I'll be building my Aunt Suzanne's Murray-built Western Flyer Sonic Flyer for the Step-Thru Build Off. I've had it sitting on this pegboard for over 4 years now, and I think it's time to finally stop stalling on this bike and actually get it done.
STBO Stirrup: the Hornets' Nest
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
- Start date
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So what's the story on this bike? Well, back in February 2020, not long after my Grandad (Dad's and my aunt Suzanne's dad) passed away, we were going through his stuff. They told me about an old bike my Aunt Suzanne had that was sitting in one of Grandad's sheds, and that I was free to have it if I wanted it. Sure enough, this old Western Flyer was sitting inside the shed with the most dirt dauber nests out of them all!
I pulled it out of that shed (thankfully, without getting stung,) and checked it out. It was actually in fairly decent shape despite where it sat for who knows how long, but it was absolutely covered in dirt daubers' nests! There were nests on the basket, on the wheels, under the seat, under the rack, and even inside the tank! I think I came up with the name right then and there: Stirrup: the Hornets' Nest!
I've picked up a few bikes that I could call barn finds, but this old Western Flyer practically is a barn find! I thanked Aunt Suzanne for the bike, and loaded it up in the bed of my dad's truck to take it home.
Now admittedly, I don't know too much about this bike. I asked Dad and Aunt Suzanne if they could tell me more about it, but neither remember much about it other than that my aunt had it decades ago when she was younger. I don't know when she got it or how, nor have I looked up the serial number to find out how old it is just yet, but just the fact that it's another bike I got from a family member is good enough for me!
I pulled it out of that shed (thankfully, without getting stung,) and checked it out. It was actually in fairly decent shape despite where it sat for who knows how long, but it was absolutely covered in dirt daubers' nests! There were nests on the basket, on the wheels, under the seat, under the rack, and even inside the tank! I think I came up with the name right then and there: Stirrup: the Hornets' Nest!
I've picked up a few bikes that I could call barn finds, but this old Western Flyer practically is a barn find! I thanked Aunt Suzanne for the bike, and loaded it up in the bed of my dad's truck to take it home.
Now admittedly, I don't know too much about this bike. I asked Dad and Aunt Suzanne if they could tell me more about it, but neither remember much about it other than that my aunt had it decades ago when she was younger. I don't know when she got it or how, nor have I looked up the serial number to find out how old it is just yet, but just the fact that it's another bike I got from a family member is good enough for me!
The next month, March 2020, I began disassembly of this old Murray, and found even more dirt dauber nests than what I'd seen when I pulled it out of the shed earlier.
As soon as I took apart everything, I knocked out the dirt dauber nests and washed all the parts. After that, I placed everything on that pegboard rack, where it had been sitting for the last 4 years. Between trying to figure out how I wanted to clean up this bike and focusing on more creative bike projects, this old Western Flyer's just been sitting waiting for me to get it done. I'm not sure where the headset hardware's gone (though I have an idea,) and the rusty wheels were donated to my 2022 RRBBO entry, Shoestring.
Here's the plan for this old Western Flyer: I'm not going to do anything crazy with this bike. I'm just going to clean up this bike as best as I can, clean off as much rust as possible without messing up the paint, and restore it to riding condition. I'd like to get the headlights working again if I can, and if I can find a replacement lens, that'd be great too.
I haven't started on it yet, mostly because I've spent the past couple weeks just working on cleaning out the garage where I build all my bikes. I've almost got my workspace where I want it, but I'll have to wait until after my brother's and sister-in-law's baby shower to start working on this bike again.
As soon as I took apart everything, I knocked out the dirt dauber nests and washed all the parts. After that, I placed everything on that pegboard rack, where it had been sitting for the last 4 years. Between trying to figure out how I wanted to clean up this bike and focusing on more creative bike projects, this old Western Flyer's just been sitting waiting for me to get it done. I'm not sure where the headset hardware's gone (though I have an idea,) and the rusty wheels were donated to my 2022 RRBBO entry, Shoestring.
Here's the plan for this old Western Flyer: I'm not going to do anything crazy with this bike. I'm just going to clean up this bike as best as I can, clean off as much rust as possible without messing up the paint, and restore it to riding condition. I'd like to get the headlights working again if I can, and if I can find a replacement lens, that'd be great too.
I haven't started on it yet, mostly because I've spent the past couple weeks just working on cleaning out the garage where I build all my bikes. I've almost got my workspace where I want it, but I'll have to wait until after my brother's and sister-in-law's baby shower to start working on this bike again.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
It has two hub shiners, the other day, someone said that is good luck. Congratulations, you may have already won...
PS I really like the peg board organization system. Do all your disassembled bikes and parts get racked like that?
PS I really like the peg board organization system. Do all your disassembled bikes and parts get racked like that?
Ha, thanks Matti! Not sure this Western Flyer will have hub shiners again, but I may consider putting them back on.
Thanks! Ha, I wish! I've got a few parts and one other bike on a pegboard or rack of sorts, and other small parts in plastic drawers in my workspace out in the detached garage, but over in storage, it's only what I can describe as "organized chaos." Some parts are organized, and as for the rest, it's chaos!
I've been slowly reorganizing everything so it's easier to find parts without firewalking over everything, and I'm making good progress, at least out in the garage. You might get a kick out of how I stored some parts on this rotating rack of mine! It's not perfect, but it's better than before.
Once I get done cleaning up my workspace, I might show you just how bad it was after my last "mockup mash."
Finally finished cleaning up the detached garage last night.
Here's what it looked like before:
And here's what it looks like now:
I'll move these cranks with chainrings to the pegboard that Stirrup's sitting on once I start working on that bike.
Here's what it looked like before:
And here's what it looks like now:
I'll move these cranks with chainrings to the pegboard that Stirrup's sitting on once I start working on that bike.
Time for some actual build updates!
On Monday, I took Stirrup off the pegboard rack and put it on my work stand. Right away, I spotted something that I either didn't notice before or had completely forgotten about. Turns out, the left seat stay is bent inward a little bit. I'll want to bust out some string and make sure the rear triangle isn't misaligned now that I know it's like that.
Next, I snapped a photo of the serial number, and just now looked it up with this guide. Looks like this Western Flyer was built in 1966. Cool!
I checked the condition of the fork race by cleaning it with with a brass wire brush and some #0000 steel wool. Thankfully, the race is in good condition! I can use it as-is!
I wanted to test and see if I could clean up the paint and a bit of the surface rust using rubbing compound. While it didn't do anything to the rust, it did shine up the paint a little. The left seat stay has been treated with rubbing compound, while the right one has not.
After that test, I went ahead and applied rubbing compound to the whole frame. I then followed it up with some SC Johnson paste wax to seal in the shine. Got to say, after spending a little time shining up the lovely teal paint on this bike, I'm feeling a lot more motivated to get this bike rolling again!
Speaking of getting this bike rolling again, the last thing I did on Monday was assess the bearing cups and search for replacement bearings. One headset bearing cup was fine, but the other had some wear on it, so I dug around for a replacement. Fortunately, I think I found a few. Granted, some have an indentation on the mounting surface that the original didn't have, and some of these are a bit iffy on the condition, but I know I have at least 1 replacement here that'll work. If not, I have a few Murray bikes I can rob parts off of if need be.
I also found some replacement headset bearings too. Some of these may be too far gone, but I've got plenty here that'll work just fine. I just need to some them in some Simple Green in my ultrasonic cleaner, and I'll be in business!
Yesterday, I tackled the bottom bracket hardware. I didn't take any before photos, sorry, but I did find good replacements for the bottom bracket races. I cleaned them up with a brass wire wheel on my dad's grinder, along with the original hardware and the threads on the crank.
On Monday, I took Stirrup off the pegboard rack and put it on my work stand. Right away, I spotted something that I either didn't notice before or had completely forgotten about. Turns out, the left seat stay is bent inward a little bit. I'll want to bust out some string and make sure the rear triangle isn't misaligned now that I know it's like that.
Next, I snapped a photo of the serial number, and just now looked it up with this guide. Looks like this Western Flyer was built in 1966. Cool!
I checked the condition of the fork race by cleaning it with with a brass wire brush and some #0000 steel wool. Thankfully, the race is in good condition! I can use it as-is!
I wanted to test and see if I could clean up the paint and a bit of the surface rust using rubbing compound. While it didn't do anything to the rust, it did shine up the paint a little. The left seat stay has been treated with rubbing compound, while the right one has not.
After that test, I went ahead and applied rubbing compound to the whole frame. I then followed it up with some SC Johnson paste wax to seal in the shine. Got to say, after spending a little time shining up the lovely teal paint on this bike, I'm feeling a lot more motivated to get this bike rolling again!
Speaking of getting this bike rolling again, the last thing I did on Monday was assess the bearing cups and search for replacement bearings. One headset bearing cup was fine, but the other had some wear on it, so I dug around for a replacement. Fortunately, I think I found a few. Granted, some have an indentation on the mounting surface that the original didn't have, and some of these are a bit iffy on the condition, but I know I have at least 1 replacement here that'll work. If not, I have a few Murray bikes I can rob parts off of if need be.
I also found some replacement headset bearings too. Some of these may be too far gone, but I've got plenty here that'll work just fine. I just need to some them in some Simple Green in my ultrasonic cleaner, and I'll be in business!
Yesterday, I tackled the bottom bracket hardware. I didn't take any before photos, sorry, but I did find good replacements for the bottom bracket races. I cleaned them up with a brass wire wheel on my dad's grinder, along with the original hardware and the threads on the crank.
Looking good so far!
Thanks!
Made a little progress yesterday, but also ran into a stumbling block.
I cleaned out the seat tube with a long pipe brush, which thankfully went well.
But when I busted out some thread to find out how straight the frame was, I learned that the rear triangle was off to the left side by about 5/16 of an inch.
I've never straightened out a frame before, but thankfully, I did find a video that showed me how. I just wish it was easier to find that and other videos that showed how on YouTube, as the search function has only gotten worse in the last few years. So many of the search results aren't even related to what I'm asking for these days...
Anyway, I've been told it's best to use a 2x4 to adjust the frame. I've tried using all-thread, nuts, and washers before, but I never had any real luck with that, and I'm told it isn't as precise as the 2x4 prybar technique, as you don't control which side of the triangle actually bends; you're just widening or narrowing the space between the dropouts.
I'll see if I can find a spare 2x4 long enough to adjust the frame today, and hopefully I'll be able to fix the frame later this evening. I'll also take the pedals and a few other pieces of hardware over to my dad's shop today to clean up the threads with the wire wheel.
I cleaned out the seat tube with a long pipe brush, which thankfully went well.
But when I busted out some thread to find out how straight the frame was, I learned that the rear triangle was off to the left side by about 5/16 of an inch.
I've never straightened out a frame before, but thankfully, I did find a video that showed me how. I just wish it was easier to find that and other videos that showed how on YouTube, as the search function has only gotten worse in the last few years. So many of the search results aren't even related to what I'm asking for these days...
Anyway, I've been told it's best to use a 2x4 to adjust the frame. I've tried using all-thread, nuts, and washers before, but I never had any real luck with that, and I'm told it isn't as precise as the 2x4 prybar technique, as you don't control which side of the triangle actually bends; you're just widening or narrowing the space between the dropouts.
I'll see if I can find a spare 2x4 long enough to adjust the frame today, and hopefully I'll be able to fix the frame later this evening. I'll also take the pedals and a few other pieces of hardware over to my dad's shop today to clean up the threads with the wire wheel.
RJ the Bike Guy is good for those kinds of videos on YouTube. I’ve had good success with the 2x4 method, just go slow.
That's actually the channel where I found the video I was looking for!
I'll definitely take it slow, but as an added measure, I'm going to see if I have a junk frame in storage I can practice with first. I'd rather mess up on a frame I don't care about than risk messing up one I intend to build.
Great looking find and start. Hoping things straighten out the way you want! 
That's not a Western Flyer but it could have been, it's the same Murray frame they used on Western Flyers. So it's not a big issue that it's a Sears bike going by the label on the seat tube. Sears used a 502 number but yours is clearly a Murray number M06 is 1966 and the X10 was used by Western Flyer, Maybe there was a mixup at Murray or someone had Sears decals and tried to make a Spaceliner?
On the rear stay fix, just one side is bent, so I think you should just work on that side. I would put something under the upper and lower parts of that stay and use the 2 x 4 to press down right where the bend is. The tubing isn't that strong so just your weight on it may straighten it. If it still has a bend then some hammering on the 2 x 4 would be needed. You can check it by putting the rear wheel in and seeing how it aligns with the seat stays and chain stays. Evenly set in the dropouts the wheel should be evenly spaced in the stays.
On the rear stay fix, just one side is bent, so I think you should just work on that side. I would put something under the upper and lower parts of that stay and use the 2 x 4 to press down right where the bend is. The tubing isn't that strong so just your weight on it may straighten it. If it still has a bend then some hammering on the 2 x 4 would be needed. You can check it by putting the rear wheel in and seeing how it aligns with the seat stays and chain stays. Evenly set in the dropouts the wheel should be evenly spaced in the stays.
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The tank has an actual decal/painted graphic on both sides that reads "Western Flyer," the chain guard says "Sonic Flyer, which was a Western Flyer model, and the fork has "W.F." stamped on them, so I don't see how it "isn't" a Western Flyer. Murray made several bikes for Western Auto and other stores (I've seen photos,) Monark made "JC Higgins" bikes for Sears, and I'm sure other manufacturers made bikes for different places as well. There is no hint of a repaint or someone putting different decals on it. Plus, the Spaceliner was the twin-tube frame. Maybe they just kept the Murray serial number, I don't know, but it is a Western Flyer, I know it.
I'd have to mount a wheel to know for sure. The space may be right, but if so, then it means I'd have to move both sides to be correct.
As for the rest of what you said... I don't understand what you're saying, sorry.
Today didn't go quite like I expected, but I did spend a little time today cleaning up the threads on the pedals and a few other parts at my dad's shop today.
I was going by this decal, thinking it was a Sears emblem.
I looked for a 66 Western Flyer and now see it's a Western Flyer emblem on the seat tube. I stand corrected.
I looked for a 66 Western Flyer and now see it's a Western Flyer emblem on the seat tube. I stand corrected.
I gotcha. I can kind of see why you'd think it might be a Sears, given the shape in the middle, but it is hard to tell given how worn it is.
Here's a better idea of what it might have looked like, thanks to another bike I have.
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Nice Hand lettered tool box!
Thanks! That's actually my dad's toolbox.
