FRANKENSHELBY ! - a little newer that I first thought..

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I picked this at the Ann Arbor swap. Complete except missing crank, sprocket, chain seat post and seat, but came with decent newer wheels and tires that I believe came from a 70's Murray. Gonna be a hodgepodge of vintage and newer parts. Aim is to build a comfortable cruiser that will attract attention.
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Frame has been described as a "Scimitar", I believe this bike is pre-war, mfg. in 1932.
scimitar curved sword.jpg

Fun facts:

Scimitar was used in the middle ages by a Saracen. It originated in the Middle East and has a distinctive curved blade designed for slicing enemies from horseback. The blade is single-edged and curved ending with a sharp point. The blades were ranged from 30 to 36 inches in length. The blade had two styles, such as narrowly curved and deeply curved. This medieval weapon could inflict serious injury to a knight in armor. Due to their relatively light weight, scimitars were commonly used in horse warfare. It was an ideal weapon for slashing opponents while riding on a horse. Mongols, Rajputs and Sikhs used scimitars in battles.
Fork bent back into shape. Tires and tubes look sound, once I got them apart and dried out as they had water in them!
Stripped black paint off,
which left orange, under that is black and under that is original red paint!
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At least all that paint protected the fasteners, as everything unbolts easily.
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I picked this at the Ann Arbor swap. Complete except missing crank, sprocket, chain seat post and seat, but came with decent newer wheels and tires that I believe came from a 70's Murray. Gonna be a hodgepodge of vintage and newer parts. Aim is to build a comfortable cruiser that will attract attention.
View attachment 97660

Frame has been described as a "Scimitar", I believe this bike is pre-war, mfg. in 1932.
View attachment 97662
Fun facts:

Scimitar was used in the middle ages by a Saracen. It originated in the Middle East and has a distinctive curved blade designed for slicing enemies from horseback. The blade is single-edged and curved ending with a sharp point. The blades were ranged from 30 to 36 inches in length. The blade had two styles, such as narrowly curved and deeply curved. This medieval weapon could inflict serious injury to a knight in armor. Due to their relatively light weight, scimitars were commonly used in horse warfare. It was an ideal weapon for slashing opponents while riding on a horse. Mongols, Rajputs and Sikhs used scimitars in battles.
Fork bent back into shape. Tires and tubes look sound, once I got them apart and dried out as they had water in them!
Stripped black paint off,
which left orange, under that is black and under that is original red paint!
View attachment 97663
At least all that paint protected the fasteners, as everything unbolts easily.
View attachment 97664
I was wondering where horsefarmer was , better late then never . Your sword is nice , but this might end up being a gun fight ?:happy:
 
Yes! The Equestrian Agriculturalist is in!
Nice start for a build. Will enjoy following this one.
 
I dig it !
 
IMG three.jpg
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Multiple layers of paint is good for protecting metal!
I'm not sure which picture is before and which is after paint stripping.:39:
Sorry RM, the second pic is actually as I found the bike.
Did mock up today with different fenders and chainguard.
 
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Stripped down to frame, don't think any paint is worth saving on it.:cry:May try more oven cleaner on the lumpy super heavy drips and runs, or maybe just try a wire wheel and or sandpaper to prep for paint.
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Such a cool head badge!
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Whatever you do, don't touch that badge! It's perfect as is!

This frame would be a great candidate for Zip Strip. It's toxic so lay down a plastic drop cloth you can wrap up and throw later, wear heavy duty rubber gloves and have no exposed skin, 3M breathing filter, and you will have great results.

I put it on pretty thick, then let it sit for 20 mins. Scrape off with a plastic scraper / putty knife for all but the small corners. Use a bendable scaper cut from a Cool Whip container (you can make 4-5 from one container) to get around and in between.

Here's a couple of photos from my work on my Desert Sky klunker build a few years back.
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That curved tool I found at a flea market. Worked great for the rounded surfaces!

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Yup! A brazed frame underneath all that heavy orange paint.

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And a fresh spray bomb paint job.
 
Got this post and seat out of my stash. Don't know why it isn't a regular lucky 7 post tho.
seat post.jpg

Can't get seat flat, have to put seat guts forward to get seat not to tilt at a jaunty angle...
seat 1.jpg
seat angle.jpg

I'm sure I would like to offset the seat as far back as possible for leg comfort. Does anone know if I can heat and bend the top of the seat post to remove the curves and make it a regular lucky 7 laid back post?
 
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Well, The icky paint is finally gone!
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The heavy brushed on layers saved the threads from rust but what a pain to remove.
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Got the bars, stem and truss rods stripped and polished. The chrome is missing is some spots, maybe some silver paint will help?
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Cool fork details...
 

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