a little kindness...

[bigweasel]

helped a friend get his leaf blower working (rebuilt the carb) and i found these in my living room when i got home today!

a little bit of road patina, and some post factory paint, but i am stoked!

the bottom one is a colson, minus the chainguard and whatever was on the front fender, but i don't know what year

the top one says schwinn on the downtube and b.f. goodrich on the front plate... as you can see the tank is damaged (the remainder of the lhs is on the seat), but resolveable. the part of the tank still attached has a nickel sized cutout in it, which the other side does not. what went there? and a light attached to the front fender at one time?

if anyone could clue me in to anything more specific about the yrs./identities of these, i'd appreciate it!

 

[Unchained]

That's great! What goes around comes around. :wink: Colson used that frame and tank combination starting in '38 and may have possibly used it in '39 (if I remember correctly). After that ('40 or so onwards) that frame was used (non looptail dropouts) for some time but did not have a tank (I'm a little rusty on this... I will be sure to check a book I have to see that I am not mistaken). Beng the completeness and consistent look of the Colson, and the skiptooth crank, I'd say pretty confidently that it's a 1938.

Could the nickel sized hole in the Schwinn tank be for a horn button? Does it look factory...?

 

[bigweasel]

definitely factory cutout on the schwinn tank... thanks for the info!

 

[Unchained]

No problem!

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Bigweasel,
that BFG Schwinn is a great find! I just got one like that myself, though less deluxe than yours. Yours is an "equipped" ladies model. A ladies Panther or something similar. The guard is like a Phantom. I just picked up a 26" ladies, 1947-48 or so, and it's a similar frame but the less deluxe "feather" chainguard and no tank.

I think yours should have a little ball headlight. Looks like original paint, Radiant Green and Ivory I think though early bikes had some different color names. I'm not up on them as much as with the 60's and 70's bikes.

Post the serial number. If it's pre-1952, it'll be under the crank. If it's 52-70 it's on the left rear dropout by the axle nut. It's not later than 1960 or so.

Both great scores. Gotta love friends who take care of you like that.

--Rob

helped a friend get his leaf blower working (rebuilt the carb) and i found these in my living room when i got home today!

a little bit of road patina, and some post factory paint, but i am stoked!

the bottom one is a colson, minus the chainguard and whatever was on the front fender, but i don't know what year

the top one says schwinn on the downtube and b.f. goodrich on the front plate... as you can see the tank is damaged (the remainder of the lhs is on the seat), but resolveable. the part of the tank still attached has a nickel sized cutout in it, which the other side does not. what went there? and a light attached to the front fender at one time?

if anyone could clue me in to anything more specific about the yrs./identities of these, i'd appreciate it!

 

[bigweasel]

thanks, rob... what year is the bus in yer avatar? i still have a '72 7 passenger that i bought in '87 as my first car.

the no. on the bike is at the lhs rear and is A84623, and there is some rusting detritus on the front fender that might have once been a light...