Hellion

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Hellion started with a 1959 Schwinn Cantilever frame. I picked it up for 10 bucks, already painted Satin Black with an amateur pinstripe job in Fire Red 1Shot paint. I picked up the 1969 Schwinn Stingray handlebars from the same vendor and I felt that they should go together. From there I slowly collected the parts that the bike was asking for. It needed everything and I had a few things. What I had most of was, off white parts with similar patina. The bike transformed From there. Custom, handmade tank with hand painted scallops. Custom hand made sissy bar brake mount. Custom, hand painted lettering and scallops on the chain guard. I added some ornamental touches, that just make me happy personally. A Persons siren that I have had for a long time, needed to go on this build. A 1950’s Lindbergh Aero Propeller that I recently acquired is mounted to the handlebars. Also a coffin shaped ashtray that I picked from a claw machine at the Kansas State Fair, adorns the handlebars as well. I added skull&bones studs to the ends of the grips for a finishing touch. A Maltese Cross finial, from an old pot, is used to mount the fender. Finally a black and red foxtail to finish off the rear left side of the bike. This all sits on brand new Wheel Master rims, with 12 gage spokes, and a 3 speed hub swap on the rear. I mounted an older set of white wall tires on the rims and touched it off with dice caps. I may have missed something, so here is a build sheet below and a link to the build journal. Thank you to all who looked, liked and lurked on my journaled build process. Thanks to all who cheered me on and gave great advice and input! Special thanks to my wife, @MsAtomicBomb for allowing me to build this bike in our apartment, and for all the help lacing the rear wheel and choosing photos. Special thanks to @hamqqea for all of the help with the wheel lacing and spoke calculation. Without @hamqqea this bike wouldn’t have made it across the finish line with my full vision. Also a thanks goes to Green Mountain Sports for trueing my rear wheel after I built it. It took forever but they did a great job! I hope you enjoy what I have created! I had a blast building it and it is a blast to ride!

Thread 'Hellion'
https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/hellion.115734/

Build Sheet:
1959 Schwinn frame with Satin Black paint and Fire Red 1Shot pinstripes
1969 Schwinn Stingray handlebars with a Wald stem
1950’s Schwinn handlebar grips with Skull&Bones studs
Schwinn Mag sprocket mated to Huffy crank arms
Blood Red & Chrome Chain
1960’s Murray Chain Guard
Vintage Wald pedals in white
Shimano 333 3 Speed Click Stick Tall Shifter
Wheel Master 26” rims w/12 gage spokes & 1970’s Shimano 3 speed hub
White Wall tires with weathered patina and Dice Caps
1970’s Huffy brake lever and caliper with new cables
Springer Fork new aftermarket
Huffy rear fender with Maltese Cross mount
Vintage Mudflap
Vintage Banana Seat with new Sissy Bar
Headlight aftermarket

Custom Touches:
Handmade Custom Tank with Hand Painted Scallops
Handmade Custom Sissy Bar Brake Mount
1970’s Shimano 3 Speed hub mated to a 26” Wheel Master rim
Hand Painted Chain Guard with Custom Lettering and Scallops
Amateur Pinstripes from an unknown artist

Ornamental Touches:
1950’s Lindbergh Aero Propeller mounted on the handlebars
Persons Siren
Coffin shaped Ashtray keychain attached to the bars with chain
Skull&Bones studs mounted to the ends of the handlebar grips
Maltese Cross finial fender mount
Black & Red Foxtail
Dice Tire Caps with the eyes painted red
Vintage Mudflap
Acorn nuts to finish off bolt ends

 

[kram]

This build really came together!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

This build really came together!

Thank you much! Glad I made it to the finish!

 

[Captain Awesome]

Outstanding! That tank still blows me away

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Hands-down your best bike yet! That tank alone is one of the best pieces of Rat Rod Bikery I've ever seen! Great job turning the cool factor up to 11 on that $10 Schwinn frame!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Outstanding! That tank still blows me away

Thank you much! I appreciate you following along!

 

[GeePig]

Yep, what you were doing with that tank helped me on my way to designing my own tank!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Hands-down your best bike yet! That tank alone is one of the best pieces of Rat Rod Bikery I've ever seen! Great job turning the cool factor up to 11 on that $10 Schwinn frame!

Thank you @Bike from the Dead i appreciate the kind words!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Yep, what you were doing with that tank helped me on my way to designing my own tank!

Thank you much @GeePig it was a fun process that I was happy to share!

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Really cool bike, i would ride that anyday of the week! Congrats on the beautiful build!

 

[kingfish254]

I have to say that this was one of the bikes that I enjoyed following the most this year. It's just loaded up with so much cool stuff. Watching that tank come together was pure art!
Beautifully executed build brother!
BRAVO!!!

 

[marshall hudson]

Excellent job. The tank alone is a work of art. Congrats.

 

[Pondo]

What a sweet ride! I love all the personalized touches and especially the custom built parts. Nice job on the wheel building as well, I need to learn that skill soon. Very cool!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Really cool bike, i would ride that anyday of the week! Congrats on the beautiful build!

Thank you for the kind words. Appreciate you checking it out!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

I have to say that this was one of the bikes that I enjoyed following the most this year. It's just loaded up with so much cool stuff. Watching that tank come together was pure art!
Beautifully executed build brother!
BRAVO!!!

Thanks for following along! Again a lot of fun! Always fun to watch your builds!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Excellent job. The tank alone is a work of art. Congrats.

Thank you! Glad I made it to the finish line!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

What a sweet ride! I love all the personalized touches and especially the custom built parts. Nice job on the wheel building as well, I need to learn that skill soon. Very cool!

Thank you for checking it out. It was a fun build and I tested my abilities which was fun and challenging.

 

[hamqqea]

Thanks for the mention. Exquisite job building out of an apartment. We could see your persistence, accomplishing new things. It was my pleasure providing a hand to keep you moving along. You put in the work from go and it paid off. I enjoyed observing your processes while making a beautiful work of art.

Until the next one.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Looks like the Hellion got me banned from the Old Bikes Club on Facebook. Boohoo! A “moderator” didn’t like the brake setup and had to say something. I said something back, then reposted the conversation on Old Bikes Club forum, where I originally posted the bike for tail end Tuesday. I was just surprised that a moderator would have so much to say. Just keep scrolling ya know? The only reason I joined that group was to keep up on the swap meet in Denver. Reminds me why I stayed away from Facebook for so long. I wondered if this mouth lurks around here too.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Looks like the Hellion got me banned from the Old Bikes Club on Facebook. Boohoo! A “moderator” didn’t like the brake setup and had to say something. I said something back, then reposted the conversation on Old Bikes Club forum, where I originally posted the bike for tail end Tuesday. I was just surprised that a moderator would have so much to say. Just keep scrolling ya know? The only reason I joined that group was to keep up on the swap meet in Denver. Reminds me why I stayed away from Facebook for so long. I wondered if this mouth lurks around here too.

1. Facebook sucks anyhow
2. Dude's a tool
3. If said dude is here, feel free to make yourself known