my first schwinn... 50's i think

[gravediggerjason]

hey all got my first schwinn today .... saw it in an antique shop display and had to snatch it up .. was about knocked on my butt when i flipped the price tag over, you know how antique shops are, $35 bucks i had to double check the tag , she's rough but just a little air in the tires and its a rider... ok theres ALOT of lube and maintance before i can leave the driveway....

here she is

ok maybe a bit rougher then i remembered but still i like it ..

now i am not a schwinn guy so the serial number has me lost according to the charts it could be either a 52, 53 ,56, 57, or 59,

B947790... any clues on what this is/was?

 

[skoda]

If that chainguard is chrome, might narrow it down. It could be a few bikes, looks a lot like my 62 American.

 

[Hooch]

I would say its a 59 and has the 26 x 1.75 tires on it
if it has 26 x 2.125 it could be earlier or they coulda been changed lol

 

[new_dharma]

is the serial # on the rear dropout?

If so, 1959

 

[gravediggerjason]

is the serial # on the rear dropout?

If so, 1959

yes thanks it is on the drop out..... thats what i figured but i wasnt sure ...

yes the chain gaurds chrome ....

and the rear is a 26X1 3/4 sure its origanal , schwinn anyway .. the fronts a ten speed tire and wheel .. for now .. thanks for the help guy's

 

[ricksterr1221]

Nice mann!!

 

[emanon]

Yeah, you got a decent deal...for a while there you couldn't find a '50's or '60's frame for less than $50 on ebay. I don't know about where you live, but around here there's always some knuckleheads on craigslist asking like $200 for something like that. Happy ratting.

 

[gravediggerjason]

well its been quite a while since I had anytime to work on bikes but.... over the last two years since I picked up that old turd of a schwinn I manage to sneak in a few hours here... a few hundred there... and well today i think its done.

so my first schwinn..... again.

yup, you can polish a turd!

 

[JLarkin]

Awesome. Only two years in the making, eh? :mrgreen: Two tone was a very nice touch.

 

[schwinnmesa]

Cool man, I love the tank.

 

[Boardtrack fan]

Nice job, I love the paint scheme on the tank.

 

[gravediggerjason]

Thanks its and aftermarket tank with about 3 cans of paint on it! I never could get it to come out just right so i just re-did it about a dozen times then said to heck with it and wet sanded it til it looked shiny and aged... now i love it!

and yup that was most of the two years i think! LOL that and another dozen or so half finished projects...

 

[B607]

After two years, I'm dying to know...what is the serial number??!! Chainguard was from a Deluxe American but the frame wasn't as it didn't have the clips for the hanging tank. (Unless someone removed them) It sure looks better now...nice job.
Gary

 

[gravediggerjason]

After two years, I'm dying to know...what is the serial number??!! Chainguard was from a Deluxe American but the frame wasn't as it didn't have the clips for the hanging tank. (Unless someone removed them) It sure looks better now...nice job.
Gary

Thanks!
B947790.... 59 I think, not that it matters to terribly much any more! it was on the drop out...

 

[Tommy Atoms]

Nice job!!!!

 

[bikeriderx]

Dude! That's awesome! Wher'd you get the tank?

 

[Wildcat]

Nice looking ride!

I bought a repro tank about 15 years ago, $48 at the Schwinn shop. The wife still complains about it. I couldn't find a tank anywhere and I was looking for 25 years. I didn't like the look, so I took off the decals and painted it 3 or 4 times til I matched it up to the paint on my old bike.

Memory lane classics sells the horn unit for 20 and 40 dollars. The 40 dollar horn must be deluxe or original equipment. I got the 20 dollar horn and it fits and works perfectly.

 

[gravediggerjason]

I got mine off of ebay, just a repop same with the rack at one point when I started this project I wanted to make it look like a Phantom and have it all perfect and shtuff .... but... I couldn't wait so picked up a wally world donor bike and stripped it for the all the goodies wheels n tires Nexus 3 speed, the bars, and all head sets. This is how it looked last summer when I just couldnt wait to ride it

Actually wish that Wall-mart still sold that bike I would buy three or four today for parts, it was just 79 bucks and with the threes speed... but now the closest one they have now on their web site has the external gears and I still hate the looks of a derailleur.... plus it cost more this year! Perhaps some year I'll run across the rest of the pieces to make it look like a phantom, but at this point I really am just enjoy'n it. Glad ya all like it!