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Savannah GA
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Thank you for the add. My name is Jay and I live in Savannah, GA. I weas very recently given my brothers old bike that was found is his grandmothers garage. My dad bought it new for him in the 60's and it is really cool and all original. I would like to retore it up to a point. (no repaint). I would love ideas as how to source parts and/or restore what is already there. Thanks so much for the help.
IMG_3565.jpg
 
Thank you for the add. My name is Jay and I live in Savannah, GA. I weas very recently given my brothers old bike that was found is his grandmothers garage. My dad bought it new for him in the 60's and it is really cool and all original. I would like to retore it up to a point. (no repaint). I would love ideas as how to source parts and/or restore what is already there. Thanks so much for the help.View attachment 284907
Paging @kingfish254 and @Dr. Tankenstein
 
also paging @CRASH

looks like it might have BFD (bent fork disease). If so, it can be bent back.

dig in and have fun. First step might be complete disassembly and soak parts in an OA bath.
 
Wicked piece of family history. @Dr. Tankenstein and myself live in Savannah too. We'd be glad to meet up with you sometime. I won't be back until after Christmas though. Your brother must be close to my age. That Sears Spyder was probably bought at the told Oglethorpe Mall Sears store in the late 60s early 70s. Welcome to RatRodBikes!
 
Wicked piece of family history. @Dr. Tankenstein and myself live in Savannah too. We'd be glad to meet up with you sometime. I won't be back until after Christmas though. Your brother must be close to my age. That Sears Spyder was probably bought at the told Oglethorpe Mall Sears store in the late 60s early 70s. Welcome to RatRodBikes!
That sounds great. I’d love to show it to you guys. I live near the Habersham YMCA. Let me know when you are back in town. Happy Holidays!
 
Wicked piece of family history. @Dr. Tankenstein and myself live in Savannah too. We'd be glad to meet up with you sometime. I won't be back until after Christmas though. Your brother must be close to my age. That Sears Spyder was probably bought at the told Oglethorpe Mall Sears store in the late 60s early 70s. Welcome to RatRodBikes!
What is the consensus on refinishing parts vs buying replacement? I have the obvious handle bars and fender (need new front that need new chrome. Suggestions appreciated! Thanks guys.
 
What is the consensus on refinishing parts vs buying replacement? I have the obvious handle bars and fender (need new front that need new chrome. Suggestions appreciated! Thanks guys.
I am no purist. This is just my opinion.

I would take the whole thing apart, clean everything meticulously , and re-assemble with new grease. It is not that difficult and you don’t need any specialized tools for a bike like that. Have fun. It is addictive for some reason.

I wouldn’t buy any new parts if you can avoid it. Some might disagree, but I would just paint the rusty handle bars and sissy bar with black spray paint.

Maybe even paint the front rim. Personally I like to build new wheels, but that is a little more advanced.

New tires of course.

An inexpensive bike stand from Amazon is a huge help.

The front fork does look bent. Common problem. We have some tricks for bending them back. You should be able to get them close enough that it will be ok to ride around the block for fun. I wouldn’t recommend bent forks on a bike that is going to be ridden seriously.
 
If you are going to ride it, and in Savannah I'll bet you will, then it needs to be roadworthy first.

Both rims are the same, 20". Your tires will be 20 x 1.25 up to 20 x 2.40, decimal not a fracional size. The front could be the same size as the old tire, as well as the rear tire which is bigger but still a 20" tire. The exact size is written on the sidewalls. The chrome on the front rim may still be good. WD40 and some 0000 steel wool might clean it up.

The chrome on the handlebars and sissybar, along with the fender, is gone. The chain guard also needs paint, maybe silver so it would stand out.

I would do like twojs.bike suggested. I would sand them down and paint them. The chain guard needs the fender to attach to, so I would keep them both. New bars or rechroming is expensive. One other option is to find another bike that has those parts and buy the whole thing used. You could get your tires and other parts you might need. Make room for a few more bikes in your garage. :bigsmile:

I would suggest a 26" springer style fork for the front. It would give a chopper look with the small front wheel. I agree that the original fork won't be trustworthy once it is straightened.
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The paint on the frame will probably look good after a cleaning and polishing. I've used regular car paste wax with good results, usually 2 or 3 coats really brings out the old finish. I usually take the bare frame and scrub every inch, being careful around trim and graphics and not scubbing too much so I don't dull what's there.

It's good bike to learn on, as it has many of the same parts as many of the 60's and 70's bikes.
 
What is the consensus on refinishing parts vs buying replacement? I have the obvious handle bars and fender (need new front that need new chrome. Suggestions appreciated! Thanks guys.
IF you can straighten that fork back out I’d say save the frame, fork, seat, chain guard and anything else worthwhile

Not a purist here either. I’d just snag a new set of cheap wheels, swap the bars and sissy out


https://www.huskybicycles.com/parts.html

Other than the wheels I might have a few parts for you if you don’t mind mix and match non original. And I’m just on the other side of the River
 
IF you can straighten that fork back out I’d say save the frame, fork, seat, chain guard and anything else worthwhile

Not a purist here either. I’d just snag a new set of cheap wheels, swap the bars and sissy out


https://www.huskybicycles.com/parts.html

Other than the wheels I might have a few parts for you if you don’t mind mix and match non original. And I’m just on the other side of the River
Thank you for the info! I soaked everything in OA and I was surprised to see how things cleaned up! I could put it back together with some patina or start replacing to where there will be no stop. I am gong with 2 new wheels/tires, chain, and front fender. Rear fender looks pretty good, with just the lower corner affected by surface rust. Bearings are good, I just need to pack them with grease, right? And lastly, yes, I need to straighten those forks. Thats this weeks project. stay tuned
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