BO15 1963 Schwinn Corvette "The Honey Rolla"

[SoulGarageOH]

Your build is looking really nice. I really like all the chrome bits and the look of the cream tire.


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[kingfish254]

Shaping up nicely. Find something cool to put on the rack ends. Maybe some little rocket valve caps.

 

[Starnger]

Shaping up nicely. Find something cool to put on the rack ends. Maybe some little rocket valve caps.

I am thinking about making them by myself, just need to figure which way to take now. I could fabricate it in at least three different technics, but if there is a less effort demanding way based on using some existing components it could also make sense. For now my plan is to get some white tubing caps and see which of them fits. The rack rod is 6.3mm, the caps are available in 5.9 and 7.8 sizes. I would order them both and just see how it would work

 

[Starnger]

Got the donor bike delivered yesterday.
It actually was a good deal. What i got from it:
- a set of Typhoon tires
- a nice rusty set of Schwinn branded modern bow pedals
- an extra set of some almost new alu platform pedals that seller has included
- 1-1/8 modern Schwinn stem
- beautiful moon handlebars with great chrome condition, no single rusty spot
- another black Schwinn badge
- a sweetheart sprocket (came loose as an extra, the seller have changed it for another one)
- "S" seatpost clamp bolt

All this from a 100$ bike. Not too bad. I have replaced pedals and stem with used ones i had lying around, the bars with a new less fancy moon bar, put my sticker on the head instead of the badge, and threw some 80's knobby tires from my other Schwinn on. And i already have a buyer for this bike for the same amount of money i spent on it. The guy is American/Norwegian and his dad used to ride Schwinn American back in the days. I believe he'd be happy with it
I also believe it is a really well done and solid frame. Can become a base for a great modern lightweight cruiser one day.

Anyway, here are the beauties i was looking for for such a long time I really love the way whitewalls have faded yellow, it would fit the vintage looks of the bike so much. Tires are in great condition, they are not worn out, soft, no cracks.

Got my rear wheel laced, so i can finally make it a rider. 1998 reproduction Roadmaster chrome rim and Torpedo Duomatic. Can't wait to get to the garage tonight.

I also think the rusty pedals would look better on this bike then the new ones

 

[Starnger]

I've made the little angled spacer to help the reflector to be more horizontal. Used a v brake cup washer for it. Seems it is not enough, or i didn't catch the surface well enough. But better then before. I guess i still would modify it further.

I have rebuilt a front hub to run a 8mm axle that i have recently found. The one i had before didn't work with it, though cones were same the dust caps weren't. Now this one is perfect, and i found a nice matching pair of old cone nuts for it.
Then when i put the wheels on i found out that my Duomatic hub only works on high gear. When i was testing it before lacing the wheel it was fine. I spent the whole evening rebuilding it several times just to find out it is missing few pieces. Then i remembered i have bought another Duomatic, an older model, but some pieces are replaceable. When i took this one apart i was surprised to find the seller "forgot" to put some parts in Every second ball in the bearing was missing. How stupid is it. Why if you have enough skill to take the hub apart would you try to cheat someone saving on bearing balls? They cost nothing and are easy to find. Anyway, it got pretty late, so i did not finish the work. The bike runs and i already gave it a little test ride, but only on a higher gear and the wheel blocks when spins backwards. This hub would need another rebuild and a couple of parts donors. Luckily many parts from a common 3 speed SACHS Driegang are interchangeable too. Thats why i love german engineering. They are not coming up with new solutions when old one works, not trying to make every next piece as incompatible with the previous one as possible, and man, they are good with technical documentations. This hub is really a piece of art inside.
Anyway, that's how the bike looks now. I've put a new polish Dartmoor chain on it. Looks too fresh for the bike actually, but the chain is the element i really want new, so it would roll as smooth as possible.

 

[kingfish254]

Those tires are awesome!

 

[Captain Awesome]

View attachment 126562

That is one sweet ride!!!

 

[OddJob]

Bike looks awesome! Well conceived and executed build!

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

I've freeballed a Duomatic before because two of the bearing cages were toasted. It wasn't easy, but it sure worked well.

 

[Starnger]

I've freeballed a Duomatic before because two of the bearing cages were toasted. It wasn't easy, but it sure worked well.

My hub only works on a higher gear, i don't know why. I have re-hauled it like 20 times now, fixed the other issue with the brake locking, but still no success. When it is open it does work, but as soon as i close the hub it only works on higher gear. I have now ordered another one of same later model as mine to swap the guts and analyze the working hub and try to find the root of my problem once again.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Bummer on the duomatic hub, but the bike really look the part!!
If you can't fix the hub: just do not cycle uphill

 

[amecks]

Great looking bike. I'm building a Schwinn of the same color, so this is helping me picture how it will look. Love the wide whitewalls.

 

[Starnger]

Bummer on the duomatic hub, but the bike really look the part!!
If you can't fix the hub: just do not cycle uphill

Repairing the planetary hubs in my opinion is the most challenging yet the most satisfactory part of bicycle building I will not stop until i make it work! I have found two more hubs like that for sale for 50$ for both and i am going to buy them on Monday. Then worst case scenario is if i won't manage to fix the hub laced in the wheel for some reason, i would just ask the guy who is building the wheels for me to exchange the hub for the older version i have. Housing dimensions are same, so same spokes would do, and repairing the older hub would be easy, since the only issue i did not yet address is the wrong bearing. I can not just swap the insides of the ones i have on my hands though, the shape and amount of the teeth of hub shell and planetary mechanism are different.
Anyway, nothing would stop me from fixing it, and then there only would be little details left! I still hope for two more parcels with parts ordered from US to arrive

 

[Starnger]

Great looking bike. I'm building a Schwinn of the same color, so this is helping me picture how it will look. Love the wide whitewalls.

Me too! I am even surprised how wide they look becasue of their profile, almost like they are 2.35 not 2.125 wide.

 

[Couch tater]

I just went through your entire build thread again and really am impressed with all the rat rod technology that went into piecing together this fine looking build. Nice!

 

[sdframe]

Nice work!

 

[Starnger]

The headlight is working after few adjustments.

However, the original mount is not going to work with my stem

 

[OddJob]

Can you slide the light mount all the way up on the stem, and then flip the mount 180 degrees, so it angles down? The lower light position would be more 'ratty' too.

 

[Starnger]

Can you slide the light mount all the way up on the stem, and then flip the mount 180 degrees, so it angles down? The lower light position would be more 'ratty' too.

I did try it, but then it covers the head badge, and overall the front looks a bit too full.

 

[Starnger]

Hello everyone!
While i am working on fixing everything up, here is a couple of shots of the bike in a daylight