Cheater Slick: my first muscle build

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I've never gotten into muscle bikes in my previous lives. I didn't really understand them until I started doing some research for this build off, just wondering if I wanted to try to build one. Lots of reading and inspiring pics later and I am hooked! My first pneumatic tired bike that I got for Christmas when I was 4 or 5 (73 or 74) was a spankin' new Huffy Buckaroo with butterfly bars, banana seat, tassles and all. We were not a wealthy family so I don't know how my folks afforded it. My bike was pretty much just like this one but with street tread tires:
huffy-buckaroo_1_40c7bb965e873f28f4933dab9e34c908.jpg


Over time I rebuilt it into my first BMX-ish bike. Later on my dad converted it to a drop tube frame and put the original parts back on it for my sister. I think my parents might actually still have the bike. If that's the case I may do yet another rebuild on it at some point.

When I decided to do a muscle bike build I looked around for a likely candidate but nothing popped up locally. One evening I was looking through some posts of crazy cool bikes by @CRASH and contacted him to see if he might have any good projects he would sell. Turns out he did:
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It's a 70s vintage Huffy Cheater Slick which originally would have been fairly similar to my Buckaroo
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CRASH was originally planning to spread the frame to run a 3" wide tire and do some of his cool custom paint. He's still very kindly going to spread the frame and do the wheel building for me (thanks man!!). I'll have it in the next month or so and I'm planning to clean up the chrome and try my hand at a cool metal flake fade. Other details yet to be determined. I'll likely change the name when I think of something that feels right for the build.
 
Oh man! That's the exact bike I had as a kid. I'd run it just like it is!

I posted this photo a day or two ago on another thread, but it's fitting so here it is again
Bike.jpg

How cool is that? It's awesome that you still have pics too. I'm still trying to find pics (uh, photographs) of my old bikes. Too cool. :cool2:
:thumbsup:
 
Glad I can help! I’ll post up progress. I need to place a large spine order for 4 different wheel sets, so I have to do some prep for all of them, including building yin a rear hub. More to come!
Cool, thanks CRASH! I'm pretty stoked on my BMX and klunker builds but I think I might be most exited about this one! I've been into custom cars and motorcycles forever so custom bicycles just seems natural.
 
Luckily it was just mainly (very) gunky. First bath came out nasty. Cleaned up the parts and I’m putting it through a second bath with clean solvent.

Ha ha, I love when I see things on the internet where people leave things to soak.

I have a small jar of petrol/gas and a mid-sized stainless steel bowl, and everything gets washed in a very shallow quantity of the petrol/gas, and if I am not quick enough it all evaporates... :)
 
It's a fork from a 27" bike. I'm not sure if the forward rake is factory or modified. I think it will look cool on the bike, more of a chopper look.
I found that fork from a parts guy I know, so I got it specifically for trying on this project to see if I could make it work. That's why I added it. I also have a 16 x 1-3/4" front wheel from a Huffy Slingshot. Clean rim, brand new spokes, overhauled hub. You may be interested in getting that as well.
 
I also have a 16 x 1-3/4" front wheel from a Huffy Slingshot. Clean rim, brand new spokes, overhauled hub. You may be interested in getting that as well.
You must have been reading my mind. That's a distinct possibility. A 16 up front might look perfect on that fork with the 20" rear. Do they make cool muscle bike tires for 16"?

I've been thinking a lot about the paint for this one. I think I've got the paint scheme semi figured out. I need to research doing decals under or on top of the clear coat.
 

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