The Flying Penguin

[economessed]

I picked up a 1960 something Shelby Hiawatha at a rummage sale for $35 because I wanted a cruiser and didn't want to drop $500 on a new one. This Shelby looked like a good candidate for a rat rod, so in the truck it went.

And then I had to get it apart and paint it. I used a wire wheel on my angle grinder to buzz the paint off in about an hour, and then shot it with etching primer (I LOVE that stuff!!!).

Next came paint. I wanted to keep the same color theme as the original, so I shot it in Acrylic Enamel from NAPA with a generous dose of hardner (recipe calls for 8:4:1, but I used 8:4:1.75). I also wheeled the chainring and hit it with chrome paint and touched-up SOME of the rust on the rims, but not all of it. Then came the new headset, new seat, new seat post, new bars, new grips, new tubes/tires, new pedals, and mounted a water bottle cage and my Garmin GPS on it. I love the Flying Penguin!!!! I ride this bike everywhere, and it turns heads.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Nice build and a good paintjob. I would think It would look better If you shot some kind of a red design on your chainguard. Just my .02 though. Glad your here and we look forward to more of your builds. :lol:

 

[bikeriderx]

Nice!! Where'd you get the penguin? :mrgreen:

 

[economessed]

I agree about dressing-up the chain guard -- I plan on having "The Flying Penguin" in red letters with black striping. I have a few projects I need to wrap-up first.

And the penguin came out of a cereal box.

 

[mastronaut]

I love that a prize inside a cereal box can inspire such an awesome build! Nice job on the paint!

 

[bikeriderx]

And the penguin came out of a cereal box.

Nice! :mrgreen: I never cease to be inspired by the creative muse that affects people! Good work!!

 

[deorman]

A lot nicer than any overpriced newser! 8) (personal op.)

 

[bikeriderx]

A lot nicer than any overpriced newser! 8) (personal op.)

Haven't heard that term before...What's a "newser"? :?

 

[deorman]

New cruiser. :wink:

 

[bikeriderx]

New cruiser. :wink:

Thanx!! :mrgreen:

 

[economessed]

I was moving a few boxes around tonight and shoved a box of parts from an antique tractor I rebuilt a few years ago. I saw the old pistons there, and said, "HEY -- there is the beginning of a set of killer pedals." So after I mow through my project list, I'll fab-up a set of 1941 Farmall H piston pedals. But before that, I've got a Monarch I want to do, a 3 speed Schwinn fat tire cruiser from the 50's, and a Cannondale SR400 frame I picked-up yesterday for $25. Anyone have any suggestions for a good chemical stripper to remove paint from aluminum frames?

 

[deadman13]

airplane stripper from wallmart and a wire wheel. in the auto section, like $6 a can and you can watch it lift paint.

just dont do what i did and wear flip flips and shorts, short sleeves. i had acid burns all over. luckily its water based.