i will get pics tomorrow, i'm cleaning it up now. has all original parts and schwinn bolts, new departure model d hub. skiptooth sprocket. original black paint. serial number on left dropout k456312....any ideal year and model. i know pics will help. so i will get them on here soon. i also have a columbia balloner with locking spring forks i will get numbers for that also. today was a good day.
schwinn serial number id help
- Thread starter sloar
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My numbers only go as far back as 1948 and I couldnt match it up. Can't wait to see it! 
Hey there, your Schwinn is a 1964. Also, it looks like the struts on your springer got flipped backward at some point in its life. Should be set up like this (thanks Nateyboy for allowing me to hijack your photo)
Good looking bikes! The Columbia can be dated by its serial too if you nab that off the bike.
Good looking bikes! The Columbia can be dated by its serial too if you nab that off the bike.
I wasn't aware that Schwinn still made a bike with skiptooth drivechain in 1964. :?
Go to Old Roads classic and antique bicycles and look up "Schwinn serial numbers".
Looked to me to be early 50's. K456312 is too many numbers to be a 64'.
Go to Old Roads classic and antique bicycles and look up "Schwinn serial numbers".
Looked to me to be early 50's. K456312 is too many numbers to be a 64'.
roadmaster said:
Oh would you look at that! I overlooked that detail. It looks like a middleweight frame though and has the serial on the dropout. Early 50s had 5 digits after the letter and 60s is 6 digits after a letter.
It almost looks like somebody had a ballooner with a frame or paint in poor condition and transferred some ballooner parts onto a newer frame? Possibly? Schwinn used drop centers before '48 so those could even be from a donor bike as well. It could have been done a long time ago too as piecing a bike together is not a new thing, I wouldn't imagine. That's as good a guess as I have! Any thoughts?
Jpromo said:
I had done the same thing with my 62' Schwinn American Heavy Duti cruiser a few years ago, mistaking it for a 51' . But your right, it does look like a newer frame.
Frame, forks, fenders, and chain guard look like they go together, with an Oct 12, 1964 build date. The chain guard may show the model if it was repainted black. The carrier is an older one, not Schwinn. The rims aren't Schwinn, they would have been S-7 wheels. Old skiptooth was added and a nice touch. It looks good, and the tires are probably standard 26" which is a plus when finding replacements.
With those painted fenders, it's a Hornet or Typhoon.
Here's a lesser known method for dating a Schwinn frame like this, and it may prove useful when we suspect the wheels and other important parts have been swapped...
Inside the front fork leg, there should be a stamped date. It's small, and sometimes can be damaged by the axle nuts, but it's worth a shot. If it's a '60s frame, its there for sure.
It's a build date for the fork, and it would read something like "05+4" for May of 1964. There will be a plus sign in it and one digit for the year. Look for that and see if it lines up with other clues about the frame date.
The frame is between 1952 and 1969, due to the serial number placement, and to me "K4" means October of 1964, but the skiptooth parts don't belong then.
Good luck with it!
--Rob
Inside the front fork leg, there should be a stamped date. It's small, and sometimes can be damaged by the axle nuts, but it's worth a shot. If it's a '60s frame, its there for sure.
It's a build date for the fork, and it would read something like "05+4" for May of 1964. There will be a plus sign in it and one digit for the year. Look for that and see if it lines up with other clues about the frame date.
The frame is between 1952 and 1969, due to the serial number placement, and to me "K4" means October of 1964, but the skiptooth parts don't belong then.
Good luck with it!
--Rob
I agree the shiptooth drivetrain is out of place. Simplely for the fact that that chainring looks like it is very snug in that, i'm gonna guess stock chainguard, and the typical cloverleaf chainring in the early 60's was 46tooth and the skiptooth would be the equivilant of a 48 or greater.
