Rusty '60s Scwhinn

[druggedonions]

Bought this on eBay.

The seller informed me it was a import he'd bought down in Devon from a shop who'd had it imported. I guess he'd left it outside for a while as it's well rusty. Also included was a Shimano Nexus 4-speed coaster, two Electra Hotster tyres and a Brooks saddle. Wheels need re-spoked and the pedals were knackered. Oh yeah, it looks like it's been run into a wall or something.

The ape hangers have gone to a good home and have scrubbed up nice. Not sure what to do with the rest of it. Anyone got any bright ideas?

Cheers Jonnie

 

[JLarkin]

Oil up and sell that Brooks saddle to pay for most of your build.

I would put a 26" chrome repop Schwinn style springer on it as well as a sprung sissy bar, red banana seat and chrome seatpost. Sand all the rust off the frame and paint it silver. Put some high rise bars back on it and a low rise stem, call it the Silver Surfer. You can buy most all the parts at the places below for about the best prices I've found. If it says out of stock or not listed at all such as spokes, send an email because they are really helpful and may find what you need.

http://www.bikeworldusa.com or michaelscycles here on the board.

 

[mastronaut]

Keep the seat and give the rest to a local bike exchange..... 8)

 

[roadmaster]

take the brooks and then find a donner mountain bike, a pair of cheap suspension forks and go all mad scientist on a klunker build.

 

[mastronaut]

"go all mad scientist on a klunker build"

yeah, good one!

 

[druggedonions]

I've started to clean the bike up a little. When I pulled the forks off the head tube was a deep red colour. I started to take a bit of the rust off the frame and the same colour was there too. I also found a serial number on top of the bottom bracket. It's A6328P. I don't know I had a quick look online but couldn't find any schwinn numbers that match. Can any of you guys help?

Cheers Jonnie

 

[Wildcat]

I zoomed in on your bike, and it's a schwinn, probably 60's as you thought. The serial number should be on the left rear dropout. otherwise, it would be on the bottom of the headtube, and older schwinns have them on the bottom of the bottom bracket. If yours is there on the underside of the bottom bracket, the last letter should actually actually be a digit. Then it's a 51 maybe.

The forks aren't bent where they usually bend when running into something, near the crown where it enters the frame. Yours look bent halfway down the blades, maybe someone bent them purposely for some reason. I would guess you could straighten them easily in a bench vise.

If the year of the bike is still in question, there may be a 2 digit date stamp on the the center part of the cranks, the part inside the frame. The sprocket looks right, so it might be the original cranks too.

 

[druggedonions]

Thanks Wildcat.

There doesn't look to be any mark on the dropout or head tube.
Here's a picture of the bottom bracket.

There is a number on the crank so I'll get a shot of that and post too.
Also the seat post tube and cantilever tubes are brazed to the frame.

Don't know if this helps date it?

I thought the chain ring was schwinn. And I thought the same thing. But the stamp on the bottom bracket confused me.

Cheers Jonnie

 

[Wildcat]

That is something of a mystery. It's clearly a Schwinn. Was the seller the original owner? I wonder if Schwinn shipped some bikes overseas and stamped the serial numbers in a different spot because they were going overseas. I have no idea how they shipped bikes overseas, or if they did at all. Is there no number on the bottom of the bracket? The cranks may be the only way to check, but no matter, it's a good frame to work with whether it's from the 60's or 50's.

If the forks look like they have been straightened a few times, then it's best to change them out. I would straighten bent forks once, then if they were damaged or bent again somehow, they are done for.

 

[deorman]

May have been numbered by whoever imported it. :? I don't care much for the looks of that fork. Looks like it may have been bent and rebent, I wouldn't trust it.

 

[Markm]

The frame I used on my Phake Phantom has a # on top of the BB too...12375, but it has a regular serial on the dropout...weird!!

 

[druggedonions]

Thanks for the input fellas.

Gonna toss the fork. It's bend in so many ways! Got a repop monark on it's way from the States, should turn up in a couple of days.
Here's a shot of the crank.

I don't think the seller was the original owner. He bought it from a surf shop on the south coast so I'm guessing that they imported it from the States or they bought it from someone else who had it shipped over.

There is nothing on the bottom bracket 'cept a weld accross the bottom. Could the change in location of the # have been moved due to the dropouts being replaced? Although the paint all seems to match. Still no idea of what I'm going to do with it. Keep the patina or wire brush the frame and re paint?

Cheers Jonnie