Lost in Time

[LeMad Hatter]

I'm still waiting on a bunch of parts, but this is going to be my entry for this year's build off

There's some contention on exactly what year it is, but I believe it's a 1939 Western Flyer built by Shelby. I'm going to do a sympathetic resto mod and keep as much original patina as possible while adding my own juju to the mix. Unfortunately, the seat tube is completely cracked through just under the second bar. I've been practicing welding on thin metals and I'm almost ready to try my hand at repairing the frame.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Nice start!
I hope your frame repair goes well, I hate doing seat tube repairs, anywhere else it doesn't matter if you get a bit of over-penetration...

 

[Funkme]

Love it, Looks rusty and crusty.

 

[Couch tater]

Unfortunately, the seat tube is completely cracked through just under the second bar. I've been practicing welding on thin metals and I'm almost ready to try my hand at repairing the frame.

Maybe try making a short internal sleeve from a seatpost that can be inserted through the bottom bracket for more strength and more forgiving welding.

 

[marshall hudson]

Great start. Hope the reconstructive surgery goes well.

 

[kingfish254]

Killer Shelby. I've always loved those holey chainrings too.

 

[RustySprockets]

If the split is below the intermediate tube, as you say, then perhaps welding won't interfere with the seat post at all.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Started tearing it down.

Got looking closer at the frame today. My memory must be shot, because the seat tube is broken above the intermediate tube, not below

This frame has definitely been around the block.. It's got a couple of decent wallops here and there, but not bad for an 84-5 year old frame

Thankfully, every part I've wrenched on so far has come off freely. The last thing I have to do is take the pedals off. I'm going to hose them down with PB Blaster and let them soak overnight

The real crying shame is the spokes. I so wanted to ride this on as much original equipment as possible, but I breathed on one of the front spokes and it vaporized. And sadly I've lost the original brake lever. The rims are crusty and fairly pitted, but I'm confident they'll hold up to casual riding

To make up for this, I've got a set of air cooled hubs from a similar era Elgin ladies bike, the one I cannibalized last year for my failed class 2 build. I had my local bike shop rebuild them, and I have to say he killed them! These hubs were almost as crusty as the Western Flyer's, and they now look almost like new

 

[Pondo]

Shelby made some great looking frames and this is one of my faves. I've got one in the wings for a future project. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours. I love the idea of keeping as much of the original as possible. That crack looks like it could be challenging to repair. Are you planning to TIG it? I think brazing might not be too good.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

I wish I had a TIG welder. No, it's either going to be very patiently welded back together by short MIG blasts, or with my OXY acetylene torch, which I'm surprisingly good with

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Looks like a very tedious welding task. Best of luck, I hope it goes smooth!

 

[Skipton]

Great looking frame! Hope the welding goes well. Can’t beat some cool Elgin Air-Cooled hubs

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Yay! Page two slackers unite! Wait, I just bumped up to the front page again. Dang it! Well, time for a status update. The pedals are still stuck on. I'm going to light them on fire tomorrow and see if I can't convince them to break free. Going to weld up the crack in the frame as well hoping that goes well

 

[Uncle Shish]

You always do amazing, imaginative work. Can't wait to follow along!

 

[LeMad Hatter]

SUCCESS! I finally got the pedal off! All it took was a very small amount of heat and two cans of PB Blaster over two weeks. I don't have pics, but I've already stripped down the rest of the crank assembly. Thankfully the pedals were the only two stuck screws on the whole bike. Speaks volumes to the metallurgy and engineering of the past

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Well, I knew it would come to this. The frame is brazed together, which necessitates using my OXY acetylene torch. Made the flame as small as possible and went to town. This tubing is so thin I can work the weld puddle with the torch 2-3" away. It's not pretty, but the crack is finally gone

 

[LeMad Hatter]

I'm going to gently file down the excess metal and reheat the frame so the scaling of the metal matches. Then I'll apply some rust accelerant and pray that I can match the rest of the patina

 

[GeePig]

Judging from the flame that looks like a fair sized nozzle on the oxy-acetylene welder, I am not surprised you had to hold it so far away, but a good result.

It is years and years since I have done any gas welding.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Judging from the flame that looks like a fair sized nozzle on the oxy-acetylene welder, I am not surprised you had to hold it so far away, but a good result.

It is years and years since I have done any gas welding.

Yeah, I wrecked my #1 size tip, so I had to use the #2. MASSIVE overkill

 

[Santee]

Nice work getting this frame ship shape.