Well folks, I picked this up about 3 years ago for $30 off Craigslist with the intent to restore it. I was banking on the chrome to be nice under the paint as well at the guard and tank. Well I soon found out what a high-mileage, beat, bent, rusty, dented, abused, wrecked, smashed, and left for dead pile this really was. It sat in a barn since the 1980's and looked like somebody did a weird '50's looking "rebuild on this before they parked it.
About a year after I got, a '65 Silver Jet fell into my lap needing relatively little work to bring back to glory. The '65 and '66 model years were nearly identical so I was burned out on this bike. The frame and fork had to go a machine shop to be straightened out and fixed. The fork was bent, the frame was wrecked and sloppily welded beck together. I've NEVER seen a Huffy or a Schwinn with a broken frame. The twin top tubes near the seat post were smashed, tank was gutted. Nothing was left. Then ZZ Top released their music video for "I Gotsta Get Paid" and there was my inspiration for my future Rat Rod. I had my vision, now I needed time.
I'm still working on manufacturing the tail light and headlight but this thing looks nasty and bad to the bone. I love it! My unique license plate mount is made of recycled tail light trim from a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado I came across in a very old local junkyard, the reflector on the hub shiner is off a Spaceliner, the vintage baseball card was found in my step-dad's hoarder house, grips are from a Spaceliner, seat off a '66 Eldorado, fender ornament is NOS Murray, and I have more trinkets I plan to add over the winter. This will get up and go nice quick and rides super smooth. The Michelin tires I bought for it really set if off.
Enough of my rambling, you guys came for the peep show!
BEFORE:
These pics aren't even the first ones! When I got this, it didn't have the rack, rear fender, headlight bezel, I think the front fender was gone too!
PROGRESS PICS:
Mis-matched, bent, locked up, and rusty. Time for a set of new wheels! My parts donor was a '66 Fury.
This stem is the "pits"
On the work stand he goes...
EWWWW!!! Yucky, rusty, dusty, bearings! A whole new bottom bracket was put in. Again, from the Fury I had.
Same deal on the headset...
Admittedly, I first thought this bike was an Eldorado. These fender are the right ones, I picked them up at a swap meet. They were pain in the Gluteus Maximus to clean!
Lousy repair jobs...out of sight...
After that, I didn't really document the build. I think it was around this time my '65 was about done and the cleaned and repaired frame sat in my work bench in the basement for a long time.
AFTER!
AT THE CRUISE IN LAST FRIDAY!!
This was cool, a great turn out of cars and I have never had so many people want to flag me down and talk about one of my bikes. Some were even taking pics! Another first!
My friend's '65 Chevrolet and the Silver Rat in the background:
Taking a pic on the sidewalk of this killer 'Vette...and look who photobombed it, LOL
About a year after I got, a '65 Silver Jet fell into my lap needing relatively little work to bring back to glory. The '65 and '66 model years were nearly identical so I was burned out on this bike. The frame and fork had to go a machine shop to be straightened out and fixed. The fork was bent, the frame was wrecked and sloppily welded beck together. I've NEVER seen a Huffy or a Schwinn with a broken frame. The twin top tubes near the seat post were smashed, tank was gutted. Nothing was left. Then ZZ Top released their music video for "I Gotsta Get Paid" and there was my inspiration for my future Rat Rod. I had my vision, now I needed time.
I'm still working on manufacturing the tail light and headlight but this thing looks nasty and bad to the bone. I love it! My unique license plate mount is made of recycled tail light trim from a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado I came across in a very old local junkyard, the reflector on the hub shiner is off a Spaceliner, the vintage baseball card was found in my step-dad's hoarder house, grips are from a Spaceliner, seat off a '66 Eldorado, fender ornament is NOS Murray, and I have more trinkets I plan to add over the winter. This will get up and go nice quick and rides super smooth. The Michelin tires I bought for it really set if off.
Enough of my rambling, you guys came for the peep show!
BEFORE:
These pics aren't even the first ones! When I got this, it didn't have the rack, rear fender, headlight bezel, I think the front fender was gone too!
PROGRESS PICS:
Mis-matched, bent, locked up, and rusty. Time for a set of new wheels! My parts donor was a '66 Fury.
This stem is the "pits"
On the work stand he goes...
EWWWW!!! Yucky, rusty, dusty, bearings! A whole new bottom bracket was put in. Again, from the Fury I had.
Same deal on the headset...
Admittedly, I first thought this bike was an Eldorado. These fender are the right ones, I picked them up at a swap meet. They were pain in the Gluteus Maximus to clean!
Lousy repair jobs...out of sight...
After that, I didn't really document the build. I think it was around this time my '65 was about done and the cleaned and repaired frame sat in my work bench in the basement for a long time.
AFTER!
AT THE CRUISE IN LAST FRIDAY!!
This was cool, a great turn out of cars and I have never had so many people want to flag me down and talk about one of my bikes. Some were even taking pics! Another first!
My friend's '65 Chevrolet and the Silver Rat in the background:
Taking a pic on the sidewalk of this killer 'Vette...and look who photobombed it, LOL
