Well here goes, I am going to document my build of a 1957 Schwinn Wasp 26" Bike. I build street rods and currently in the process of building a 1967 VW Beetle on Air ride. I wanted a bike I could ride around the swap meets, car shows and drag races with. So I decided to build this. I originally was going to put a china motor on it, but I am not fully convinced I want to do that with this now... So here goes... Enjoy the pics!
I bought this bike off of Craigslist. I wanted a old Schwinn frame to start with. I picked it up for next to nothing...
I tore it down, it was dented pretty badly on the upper tube and the bars below were dented and bent as well. Like someone jammed something in between the bars of the frame. I also noticed that the kick stand was torn off... No worries though
I dismantled it pretty quickly and sanded it down by hand. Got it to bare metal. Used some automotive body filler to fill in the dents and the torn out kick stand mount. I shaped and sanded it until it was perfect. The frame was shot with self etching primer, then sprayed with 2 stage automotive paint in the color of the beetle I am building "Mango Green". You can see the VW body behind the frame. The frame was painted with the automotive paint. 3 coats of base color and 3 coats of clear. The clear coat is still curing in the photos...
I have a set of rims from a Huffy bike I plan on using. Has rear coaster brake hub in the back. Black rims with heavy spokes. Front has a larger hub and heavy spokes as well. These are used on their "Beach Cruisers" like this model
I had originally bought this bike to use for parts on the Schwinn. The rims were way out of true when I bought this bike and the seat was torn new in the box. I contacted Huffy and much to my surprise, they sent me another set of rims and another seat. So I decided to keep this one together and true the rims myself and use the other rims on the Schwinn.
I am now waiting for parts to come in. I have ordered up a black and chrome springer fork, chrome front and rear fenders, black 26" banana seat, tall sissy bar, a pair of slicks and tubes for the rims. Now it's a matter of waiting for the parts to come in.....
Here's a look at the beetle project at the moment that this bike will be modeled after....
Some may say that this car will be low when it's done...
This is what it should look like once I finish the body...
If you would like to read the build on the VW, check out my journal for it here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... =rust2rods
I bought this bike off of Craigslist. I wanted a old Schwinn frame to start with. I picked it up for next to nothing...
I tore it down, it was dented pretty badly on the upper tube and the bars below were dented and bent as well. Like someone jammed something in between the bars of the frame. I also noticed that the kick stand was torn off... No worries though
I dismantled it pretty quickly and sanded it down by hand. Got it to bare metal. Used some automotive body filler to fill in the dents and the torn out kick stand mount. I shaped and sanded it until it was perfect. The frame was shot with self etching primer, then sprayed with 2 stage automotive paint in the color of the beetle I am building "Mango Green". You can see the VW body behind the frame. The frame was painted with the automotive paint. 3 coats of base color and 3 coats of clear. The clear coat is still curing in the photos...
I have a set of rims from a Huffy bike I plan on using. Has rear coaster brake hub in the back. Black rims with heavy spokes. Front has a larger hub and heavy spokes as well. These are used on their "Beach Cruisers" like this model
I had originally bought this bike to use for parts on the Schwinn. The rims were way out of true when I bought this bike and the seat was torn new in the box. I contacted Huffy and much to my surprise, they sent me another set of rims and another seat. So I decided to keep this one together and true the rims myself and use the other rims on the Schwinn.
I am now waiting for parts to come in. I have ordered up a black and chrome springer fork, chrome front and rear fenders, black 26" banana seat, tall sissy bar, a pair of slicks and tubes for the rims. Now it's a matter of waiting for the parts to come in.....
Here's a look at the beetle project at the moment that this bike will be modeled after....
Some may say that this car will be low when it's done...
This is what it should look like once I finish the body...
If you would like to read the build on the VW, check out my journal for it here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... =rust2rods
