Hot Rod Bike for my Daughter

[HuffDaddy]

Since I've been hanging out here, I've decided to create a bike for my 7 year old daughter. This will be my first build on here. She'll turn 8 the weekend Autorama is in Detroit. So that's our goal, finish it for she birthday and put it in the show. There's an area in the basement with the Rat Rods/Traditional Hot Rods for bicycles. It will be a great way to get my daughter interested in cool bikes!

I'm going to be working with a 1965 20" Schwinn girl's bicycle I picked up last April at the bike/swap meet show in Ann arbor. I'm planning to paint the frame satin black and get some red rimed wheels and whitewall tires. I'm thinking about modifing the frame a little so I can put a 26" Schwinn fork on it and maintain the same ride height for the frame, does that make sense? Not sure if we're going with a banana seat and high handlebars or a cruiser look for kids with a regular seat and low handbars that work with the theme.

Here's the bike w/ my daugher.

We took it apart, she's starting to show some interest.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Just a thought... Before you decide on the paint scheme and such, google a bunch of rat bike images with her and see what she likes best and then both of you come up with a build plan together. If you make frame mods, be sure that its still comfortable (and safe) to ride. She's lucky to have a good dad!

 

[HuffDaddy]

When my daughter was 7, I built her a banana seat bike using a similar Schwinn frame (it was even white!). She loves it. Her friends love it. It must be something about the seating position and high handlebars they like; but that group ignores the regular bikes, whilst the banana seat bike gets all the attention.

Ruby wants it to have a banana seat and high handlebars. We'll probably try it both ways and see what she likes better.

 

[big kountry]

PeatBog is right I did a 72 Murray Eliminator nanner seat apes an all that stuff for Christmas we rode around town that day all the kids wanted to ride his bike instead of their fancy new BMX's an MTB's he was on top of the world still is he rides every day just remember its for her an you'll build her an awesome bike

 

[HuffDaddy]

Ya, even my wife says it needs to be a Sting-Ray style bike!

I sandblasted the frame.

Work has a sandblasting cabinet, it really comes in handy.

The wheels and tires came in the mail. We put them together, Ruby pumped them up.

 

[HuffDaddy]

Here's a way to get that kickstand out if you need to:

http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/vi...&hilit=schwinn+kickstand+special+tool#p623380

Thanks, that's cool! I do need to remove it.

 

[iven]

heh i found this local im gonna chop, turn it into a man bike an ride it to school haha
i hope to pick it up soon in the next week or so but for $25 i hope its still around.

anyway love those red rims

 

[noodlenoggin]

I'll chime in with everyone else -- we rescued my step sister's Sting Ray L'il Chick from a basement and I cleaned it up for my daughter, who was about seven. She loves it, all the other kids in the neighborhood love it. She's ten now, and wants a bigger one when she outgrows this one.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

I dig any build we do for other folks in our family, especially our 'ladies'. I always seem to put WAY more attention to the design and details of those than ANY bike I ever built for myself.

Here's the bike I built for my daughter.
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=43641

Here's the bike I'm STILL building for the Mrs.
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=54046&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Good luck with yours, it's AWESOME that she is involved in the process, great bonding time for daddy and daughter.

Have you named it yet? How about combining her name and a Schwinn name, like 'The Ruby-Ray'.

Cheers to ya dude!
Dr. T

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Both your bikes are awesome DrTank, really impressive work!

Luke.

 

[HuffDaddy]

I dig any build we do for other folks in our family, especially our 'ladies'. I always seem to put WAY more attention to the design and details of those than ANY bike I ever built for myself.

Here's the bike I built for my daughter.
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=43641

Here's the bike I'm STILL building for the Mrs.
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=54046&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Good luck with yours, it's AWESOME that she is involved in the process, great bonding time for daddy and daughter.

Have you named it yet? How about combining her name and a Schwinn name, like 'The Ruby-Ray'.

Cheers to ya dude!
Dr. T

WOW Dr. T, those bikes are very cool! Is that horn tank on your daughter's bike off a 26" girls frame?

Thanks for sharing.

Steve/HuffDaddy

 

[HuffDaddy]

Well, I decided to angled back the fork tube for a 26" Schwinn fork. I started by figuring out what angle the fork tube would have to be at so the frame would ride in the same position. Then it was time to cut the fork tube off! I was a little worried about how all the tube ends and flairs in the tubes at the fork tube would all work out, but I just went for it.

I discovered that if I turned the fork tube over, things lined up better.

I cut a small piece off the top tube, thinking I could add it to the bottom tube. I did have to trim both frame tubes a little to get the angles to be right.

This is how we jigged it up for welding.

My Buddy Jimmy tig welded it back together for me.

It worked out good. It'll clean up pretty great.

Here's what it looks like w/ the 26" Schwinn fork in place. I like it, Ruby's excited!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Really neat work! Awesome stuff, completely changes the style of the bike when you add just a little rake over standard!
Your daughter is a lucky girl!

Luke.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Sorry dude, just saw your question about the tank.
Yep, it's off a 26" bike, snaps right in!

Keep up the good work!

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[HuffDaddy]

Sorry dude, just saw your question about the tank.
Yep, it's off a 26" bike, snaps right in!

Keep up the good work!

Cheers,
Dr. T

No problem Dr T. I like the way it looks w/ that horn tank.

 

[HuffDaddy]

Didn't get a lot done through the week. I was mostly trying to figuring out some of the details. Using the original rear fender, cut down a little, would help give it a traditional Hot Rod look. I also decided to try to make an old J.C. Higgins chain guard work instead of the original Schwinn chain guard. It looks a lot like a front fender from an old peddle car or a '40/'50 something Hot Rod.

I stripped the paint off both during the week and started working on a bracket for the chain guard.

This is about where I think the fender should be. I'd like to move it closer to the tire.

Well, this is how I decided to move the fender tighter to the tire. I'm going to use a spacing at the bottom connection piont. We welded a couple weld nuts to the bottom of this bracket for fastening the fender in place.

This is the first time I've had both sets of wheels & tires on it. I had to get a different front fork, the other one had had a gooseneck cut off in it. Since I'm putting a 26" front fork on it, I thought it would be cool to get a set of truss rods for the front.

It's back in the dinning room on a benck-top stand clamped to the dinnind room table. My wife has been rn eally understanding. It's too cold outside to set it up in the garage.

This week I hope to resolve the backend of the chainguard and the bracket at the front. I need to work on the rear fender too.
I like the way it's looking. Ruby's super excited!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looking really cool! Well done so far... Watching to the finish!

Luke.

 

[junknutz1975]

i love that rake!! 8)
she will be the coolest kid on the block!

 

[mooseknuckle2000]

old school junior chopper. Noice! 8)

 

[HuffDaddy]

I haven't been able to get back to Ruby's Hot Rod bicycle. I'm running out of time if I'm going to get it done for Detroit's Autorama. It's going to be a busy next week in a half.