'Gas Pipe Special' - Finished at last :)

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Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
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Location
Toronto, Canada
A 1950 Schwinn Hornet straight-bar that I got off Ebay. Spent a lot of time under a leaky roof by the looks off it.

1950Hornet1.jpg


The rims & spokes were a lost cause and I'm going to build a board-tracker so the fenders aren't needed either. I'm thinking Nexus-4 on the back, Brooks saddle & primer-red paint...

1950Hornet1-2.jpg


1950Hornet1-4.jpg


Took advantage of the fact that it didn't rain/hail storm in Toronto on the weekend and ground off the paint with a drill & 8 nylon wheels:

1950Hornet1-5.jpg


1950Hornet1-9.jpg


If the weather holds up tomorrow I'll attack the frame with some rattlecan primer
 
Re: Indi-ain't (the name is a work in progress)

Cool bike, but where and what are the serial numbers? I thought the frames had bolt on kickstands until the mid 50's.
 
Re: Indi-ain't

OK, we had a couple of days without too much rain so I did a little rattle-can painting.

1950Hornet1-7.jpg


1950Hornet1-8.jpg


Primer red with a camo chocolate-brown fade, Took a couple of passes to get it right but I'm pleased wit the effect. Went over it again with a 'matte' clear-coat but it looks kinda shiny to me... Have to work on that later. Wheels got 6 coats of primer red and some clear and the forks got the brown. Notice the 'professional' paint booth.

PICT6947.jpg


1950Hornet1-11.jpg


Did a quick mock-up of the bike, special effects courtesy of my daughter's bubbles

PICT6958.jpg


Waiting for a headset and 1" threaded to 1-1/4" threadless adapter so that I can use a mountain-bike stem. Also I have to figure out how to bend the seatpost to mount the saddle further back. The rear wheel is a 4 speed Shimano and the lever is from Ebay.

Gonna make a tank insert out of some plywood and stain it to match the rest of the bike...
 
Re: Indi-ain't

Cheers!
The tires are off an old Hampton Brownie that I built up for my father in law last year.
http://www.hamptoncruiser.com/bikes/bro ... ew_wh.html
They are 'Brooklyn speedway' made by Cheng Shin Tire. I've seen the same basic tire with different branding on the side on other cruiser models.
 
Re: Indi-ain't

Ed_Straker's_Rat said:
Cheers!
The tires are off an old Hampton Brownie that I built up for my father in law last year.
http://www.hamptoncruiser.com/bikes/bro ... ew_wh.html
They are 'Brooklyn speedway' made by Cheng Shin Tire. I've seen the same basic tire with different branding on the side on other cruiser models.
Man I would love to get my hands on those tires. lol they look good!
 
Re: Indi-ain't

Nice color choice! Bike looks great!
 
Re: Indi-ain't

This looks sensational!
The fade is perfect, and color choce fits the same way. Super job.

And the bubbles made me think I was watchin' a build on Lawrence Welk... (Oops, the age thing again... :mrgreen:

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere
 
Re: Indi-ain't

Thanks for all of the feedback Guys! I wasn't sure about the colour combo when I came up with the idea on paper but now I'm glad I went with the brown/red fade.

Did a more complete mock-up today. I'm messing around with the springer steerer tube to adjust the stance of the bike. If I turn it backwards, the front drops about 4 inches . Looks cool but does something funny to the steering :)

PICT7019.jpg

Regular stance

PICT7007.jpg

Board-tracker stance

I'm probably going to switch the chain to a regular bmx, this one looks a little too shiny. Also switching the stem and painting it to match the springer. Still looking for a bent seatpost. I'll go to the local plumbing supply depot to see if some gas pipe will fit the frame and get them to bend it...
 
Re: Indi-ain't

Right now it's a little difficult to shift with the current setup but I''m hoping the bent seatpost will solve the problem. I'm thinking of grinding out the collar on the shifter and using it as the seatpost clamp to give myself a little more clearance for shifting. If I can move the seat position back maybe 5 inches then the shifter would be out of the way hopefully. It's all trial and error at this point :)
 

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