Born Again Hawthorne - A Rider it is

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
"Need to add some corrosion to headlight bracket..." ~ MazdaFlyer

Man, I love the sound of those words.:)
 
Looks good! The black pedals look 100% better!

I'd like to see a picture with the stand up and sitting on both tires to get a better look at the lines.
Photos in shade, color washes out.
ab5e8805f9d827b8825a56da32f03b80.jpg

b13252ba9b6f2aa0090a662f752985b7.jpg

57817c1cc1c07fb8dc56de340c67d003.jpg

c7685f7e02f9770e70f1c0241e0f200a.jpg

The stays are pretty much parallel and you can see both, but the rack tends to slope forward. I think I liked it flatter. The black blocks do look better. Persons blocks on Torrington bolts are a tight fit.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
I love this bike! It's an amazing transformation from page one. The only problem..when people see it, they won't know what it looked like when you started.
Thanks! Maybe I need some laminated pics in a hang bag of some sort.
That's one tasty rat!
Thanks. For the props!
"Need to add some corrosion to headlight bracket..." ~ MazdaFlyer
Man, I love the sound of those words.:)
I took the light assembly apart. The shiny steel is in a salt brine. We didn't have any vinegar. Rather funny, spent a bunch of time trying to remove rust, now I'm trying to make rust.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Great job on this bike so far!
Love the taillight (filing that under 'ideas to steal').
I like the idea of moving the headlights up, moving them up will stiffen them too, less movement with a shorter bracket.
Awesome to hear about the weight loss too, keep going!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I looked through my Hawthorne catalog reprint book. I found the rack with one cell taillight listed as a '39-'40 accessory. There was a black version and a chrome version, 84 cents and $1.49.
5b6e5d733beff67388f7b6dde06c3678.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
The stays are pretty much parallel and you can see both, but the rack tends to slope forward. I think I liked it flatter. The black blocks do look better. Persons blocks on Torrington bolts are a tight fit.
I agree, the slope is distracting. It would be nice if you could get it and the chain guard parallel. The pedals look great!

I looked through my Hawthorne catalog reprint book. I found the rack with one cell taillight listed as a '39-'40 accessory. There was a black version and a chrome version, 84 cents and $1.49.
5b6e5d733beff67388f7b6dde06c3678.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Looks like yours is the 'better' version. I'm not sure that the 'best' version would fit. That thing is huge compared to the others! I guess that's why it's more than twice the price of the 'good' version.:rofl:
 
Tweaking or twerking the rack again. I'm out of adjustment in the stock parts. Still not level but the fender and rack braces align.
Picture from a day ago:
1bc2db17ed5a834265a23ca9fe74a298.jpg

Picture from tonight:
3213062adf35d08d63be94723f28a6d2.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tweaking or twerking the rack again. I'm out of adjustment in the stock parts. Still not level but the fender and rack braces align.
Picture from a day ago:
1bc2db17ed5a834265a23ca9fe74a298.jpg

Picture from tonight:
3213062adf35d08d63be94723f28a6d2.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That looks good now.
Not perfect level, but it flows well.
 
Chain guard shows up as an optional accessory in 1937, 48 cents. The deluxe model bikes with chain guards had scallop design cutouts.
1cda8106b701254551a9e0c9038816d4.jpg

Wouldn't a tank look nice...
1cd244e48de34a59686058b5de5a5ae2.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Great looking bicycle right there. GREAT looking bike. If you are worried about the way the rack slopes, you should also worry about(or alternatively) look at the bike stand angles. If you could raise the clip area so the stowed stand is at the same angle as the chainstays, it would eliminate one of the non-matching lines from the mix. It would also match the rack angle better! This frame has so many weird angles, when you then add the drop stand with another different angle, the eye wanders away from the lines of the frame and the lines of the bike in general IMO.
That said, it doesn't really matter that much in the end considering what you have now. skpc
 
Bike looks great!

Great looking bicycle right there. GREAT looking bike. If you are worried about the way the rack slopes, you should also worry about(or alternatively) look at the bike stand angles. If you could raise the clip area so the stowed stand is at the same angle as the chainstays, it would eliminate one of the non-matching lines from the mix. It would also match the rack angle better! This frame has so many weird angles, when you then add the drop stand with another different angle, the eye wanders away from the lines of the frame and the lines of the bike in general IMO.
That said, it doesn't really matter that much in the end considering what you have now. skpc

I think the stand might blend in better if the rack were a wee bit higher in the front making it more level with the guard... but the bike looks great. Looks like the stand is almost parallel with the guard? Love that guard.
 
Last edited:
Ed, what happens if you release it from the stays in the front (the rack) and run a mount off the seat clamp / tube? It would pivot on the point where your rack braces attach to the rack, thus keeping your brace in line with the fender brace, but raising the front end so it parallels the chain guard, like Chad suggested. There is a manufactured hanger for bikes that is U-shaped that the bolt for the seat clamp would go through, that has two holes for the rack mount to be attached. Or, as is on this site, make one from a piece of 1/2 " x 1/8" steel....
 
Wow pretty heady thinking going on today...may take a while to digest. Thanks for all the input.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Great looking bicycle right there. GREAT looking bike. If you are worried about the way the rack slopes, you should also worry about(or alternatively) look at the bike stand angles. If you could raise the clip area so the stowed stand is at the same angle as the chainstays, it would eliminate one of the non-matching lines from the mix. It would also match the rack angle better! This frame has so many weird angles, when you then add the drop stand with another different angle, the eye wanders away from the lines of the frame and the lines of the bike in general IMO.
That said, it doesn't really matter that much in the end considering what you have now. skpc
Thanks for the props! I think the rack is a done deal as is. The wheel stand is an easy fix to get it slope up more. I hadn't really noticed what it was doing. The wheel stand can move up to a notch just above where the photo shows.
Bike looks great!
I think the stand might blend in better if the rack were a wee bit higher in the front making it more level with the guard... but the bike looks great. Looks like the stand is almost parallel with the guard? Love that guard.
Thanks! I think I'll work at raising the rear end of the chain guard. I noticed one of the guards with holes on eBay and also one with the scallops, pricey though.
Ed, what happens if you release it from the stays in the front (the rack) and run a mount off the seat clamp / tube? It would pivot on the point where your rack braces attach to the rack, thus keeping your brace in line with the fender brace, but raising the front end so it parallels the chain guard, like Chad suggested. There is a manufactured hanger for bikes that is U-shaped that the bolt for the seat clamp would go through, that has two holes for the rack mount to be attached. Or, as is on this site, make one from a piece of 1/2 " x 1/8" steel....
I think I'll live with the rack mount as it is. Good suggestion though.
Actually it was TRM....I would have never noticed that on my own..:21:
TRM certainly knows about matching lines based on his build from last year...superb.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
I suppose this is a little off topic but the 2.50" Revolutions that wouldn't fit the Hawthorne found a new place in life on a GT Dyno Kustom Kruiser. This purple bike is the brother of my 2013 BO#8 Kustom Coaster III.
f1f32f7fc52948f6f559ef615b7ec012.jpg

c0258348cff79ae37bd58ff1a162542b.jpg
69633d3c6c77affa38d921041bd63f2d.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
A little vinegar and salt treatment on the light mount parts plus a little copper. I soaked them for a couple of days, took them out to dry. Oxygen making quick work with the corrosion.
741337333e12a430bb990900fcb9e504.jpg

4fff556a51d44db414da97bf16171bde.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top