TRADITIONAL Iron & Oxygen
- Thread starter Uncle Shish
- Start date
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As I stated at the onset of this Build-Off, I wasn't looking to reinvent the wheel nor approach this with a Dr. Frankenstein "lets create a new monster" vibe.
My intent was to save this beautiful Prewar Schwinn 1940 DX while maintaining as much of the originality as possible.
The inherent problem with trying to save a bike that's been left to the elements, for perhaps as many as 50 years, is trying to save as much as possible - but also to make whatever replacement parts match what is left from the original bike.
Luckily for me, and many others here on the forum, we have some truly gifted and creative people. OddJob's techniques and willingness to so unselfishly share the tricks of "faux-tina" helped make this project what it is.
The original bike's fenders, chainguard, wheels, truss rods and handlebars were not salvageable.
This bike was built from a women's 1939 DX, the original 1940 DX, and a 1941 DX supplied the fenders and truss rods.
This women's 1939 DX (above) supplied me with the rims, crank, chain and chainguard. As you can see, the chainguard was not a match.
Due to slight length differences, I also ended up going back and had to steal the rear fender braces from the '39 to add to the '41 fenders. That created another matching problem as 1941 was a one year only painted braces model - meaning I had to make them match.
The original wheels were stripped to bare metal and re-painted then aged to match.
The finishing touches were the 1953 Manistee Bike License that was on it when found, and also a St. Christopher bike medal that was on one of the non-surviving bicycles from the farm-haul.
In the grand scheme of build-offs, this is not one of my usual entries. I said from the beginning, "I'm going to be building this bike anyway, I might as well build it along with friends and see what y'all are up to".
A shout out to my Wednesday night bike building buddy Dyno Dan who is a master builder and true friend.
My intent was to save this beautiful Prewar Schwinn 1940 DX while maintaining as much of the originality as possible.
The inherent problem with trying to save a bike that's been left to the elements, for perhaps as many as 50 years, is trying to save as much as possible - but also to make whatever replacement parts match what is left from the original bike.
Luckily for me, and many others here on the forum, we have some truly gifted and creative people. OddJob's techniques and willingness to so unselfishly share the tricks of "faux-tina" helped make this project what it is.
The original bike's fenders, chainguard, wheels, truss rods and handlebars were not salvageable.
This bike was built from a women's 1939 DX, the original 1940 DX, and a 1941 DX supplied the fenders and truss rods.
This women's 1939 DX (above) supplied me with the rims, crank, chain and chainguard. As you can see, the chainguard was not a match.
Due to slight length differences, I also ended up going back and had to steal the rear fender braces from the '39 to add to the '41 fenders. That created another matching problem as 1941 was a one year only painted braces model - meaning I had to make them match.
The original wheels were stripped to bare metal and re-painted then aged to match.
The finishing touches were the 1953 Manistee Bike License that was on it when found, and also a St. Christopher bike medal that was on one of the non-surviving bicycles from the farm-haul.
In the grand scheme of build-offs, this is not one of my usual entries. I said from the beginning, "I'm going to be building this bike anyway, I might as well build it along with friends and see what y'all are up to".
A shout out to my Wednesday night bike building buddy Dyno Dan who is a master builder and true friend.
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The Renaissance Man
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Superb job matching up all of the parts! Congratulations on bringing this one back from the dead! 
It came out great! I would always find an excuse to go ride that thing as much as I could.
That women's 39 DX frame would be a good candidate for the build off coming up.
That women's 39 DX frame would be a good candidate for the build off coming up.
Thanks. That means a great deal coming from a master. I'll be watching the end of your build to learn even more tricks!Superb job matching up all of the parts! Congratulations on bringing this one back from the dead!
Rode 12.5 miles on it Saturday. The way it's geared is friendly to old knees.It came out great! I would always find an excuse to go ride that thing as much as I could.
That women's 39 DX frame would be a good candidate for the build off coming up.
The girls frame is a goner. Donated it to Lewis, another RRB member.
One more thing ...
A BIG shout-out to the Mrs. for once again taking the photos that count
A BIG shout-out to the Mrs. for once again taking the photos that count
Unca Shish, you knocked it out of the park with this one! Your application of newly learned and some 'never tried before' techniques was a joy to watch. Everything works together to make this a worthy rat rod build; mixing and matching parts from various bikes, bringing out the natural patina shrouded in rust, and creating your own RaT-ina to tie it all together.
