you find S-7 whitewalls?
Click to expand...
I got a set of kenda s-7 whitewalls for it.

I'm in the middle of seven 12 hour days at work, then I'll have her finished up this weekend. All that's really left is the front wheel and re-assembly. I'll get pics up this weekend, I hope.
 
what'd you use to get the bars cleaned up? You mentioned WD-40 and steel wool for the wheels, how fine of wool are you using? I've been doing the coke/aluminum foil on some old parts, but need something a little more aggressive sometimes...
 
kgmcpheeters said:
what'd you use to get the bars cleaned up? You mentioned WD-40 and steel wool for the wheels, how fine of wool are you using? I've been doing the coke/aluminum foil on some old parts, but need something a little more aggressive sometimes...
Click to expand...
I use #0000 steel wool and wd40. That's super fine steel wool.
 
kgmcpheeters said:
what'd you use to get the bars cleaned up? You mentioned WD-40 and steel wool for the wheels, how fine of wool are you using? I've been doing the coke/aluminum foil on some old parts, but need something a little more aggressive sometimes...
Click to expand...

The finest grade of steel wool one can usually get retail is Grade #0000. Even that is coarse enough to cause minute scratching of a polished surface. I prefer to use copper scrubbies that I get from the dollar store, but be aware that these are NOT 100% copper--they're copper-plated. Libman is the only brand I'm aware of that still sells pure copper...but those don't come cheap.
 
I usually found 0000 grade at the hardware store in a plastic bag with several grades included. One thing that might help is to leave the wd40 on the surface longer to help dissolve the rust a little more. That may require less friction from the steel wool.
 

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