My Firestone Pilot Rat!... and a few others.

[Rat Pilot]

I'm new here, and I posted pics in the intro area, but I wanted to add them in the gallery. I hope that's OK.

The Pilot sat in the weather for at least 30 years, but when I found it, I just couldn't stand to not do something with it. I'm afraid I would destroy it just trying to take it apart, so I'm going to leave it as it is. I do need to round up a chain for it. The Shelby isn't really a rat bike, but the colors gives it a rat rod look. I have several other old Huffys and a couple of Western Flyers and I want to build a rat rod chopper out of one of those.

I love how you can still see the scallops and stripes under the surface rust.

The Shelby is all original except for the red tires. They are repros.

 

[Rat Pilot]

Here's some of the others.

Skip tooth Collegiate. I haven't found much info on this bike. I'm not sure who actually made it. I'm hoping you guys can help out.

Skip tooth Seminole girls bike.

1941 Hawthorne Victory. Sorry for the crappy pics. It is stored at my father's garage along with my old B-6.

50's Schwinn Hornet. I have all new chrome parts, horn tank and rims for it.

 

[KZ1000]

NICE BIKES!!

 

[Crassly]

I believe your Collegiate is an Elgin. Nice collection.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

wow, the Shelby and the Pilot are awesome. Great collection.

 

[Ed_Straker's_Rat]

Great bikes, I'm jealous

 

[Quanah]

I'm really diggin' your bikes, that Shelby has beautiful lines, love it! 2 thumbs up!

 

[stretch]

woahh! thats a great collection! is that just the skip bikes? :shock:

 

[Gold Street Customs]

W :mrgreen: W

 

[Markm]

wow again...you can put those pics wherever you want!!! :mrgreen:

 

[sensor]

really nice collection youve got :mrgreen:

 

[hotfoot]

Nice! Great bikes, and I love it when people don't strip them down and paint them.

 

[Rat Pilot]

Thanks guys. I hate to paint them unless its going to be a complete, correct, restoration or if they are already repainted. I love the patina'd stock paint. I do have a few girls bikes that going to get sex changes and satin black'd though! :wink:

 

[Rustinkerer]

Awesome! you definitely have the right idea! Not tearing up an original, and building the girls bikes! The Collegiate is a junior brand to Elgin, both sold by sears prior to WW2. Yours has all the details of a Murray built bike, others, like this ladies' I have, were made by Westfield (I added the Elgin tank, an ebay find). Killer collection my man! ~Adam

 

[Rat Pilot]

Awesome! you definitely have the right idea! Not tearing up an original, and building the girls bikes! The Collegiate is a junior brand to Elgin, both sold by sears prior to WW2. Yours has all the details of a Murray built bike, others, like this ladies' I have, were made by Westfield (I added the Elgin tank, an ebay find). Killer collection my man! ~Adam

Thanks for the info! I have a women's Goodyear Double Eagle with a springer frontend that is probably going to my first real rat rod project. I'll try to get over to the shop and get pics of some of the others this weekend.

 

[mudagoye]

Great bikes! You don't know how lucky you are to find some cool old bikes like that only by chasing in the country. In america you really have the culture of the old quality bikes. Here in europe the only bikes we can find are race bikes. And they all look like the same, they dont have these nice stripes or iron parts. What is the year built from your shelby with red tires ?

 

[Rat Pilot]

What is the year built from your shelby with red tires ?

I'm not completely sure, but I think its late 40's or early 50's.

 

[JOScatRATrod]

wow the curved seat tube on the collegiate! Radsicool

 

[Rat Pilot]

Wow! I can't believe its been this long since I've been here. We had a baby, a house fire, and I started a business since '09 and my bikes got put on the back burner. Besides picking up a few more NOS parts for my B-6, I haven't touched them. I am building a Hog pen/garage for my Harley, and I am going to have a place to display all my bikes together. I'm going to have to hang some of them from ceiling, but I kinda like that too. I just figured I'd drop by and check in. I got several of the bikes out this week, and got to thinking about this place. I look forward to being more active!

 

[dogdart]

really nice collection youve got :mrgreen:

W :mrgreen: W

NICE BIKES!!

yup