Mid-Life Crisis

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Karate Chicken Industries

Karate Chicken Industries

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Corvettes are the archetypal mid-life crises for the American Male. Now that I have a Corvette, it's being transformed into my mid-life crisis. I hope I can still ride it at 118 years old....

Where it started when scored a few weeks ago:

Vette1.jpg


The frame, after a trip to the powdercoater:

Vette2.jpg


After some polishing wheel time yesterday, some of the original parts that are going back onto it are ready. Now the parts collecting begins...
 
MattiThundrrr said:
Gonna need a longer seatpost! I'm only 5'10" and I'm almost at full extension my canti cruiser.
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On bikes meant to deal with, I tend to keep the saddle down and out of my way. The only drawback for me on stock Schwinn seatposts is their tendency to bend. When reassembling my 1940 Schwinn, I noticed the OE seatpost is slightly bent and it was straight on the initial rebuild. It's getting a chromoly BMX seatpost. If the same happens to the OE seatpost on this build, I'll replace it with Chromoly BMX. My intent on this build is to keep as much OE and Schwinn/Schwinn Approved as possible on it.
 
ifitsfreeitsforme said:
curious how much powder coating costs?
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It all depends. I've spent as little as $100 for a frame and over $250. I'm about the durability on most bikes, so it makes sense to me in that light. Even so, I do enjoy creating something custom on the cheap in the paint realm for something that is not made for derring-do on two wheels.

Back to the build, Tange TX-500 BMX fork and long-reach calipers ordered today.

When on the polishing wheel last week, a Schwinn Approved high flange road hubset was polished up so I can try something that hit my brain earlier this year in regards to standard cruiser 110mm rear dropout spacing. I have about 50 serviceable freewheel hubs and if my plan works properly, I'll be able to build as many legit 110mm spaced singlespeed hubs out of them. So glad I did not toss or sell any of the serviceable ones in the stash.
 
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Karate Chicken Industries said:
On bikes meant to deal with, I tend to keep the saddle down and out of my way. The only drawback for me on stock Schwinn seatposts is their tendency to bend. When reassembling my 1940 Schwinn, I noticed the OE seatpost is slightly bent and it was straight on the initial rebuild. It's getting a chromoly BMX seatpost. If the same happens to the OE seatpost on this build, I'll replace it with Chromoly BMX. My intent on this build is to keep as much OE and Schwinn/Schwinn Approved as possible on it.
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I ride my Panther with the seat quite high and bent the MCS cromo posts sold on ebay. The only one i haven’t bent is the solid 6061 alloy atom branded seat post. BTW i’m 6’2 and 230lbs.
3FDD73D1-AF41-40CF-85C2-8B478BEB0560.jpeg
 
JA331 said:
I ride my Panther with the seat quite high and bent the MCS cromo posts sold on ebay. The only one i haven’t bent is the solid 6061 alloy atom branded seat post. BTW i’m 6’2 and 230lbs.View attachment 202573
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You and are about the same height & weight and I have solid seat posts on a few of my bikes including an Atom on my '37 Schwinn. Solid stainless bar stock can be bought for about the same price as a better grade hollow post and polishes up real nice. Stainless is less likely to seize in the bore too.
 
I’ve made a couple of posts from high grade solid stainless bar for my 2 cwc bikes. Nice but heavier which doesn’t bother me. The cwc have a smaller 5/8” post and they have held up fine.
 
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The seatpost you need is from an early Schwinn exercise bike. The one with the inches marked on it for height. It's the toughest post made, for the chubby folks sitting on the exercise bikes. Fits right in stock Schwinn frames.
 
GuitarlCarl said:
The seatpost you need is from an early Schwinn exercise bike. The one with the inches marked on it for height. It's the toughest post made, for the chubby folks sitting on the exercise bikes. Fits right in stock Schwinn frames.
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I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing the one that could have been in last Summer's haul. It was pretty clapped-out and the chainring was good, but I was unaware of the seatpost being a desirable part of it.
 
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I'm not sure when they stopped being the heavy duty post but I think they were on the ones that had the chainring with the bigger holes. Like the one on Harlequin T.
IMG_20220522_130301.jpg

I also have a newer exercise bike with the tiny holes stashed away and it's post isn't the heavy one...
 
Spokes arrived yesterday and the wheels were built while watching the Thursday Foosball last night. Just spinning the wheels in the truing stand after finishing tensioning/truing and those Le Tour branded Shimano high flange hubs just roll forever, akin to Campagnolo cup/cone hubs from that era. Tioga tires and Dia Compe cable guides are on the way. IIRC, there is a winged Schwinn head badge in the stripped down frames from last Summer's haul, which will be dug out and polished to see if it'll look right, even if not proper.
 

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