1940 Schwinn DX Klunker Build

[GTV]

Thanks for that! I ordered the die and found a 2” handle from Home Depot for $8 less.

 

[GTV]

The die arrived last Friday, I didn’t hesitate to try it out and clean up the existing threads by hand. Definitely a great buy for an ameuter like myself. The 2” diameter handle from HD is supposed to arrive this Friday then I can:

Cut threads
Shorten steerer
Install fork
Modify the long truss rods to work (hopefully?)

Once the hoops arrive I can calculate spoke length and build a wheelset. Ohh, and paint the hoops. I’ll test out my 2.25” tires, I’m fairly confident a 2.4” will fit. I think I can make some very minor tweaks to the drop out hardware and shorten up the chain another link.

Stay tuned!

 

[GTV]

This post contains actual progress!!!

I picked up the 2” die handle from Home Depot today and finally got to do a little work. First I cut a bunch more threads:

Then offered it up to the frame to confirm my measurements.

Hacked off nearly 2”

And now this build finally has a proper fork!

Truss rods of course need a trimming. I think I can just flatten the ends further up and drill new holes?

Apologies for the sideways photos, even when I rotate them the other way it uploads like this again

 

[GTV]

Oops, forgot to update this!
Saturday I worked on the truss rods. First I marked them:

Then gave them a squish in the vice

Hammered them flat, offered them back up to the frame and marked the dropouts for the new holes

Drilled a 9/64” pilot and then opened them up to 5/16”

Back on the frame to mark the bottoms for trimming

And this is where I realized that I torqued my Wilton vice too hard while smooshing the ends down and fatally broke it So until I get a new vice or my wheels come in, whichever comes first, this is where the project is.

I must say that converting the girls fork to a men’s frame was easy and much more straightforward than I was guessing. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

 

[GTV]

Brooks Conquest saddle has arrived The red undercarriage will not do so it will receive a couple minor cosmetic adjustments.

 

[GTV]

Scrounged through my parts stash and pieced a clamp together

Feels like it’s getting close now. I’m currently considering keeping it ugly for a season, maybe tear it back down before next season for a proper paint job. Which leads me to my first question...

Is there a guide to Schwinn prewar paint schemes? I want to do a factory layout, but with different colours and maybe from a different year or model. I believe there are stencils available to help with this?

I also need to find some new headset bearings as mine are currently a mix-match of this and that. Of course bike shops around here are of no help, but I know the guys here know

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

These pages have been the ‘standard’ for me for years.

http://www.trfindley.com/pg_schwinn_cats.htm



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GTV]

Still looking for correct headset bearings...
My wheels have not yet arrived, but I did finally get the vise I’ve always wanted, a vintage Wilton bullet with pipe jaws.

 

[hammer mechanic]

nice vise

 

[Speed King]

Great project. It's gonna be sweet.

 

[GTV]

Before

After

I still need to condition the leather but that looks a lot better Like a mini B67. Really happy with the results!

 

[GTV]

Big progress. I Proofhide’d the saddle!

In all seriousness, I am very pleased with the outcome. Upon delivery I was a little worried that it wouldn’t turn up this well. It still shows age, but it has a lot of life left in it.

 

[Speed King]

Big progress. I Proofhide’d the saddle!
View attachment 80786
In all seriousness, I am very pleased with the outcome. Upon delivery I was a little worried that it wouldn’t turn up this well. It still shows age, but it has a lot of life left in it.

Like me

 

[us56456712]

I also have a 1940 Schwinn klunker. I have had many others, CWC, Westfeild and a wishbone frame. The Schwinn rides the best. I just gave away an Excelsior bomber I built from junk. I removed the rear triangle braces, bolted a threaded rod to the drops and widned the spacing with an old steel furniture clamp. Your bike will ride great. The main problem on my klunkers is headsets getting loose. A little blue thread lock fixes that. Other problems include seats and bars that move after a crash or hard drops and bangs. Not as robust as new stuff. I like to use chain tugs with the axle centering bolts in the drops. Most old drops except Colson let you do that. I'm soon going to start on a Colson based skip tooth with a Morrow using 10 x 17 gearing and Schwinn bolt on cantilever front brakes. Can't be any worse than my Bendix manual two speed. That thing had poor brakes that required a way back pedal with low gears. It blew out klunking two summers ago so now I'm running a single speed E110. I have a lot of Bendix manual parts and have rebuilt a few but it is such a poor hub that I'm not going to bother. I like the Nexus 3 speed with low gears on klunkers, but after about 3 years those blow out too. Nexus 3 speed hubs have good breaks with little back pedal using low gears. I'm interested to see how the Morrow works. On some technical sections with rough downhill sections my Bendix would get to hot to touch. If you ride single track you might have a problem with your fork. I had a Schwinn one I straightened on my CWC and it never steared right. I got a Colson fork and it worked great. I could never measure any bend or misalignment in that fork but it pulled. I like your project and it will be a ton of fun.

 

[Hammond Eggz]

Soooo...any updates? I just started a klunker build myself, with a lot of ideas very similar to yours, and was really happy to come across this thread! I would love to see how it came out!

 

[GTV]

Sorry, no updates. It’s still sitting waiting on wheels!

As soon as they arrive I’ll build the wheels with my hubs, mount some rubber and see exactly how I need to modify the chain stays.