Some bikes that I rebuilt/restored recently, part II

Here is actually the first bike that I rebuilt/restored, or more correctly, customized, as well as rebuilt in the last year. I did this one before I did the blue one. It is "restomized"(custom restoration), if you will. This is a bike that started out it's life in 1961 as a Schwinn Mark IV Jaguar 3 speed. It is an original Radiant Green bike, that I had to do a total repaint on the frame, as the original green paint was too badly scratched to save, so I had to entirely strip all the original paint off the frame, and redo it with another spray can match job that I found that matches the Radiant green candy metallic paint perfectly on the tank and chainguard, which basically, I was able to save, and just touch up. I finished, basically doing this bike in July of 2010. I was not able to get, and restore a nicer seat for the thing until December of that year. That is why some pictures of the bike show it with a darker, much more weathered seat than the other pictures do. The brighter green 1962 two rivet seat is the one that I have on the bike, now.

The main story about this bike is that I wanted a Mark IV Jaguar that has 5 speed derailleur gearing, but Schwinn never built such a bike from the factory back in the day. So, using the drivetrain parts from a 1965 Schwinn Collegiate 5 speed, I was able to figure out how to lace up the 5 speed axle hub to the fatter middleweight wheel rims, and put a derailleur with shifter on the bike to make it work. It took alot of tweaking and know how to make this kind of gearing to work on a bike like this. Usually, these bikes either came as coaster brake bikes, or as 3 speed models. No 5 speed option was offered on this model.

The premise was to make the bicycle look like that Schwinn DID build it, complete with the special decal 5 speed designation decal graphics that I custom made for the bike. As you saw on one of my first posts that I did, Schwinn did make a 5 speed middleweight bike in 1961-1962, and you saw that in that post, that I restored one of these in 2003. That bike , of course is the limited run 5 speed Schwinn Corvette. I think I did that post in September of 2009. The only difference in between the Corvette, and the Jaguar, was the big frame tank, and the added rear rack, which makes this bike a very beautiful fully dressed bike, to use a touring motorcycle term, if you will. The added derailleur gearing makes this heavy bike a little more responsive on the pedals, as the low gear is actually lower than the three speed hub's low gear is, making it easier to pedal up hill on this bike. Because of the tank, the shifter that is on the top bar of the 5 speed Corvette had to be replaced with a shifter that mounts on the handlebar stem, so that it is out of the way of the tank. This lets the fully enclosed shifter cable free to run down the down tube, over the crank housing, and back to the derailleur, without anything getting in the way on its placing there, on the bottom of the frame. This is the only custom bike that I will probably ever build, as this is the only bike I wanted from Schwinn, that they never built in this configuration. Pretty much everything else about this bike is 100% factory, and period correct as to how Schwinn built this bike in 1961. New for 1960 and 1961 was the new Delta made "Roadlighter" ball headlight, which replaced the Italian made "CEV"headlights of 1959, and prior to that. So the headlightI have on this bike is correct for this era, also, according to the Schwinn literature of the day. Here are the images, of this "restomized" bike. The top picture is an image my daughter took of me with this bike back on May 28th of this year,(2011).

Jim.

Some bikes that I rebuilt/restored recently

It has been a while since I did any kind of posts pertaining to my old bike hobby in which I indulge so much time in. In the last two years, I have rebuilt one bike, and have rebuilt/ customized/ repainted another one. They are both the same model Schwinn bicycle, but two different years.

I just finished basically restoring a Radiant Blue Schwinn 1959 Mark IV Jaguar, back to factory specifications. This is a factory equipped Sturmy-Archer 3 speed internal gearing hub, with thumb shifter bike with hand brakes. It entailed a partial repaint of the frame, and a total stripping, and repainting of the horn tank, and chainguard. The bike was totally ripped down. All the parts were totally cleaned one part at a time, and the bad parts were replaced as needed with period correct parts that I got over friends on old bike forums, eBay, and bicycle swap meets. It involved getting replacement decals for the tank and chainguard, as well as pinstriping for the tank. Banging dents out of the original stainless steel fenders is always fun,(not!) It also involved using a 1958 parts bike to get some of the sorely needed parts that are not being reproduced, and I had to find nice original parts for, such as these correct bolt through bow pedals. Unique to 1959 are these Italian made "CEV" brand headlights. These are the most difficult items to find in any condition, let alone in this nice of shape, without paying through the nose for it. I found this one for five bucks in a headlight grab box bin at a bicycle swap meet last year in Trexlertown. Correct style rear reflector is a reproduction piece that Schwinn, themselves reissued in 2003. I was able to find an automotive touch up spray can paint that was an absolute match for this candy blue metallic paint.You cannot tell the difference where the new paint stops on the frame, and where the original paint starts, it blends in that nice! This is a very beautiful, fully functional "new" 1959 bike again! It has all new cables, with aftermarket period correct blue and white cable wrap, as well as correct reproduction Schwinn Westwind whitewall tires, like these bikes were equipped with when new.

Here are images of the blue 1959 bike.

Jim.

Celebrating the Heritage of Schwinn

Here is a photo I took of two of my antique Schwinn bikes with my son's 2003 Schwinn S-30 21 speed all terrain bike. To the left of that is my 1959 Mk.IV Jaguar 3 speed,which I have owned since 1978. To the right is my all original 1967 Collegiate 5 speed in violet, that I got in 2007.

Jim.

Reconditioned, NOT restored 1949 Schwinn B-6 "Autocycle"

Here is a bicycle that I bought from a guy in Chicago over eBay in November of 2003. The man said that the bicycle was stored in pieces in a very old garage for fifty years. A "garage" find, if you will. The only things wrong, and/or missing from it were; the front wheel with the front drum brake set up, the original kickstand was badly bent, and the original seat pan needed repainted, and reupholstered in new cowhide leather. The original leather was dry rotted off.

The bike came to me in pieces, like I said,but EVERY, and I mean EVERY original screw, nut, washer, and other fasteners,were ALL THERE!! I find that to be incredible. What I did,was I completely broke the bike down the rest of the way, to the bare frame, and other components, totally cleaned, greased, and did very minor touch up paint work to the components. The original decal graphics were too far gone to save, so I got new decals for it from Martin's Bike Shop, in Hinkletown, PA, which is on US Route 322, just east of a town called Ephrata, in northern Lancaster County,PA. They have a lot of the new old restoration stock parts that the new Schwinn bicycle company makes for their old Chicago, USA built bicycle. Schwinn bikes are still made, but like everything else, nowadays, they are made in China. They are still headquartered in California, though. The crank was bent, and the original pedals were shot, so I got repro parts for these, as well as the kickstand. I sent the seat out to California to get recovered with the correct black cowhide,even embossed, with the correct "Mesinger" script, on top, by a dealer who calls himself "SchwinnXChange". Took about a month and a half turnaround time. Although they are in good condition, I could not get the tank horn,and fenderlight to work, so I left them alone. They are clean, and still in the bike though. For me, it is not critical that they work.The fact that they are still there is amazing enough for me. They only major piece of the bike that I had to totally repaint was the rear carrier. I also had to repaint the back cream colored half of the chainguard, as this area was badly scratched up. The " spear" tip on the front edge of the front fender also needed repainted, as well as the black paint in front of that. The cream "wedge" on the bottom edge of the back fender was repainted, too. All the dents were carefully removed( they were very minor), from the fenders, tank, and chainguard, before I did the touchup paint work. Eighty-five percent of the bike's paint is original!! I also redid by hand, the original design red pinstriping, that was very faded, The original fenderlight lens was in perfect shape, so I let it go. I later had to replace it,because something heavy fell squarely on the lens in my hobby room, and cracked it. I still have it, it's just not on the bike. Also had to replace the original chain. it was rusted solid in places, and about 1/4 of the links were cracked. After I did all this, the bicycle was re-assembled into one unit for the first time, from what I was told, since 1954!! I had to wait before I could put it back together, because the original rear wheels finish was shot, and the front wheel, was not even a Schwinn wheel. So, through my dad, I got a very nice set of double knurled Schwinn S-2 wheels, with VERY nice original chrome, from the aforementioned SchwinnXChange, of California, but the front wheel did not have the "Forebrake" drum brake set up that the bike originally had. Then I totally reassembled the bike after this. I only completed the bike last July,(2008) with the "Arnold,Schwinn&Co." front drum brake set up complete with cable, mounting clips, and lever ,from a guy on eBay.

The front fork is the original locking front "Knee-Action" "Cycelock" springer unit.

The rear wheel is equipped with a "New Departure", Model "D" rear coaster brake single speed rear axle.

The rear fender reflector is the original CORRECT unit. Those monster size Phantom reflectors are not correct original equipment for Schwinn B-6's.

The tires are reissue Carlisle "Lightning Dart" Indian head nylon cord whitewall tires.

This bicycle is almost an exact replica of a bicycle that my dad bought brand new as a teenager in the late 1940's. That's why I did this project.

Here are pictures of the reconditioned bicycle.

Jim.

Something rarer than hen's teeth!

Here's my old 1961 Schwinn Corvette 5 speed that I have owned since 1975. In the last four years I have been in the process of trying to correctly restore it. It is now about 99.5 percent complete. The only thing that is blatantly incorrect is the 1975 Schwinn Super Sport generator set that I bought for the bike in that year when like I said, I acquired the bicycle. When I got it in the late spring of that year,it was just basically a frame, but it still had it's original wheels, and the shifter on the top tube.Other than the seat, handlebars,crank and sprocket,everything else was missing. In 1975, I was seventeen years old. I was still able to do a mechanical rebuild with then contemporary components, my dad and I used the bike this way for thirty years. Thanks to the internet, and mostly eBay, I started a correct restoration of it in 2005. It is now just about complete. It only needs a Delta ball toggle switch headlight to be 100 percent correct and complete.

These scanned film photos were taken in September of 2008.

Jim