Just got this: Girls 20 inch Murray Hiawatha Frame and Fork

[huffyrailsarefun]

Well here is my newest project bike to build. It's a Murray Hiawatha 20 inch girls frame and fork.

I got it from forum member fatwilly so if you like it and want to see me build it we can all thank him. Without fatwilly's generosity and kindness in selling me this bike real cheaply there would be no build and I wouldn't have a neat original paint murray banana bike to build.

When I was a kid I always loved the banana seat bikes with the fade paint jobs where color faded into another color.

I have pictures taken that show the bike from delivery, to unpacking, to what the bike looks like to my first thought and idea.

The bike is a bare frame and fork only at this point so I will need to find everything from crank cups and bearing cups to chainguard and fenders. I imagine I'll post in the wanted ads a little.

First on the wanted list is a rear fender (i'm looking for one like the schwinn stingrays use, the nice wide, fat rear fender that is a true half fender with the flare at the end of the fender).

Second on the list is a chainguard that still has a good original factory decal on it yet. I don't care what name is on the chainguard or what color the decal is on the chainguard. I do prefer something that isn't dull. I know I've seen these chainguards with decal colors of red, blue, green, seafoam green, purple, violet, and teal.

The red springer fork in the pictures is a correct murray springer fork that would have been an option for this bike. The fender in the picture is a correct murray 20 inch front fender for a murray springer fork. The indentation in the fender is factory made to allow for the spring to clear the fender without denting the top of the fender. They are hard to find, I had this fender sitting around for over 20 years, now I have a use for it. The springer front fork I just bought two weeks ago at the west bend bike swap meet for twenty bucks.

If I use the springer fork I will either repaint it myself to a two-tone fade paint scheme to match the frame or save up and have it powder coated a two-tone paint scheme.

Right now this is all I have.

 

[Fat Willy]

Looks great so far! :lol: I will follow this one as it went from fully built OG condition to bare frame and fork in my garage to someone else's hands to build back up.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

What does OG condition mean?

 

[user 135]

What does OG condition mean?

Original or Original Gangster.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

Original gangster? Never ever heard of that.

To me its always just been original condition or in now recent terms "survivor" condition. However the term survivor is relatively new. Back when I was groing up we just called them factory original, unrestored, or original owner.

To me this is not an old bike. I was born in 1974 so my first bike at age ten was a 1971 boys blue schwinn stingray deluxe. I bought it used at the YMCA here locally at a used bike sale for five bucks in 1984.

Back then licenses cost five bucks so I just wrote down the number of the expired minnesota license it had and kept it in case it got stolen.

I bought a brand new Huffy Pro Thunder blue BMX bike with factory blue knobby tires, blue seat and blue handlebar grips with blue crash pads on a blue frame with a blue chainguard in 1986. I really didn't like it. As far as BMX bikes go that bike was the best BMX bike I ever rode but I still hated BMX bikes. I went back to buying old banana seat bikes and thats all I ever rode right up until now. I rode a mountain bike a couple of times to see what it's like and I hate it. I tried ten speeds and hate those too. I tried 26 inch boys balloon tire bikes. I love the ride but can't afford the bikes. So I've always had and owned and rode banana seat bikes my whole life from age 10 on.

I only had the one schwinn stingray. Every other banana bike has been an "off-brand". I am very, very knowledgeable about banana seat bikes and extremly so on the off brand banana seat bikes.

I used to only restore bikes to exactly stock. Now with this new rat rod bike thing I think I'll vary off the path and try building a bike non-stock someday when I get the nerve. This multi-color hiawatha murray built bike will be built back to stock condition using proper period parts, proper period hardware and only options and items that were available to this bike and accessories available at that time. It's how I like to do my bikes.

I have alot of original murray banana bike harware like original nuts, screws, bolts and washers that I took off bikes through the years. I already have many of the fasteners and correct hardware for the fender brace bolts, chainguard screws and front fender screw.

I have found that most times the hardest part in building a bike is having the correct vintage nuts, bolts, washers and screws that belong on the bike in good, nice, useable condition.

I have a huge, enormous collection of slotted screws and special bike only hardware that I buy whenever I see it or get whenever I can find it just in case.

I'm still sorting it all out. 3 huge boxes of hardware. I never sell it and only use it on vintage bikes.

I have six of those special hardware bins with the drawers in them and I need at least 4 more to get a start on sorting it all out proper.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I may cheat on this bike a little and use a huffy seatpost clamp because I can then have a painted seatpost clamp on the frame instead of the bare metal one.

I badly want to use the optional murray spinger fork. I was thinking of leaving the top of the fork red and then spraypainting the bottom of the fork a different color blending the colors as best I can to better match the frames fade colors. I can't see spending alot of money to have the fork professionally painted when it will come back looking really nice and the rest of the bike will have the nice "been around the block a couple of times" look. Spray paint always gets scratched and nicked so eventually the fork will match the frame in both nicks and scrapes and in paint fade if I paint the bottom of the springer fork myself. Not sure on what color I should paint the bottom of the springer fork. I know it won't be yellow, bronze or gold. there is way too much of that color on the bike already. Maybe I'll wait and see what color the decal on the chainguard ends up being if I can find a chainguard for the bike from someone on here.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I have over 15 pairs of bearing cups for the fork tube and 10 pairs of crank bearing cups.

In all of that I had nothing that fit the frame.

I finally found a clear plastic ziplock bag I had tucked away years ago in an obscure spot in the garage. As luck would have it the bag contained the crank bearing set and fork bearing set I needed and although really greasy and nasty, both the crank cups and fork bearing cups look like they will fit.

I wish I could have found some chrome fork bearing cups to spiff up the frame a little but the ones I have are original and in good shape.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

Frame is all cleaned up and free of caked on, dried up grease and dirt.

Bearing cups in both the crank and fork are all nice and clean and have been installed.

Found a seatpost clamp that looks good on the bike. The factory original blue paint on the seatpost clamp I found almost matches the blue on the bike frame.

Enough done on the bike for tonight.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Nice score!
Looking forward to watching this one come together!

Luke.

 

[Fat Willy]

I really like the springer fork...You could just try to match the blue on the head tube and it would look great.

 

[Murray-Eliminator]

Does that frame use a 24' rear wheel, or a 20"??.. if 24" i have a nice rear fender for it..

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

It needs a 20 inch wide half fender with the flare at the end of the fender.

Kinda wish it did use the 24 inch fender. I like the way those look. I'm tempted to buy that 24 inch rear fender from you anyway for a future build.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

Just got back from spending 2 1/2 hours at a home store that sells used house parts and used nails and harware.

Found alot of nuts, bolts, and washers and screws for different bikes I build.

Now I have 4 more pounds of vintage hardware to sort. It's a problem I love to have.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I could try to match the blue on the headtube of the bike as you suggest and paint the springer fork that color. The problem I fear is never being able to match it close enough. I don't know if it would look good to have one slightly different shade of blue right next to a slightly different shade of blue.

My answer to this problem is to paint the top of the fork a color other than blue.

Then I'll paint the bottom of the fork a blue that is as close to the blue on the frame as I can find. That way you won't notice if the two blues don't match exact.

I don't want to paint the top of the fork bronze, yellow, copper or gold. Does anyone have a color that I could paint the top of the fork that would look good with the rest of the colors on the frame? I am definately painting the bottom of the fork blue for sure.

Here is a picture again of the bike with the springer fork I'm going to try to use:

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I found two of the special murray bolts needed that hold the rear fender brace onto the rear frame dropout. Problem is that each one has a different pattern on the bolt head.

Anyone have one that would match one of the ones I have?

Or I'll just buy a nice matching pair from someone. Anyone have anything?

Here are pictures of the bolts.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I did mange to find the correct chainguard screws and two nice small fender washers in case the holes of the chainguard I hope to find are over-enlarged.

I also found the correct screw for the front fender and another nice small fenderwasher for it.

I then found both of the correct screws for the rear fender and two small fender washers for that as well. All of the small fender washers match in size and color and all are nice and heavy duty and thick but they are small and just happened to be the perfect size. I lucked out that they were also stainless steel.

Now I just need the matching bolt to one of my bolts or a pair of matching bolts for the rear fender brace. If you have one for sale that would match or a pair of matching ones that are the same length and same real coarse thread, please send me a personal message.

I found a crappy old fender for the rear. it isn't even remotely close to being the correct one that is supposed to be on there and it is dented and heavily rusted underneath. Even the outside of the fender has the chrome rusted right off in spots...but..it is a fender.

I taped off the outside of the fender, wire brushed all the rust real good and discovered a can of paint that I had "inherited" from a former bike friend of mine who passed away at 85 about 5 years ago. The paint is from the 1970's but it amazingly still kinda worked in its own messed up way so i deceided to paint the underside of the fender whatever color blue this is supposed to be. I didn't have the money to go buy paint and of all the twenty some odd cans of 1970's spraypaint I "inherited", this was the only one that would even sort of work..so guess what..thats the color it got to be.

Although if some of you want an idea for your next build...try buying the funky pattern and funky color duct tape they have out now and use it to tape over bad fenders and even frames as an alternative to painting. It would be unique. If you do it make sure and tell people where you got the idea from...me.

Well...thats enough work on the bike for tonight.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I tried but no one had a match for the fender brace bolt I had or a matching pair.

It was a hard decision to make but in the end I bought two self tapping 5/16 bolts with a flared head and retapped the holes in the frame dropouts. Now the rear fender brace bolts are nice and new and matching. They also look real nice and match the rest of the fasteners and hardware on the frame. It looks good and if you didn't know it appears original.

For now i deceided to use the stock multi-color fork and just clean it up and use it for now.

I can't deceide if I should try and paint the springer fork I have for it to match the frame somehow or just sell the spinger fork and fender for sixty bucks and use the money to further invest in building this bike up.

Here are pictures of the fasteners I'm using that are now on the frame and also pictures of the original fork as well of the springer fork and the correct fender for the springer fork.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

The next things on the to do list are to clean up the original fork real good, clean up the bearings and fork headset hardware.

I also need to post a wanted ad for a blue seatpost clamp for the frame. The one I was going to use is more of a dark purple blue and I need a bright blue. I need spmething with original factory paint, not spraypainted.

If anyone has a bright blue seatpost clamp please let me know. Huffy used them on their bikes and so did murray.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

Might be forced to run this bike without fenders.

Can't find the wide, fat,fender for the rear fender (kinda like the stingrays have, only it isn't a stingray, but I'd use a stingray fender if I had to if the fender wasn't a ton of money).

Also can't find the murray front fender. Prefer to find the murray front fender with the fender brace but I'll be happy with whatever I find. I have nothing right now.

If anyone has a chrome fork crown plate for a murray springer fork I am willing to pay $30 for one in nice condition.

I also am still looking for a chainguard for this bike. I'd like to find one with the factory decal on it yet. The color of the factory decal and the name are not important as long as the chainguard is in good shape.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I am trying to find fenders for this bike but have had no luck yet.

I want the style that is similar to the schwinn stingray for the rear fender. A nice, wide, fat, fender with the ducktail. The front would be a standard murray 20 inch fender. It would look just like the fender that is in the red springer fork picture but it would not have the indentation on the top.

Want to find some fenders that the chrome is good on since I will ride this bike often.

The build is on hold until I can locate fenders and the proper chainguard.