24" boys Montgomery Wards Hawthorne

[SuperStuff]

Here is a 24" boys Montmomery Wards Hawthorne I want to work on this spring. I took these pics years ago when I first brought the bike home. It sat in a small pile of bikes sitting in my back yard for awhile. It took awhile for the PB Blaster to works it's magic enough for me to disassemble everything. Notice the forks look bent. At least that's what I thought originally, but after seeing this often on several Wards Hawthorne bikes I believe the forks to have been mounted backwards once I saw pics of one with the forks mounted that way. A bit unusual and I can understand why people would have assembled the bikes incorrectly at the store when sold.

 

[TheFlyingDingo]

Awesome SS

Want a fork?
I gots me some forks

 

[carolina rat]

You have had this bike sitting around for years and it took this long for it to call out to you? You must be hard of hearing, because it screams RIDE ME! Cool bicycle man.

 

[SuperStuff]

When I disassembled it last year I thought the fork was bent and I bought a 24" fork with braces from Crassly as a replacement. I haven't decided yet, but I might actually flip the original forks around and use them like in this picture by musclebikes that was posted in January. Notice how the forks are bent just like mine, but flipped in the other direction. The fender curve follows the lines of the bottom frame tube perfectly so it has to be designed to be used that way. I can't seem to find the original seat though. I may have tossed it when I was clearing away some bike parts sitting in a couple boxes last year by accident.

 

[SuperStuff]

You have had this bike sitting around for years and it took this long for it to call out to you? You must be hard of hearing, because it screams RIDE ME! Cool bicycle man.

I've been a 20" muscle bike collector mainly so that's why it sat. I'm trying to get with the vintage balloon tires more after seeing all the cool ones you've got.

 

[TheFlyingDingo]

That fork still bothers me...lol

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah,Im no expert,but Id say those forks are bent.

They look to be hollow tubes and easily bendable.

 

[Kreep]

Forks are deff.bent...Wouldn't sugest turning them around or using them at all.

-Kreep-

 

[Markm]

Very cool ride!!!!
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[SuperStuff]

Asked some balloon tire bike gurus and the thought is the forks are bent. They showed me some crazy tool to unbend the forks, but I think I just need to find the one I bought from Crassly last year for this bike.

 

[CCR]

is this your mystery frame outlaw ??

 

[OUTLAW]

yep thats it an the forks are not bent, just the way they are made, mine are the same way, except i can not use mine the neck is still stuck in it. mines a 1955

Outlaw :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[musclebikes]

Ive been building one of those for about five months now, I found it in a friends junkyard. Those bikes are hard to find parts for, you cant even buy most of them new.

Nice bike

 

[OUTLAW]

yeah, i like mine, will be a good rat, Black Wicked, gettin ready for the buildoff

Outlaw