I'm Jeff, from southern Louisiana. Cajun country! Crazy guy, I grew up riding Schwinn Stingrays and the like. I built bikes out of junk for years growing up, but put it aside when I had a family and didn't have time. I'm also into Hot Rods, Rat rods, custom computers, etc. etc. so basically I'm no stranger to building and modding stuff.
So this past Saturday, I'm heading to a friend's house, and I see two bikes sitting in the trash. I've been known to pick up a junk bike or two if I can use parts off of it.
And then I see one of them is an OCC Schwinn Stingray! Now, I'm not a huge fan of pre-built stuff, but I'm not going to turn this down! Here it is in all it's rusted, frozen-freewheel glory:
Yes, it's rough, but not unsalvageable. The tires hold air, the bottom bracket feels fairly smooth, the wheels are intact (but spokes are rusty, like everything else) and the seat won't go all the way down. The left crank arm is bent, and everything is rusted. I've actually cruised it around the yard (much to the delight of my 11-year-old daughter). But it needs the Rat Rod treatment! Obviously the frame will need to be stripped and repainted. I've got access to blasting booths at work, so that's not an issue. I've got enough parts to make it usable, but my challenge will be to decide what to do with it, and do it as cheaply as possible. I can fab most of what I need to customize it.
I love a black frame with red wheels and whitewalls... but I haven't found a whitewall 20x4" tire. I'd love to convert it to a Sturmey 8-speed hub too, but they're not wide enough... it would need a 3" tire for clearance. As an alternative, I know they made these with 3-speeds (and 180mm hubs) so if I can find a hub/wheel from one, I might have to purchase it.
Apehangers are a must on this. Flat or glossy black paint with Von Dutch stripes, maybe a hairpin seat... but I just don't know what will go with black tires on silver rims. If I go with red rims, the bike will need some white on it to set it off. Plain black and red is too dark for me.
Sheesh, enough rambling. Love the bikes, love the forum, can't wait to get dirty!
Rat it, Rod it, Ride it!
(Here's a shot of my "daily" bike)
So this past Saturday, I'm heading to a friend's house, and I see two bikes sitting in the trash. I've been known to pick up a junk bike or two if I can use parts off of it.
And then I see one of them is an OCC Schwinn Stingray! Now, I'm not a huge fan of pre-built stuff, but I'm not going to turn this down! Here it is in all it's rusted, frozen-freewheel glory:
Yes, it's rough, but not unsalvageable. The tires hold air, the bottom bracket feels fairly smooth, the wheels are intact (but spokes are rusty, like everything else) and the seat won't go all the way down. The left crank arm is bent, and everything is rusted. I've actually cruised it around the yard (much to the delight of my 11-year-old daughter). But it needs the Rat Rod treatment! Obviously the frame will need to be stripped and repainted. I've got access to blasting booths at work, so that's not an issue. I've got enough parts to make it usable, but my challenge will be to decide what to do with it, and do it as cheaply as possible. I can fab most of what I need to customize it.
I love a black frame with red wheels and whitewalls... but I haven't found a whitewall 20x4" tire. I'd love to convert it to a Sturmey 8-speed hub too, but they're not wide enough... it would need a 3" tire for clearance. As an alternative, I know they made these with 3-speeds (and 180mm hubs) so if I can find a hub/wheel from one, I might have to purchase it.
Apehangers are a must on this. Flat or glossy black paint with Von Dutch stripes, maybe a hairpin seat... but I just don't know what will go with black tires on silver rims. If I go with red rims, the bike will need some white on it to set it off. Plain black and red is too dark for me.
Sheesh, enough rambling. Love the bikes, love the forum, can't wait to get dirty!
Rat it, Rod it, Ride it!
(Here's a shot of my "daily" bike)
