pre-48 schwinn

[rustycrank]

hey guys i have a womans 26 inch with the ser# B61683 under the crank housing is this what they call a "B" model also anyone know what year it is i can only find as far back as 1948
thanx

 

[udallcustombikes]

Schwinn lost all serial number records in a factory fire in the summer of '48. The best way I have heard of for dating the earlier biked is by pulling the crank out and there should be a two digit year stamped on the center of the crank. Hope this helps.

 

[NLCTVWguy]

I have a similar age bike. Mine is a ladies DX model. The serial is C0103 and we think it's late '46, early '47. The crank on ours is only stamped "A S & CO" with no numbers that I saw.

Best of luck with yours. Mine's on the way to becoming a flat black rat.

--Rob

 

[rat royale]

A)

hey guys i have a womans 26 inch with the ser# B61683 under the crank housing is this what they call a "B" model also anyone know what year it is i can only find as far back as 1948
thanx

B)

I have a similar age bike. Mine is a ladies DX model. The serial is C0103 and we think it's late '46, early '47. The crank on ours is only stamped "A S & CO" with no numbers that I saw.
Best of luck with yours. Mine's on the way to becoming a flat black rat.
--Rob

Rusty,
You didn't say and there is no photo shown - which direction do the rear dropouts face? I have been working on a serial number database for Pre-'8/18/48 built Schwinns, and based on your s/n, yours would be late '46 built. I have a documented DX that has a number slightly higher and a B-6 that is slightly lower than yours.

NLCTVW,
I think you're missing a digit. Check and see if there is another number with the ones you found. It should be a letter with five digits after. Which direction for the dropouts on this one?

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

 

[rustycrank]

A)

hey guys i have a womans 26 inch with the ser# B61683 under the crank housing is this what they call a "B" model also anyone know what year it is i can only find as far back as 1948
thanx

B)

I have a similar age bike. Mine is a ladies DX model. The serial is C0103 and we think it's late '46, early '47. The crank on ours is only stamped "A S & CO" with no numbers that I saw.
Best of luck with yours. Mine's on the way to becoming a flat black rat.
--Rob

Rusty,
You didn't say and there is no photo shown - which direction do the rear dropouts face? I have been working on a serial number database for Pre-'8/18/48 built Schwinns, and based on your s/n, yours would be late '46 built. I have a documented DX that has a number slightly higher and a B-6 that is slightly lower than yours.

NLCTVW,
I think you're missing a digit. Check and see if there is another number with the ones you found. It should be a letter with five digits after. Which direction for the dropouts on this one?

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!

Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere

so what designated the b6? is it more along the lines of the phantom? also did mine have a tank? thanx rusty

 

[rat royale]

so what designated the b6? is it more along the lines of the phantom? also did mine have a tank? thanx rusty

They were very similar to the Phantom in appearance, only with painted parts instead of chrome tank/fenders etc. - only didn't have the name.

There are a LOT of nice examples if you Google them and look at the images. Nice bikes for the most part.

Mine is a mess... It is basically a frame now, but had a tank at one point, and I have one here for it. I started to build one up quite a while back (there is a thread in the builds section) and seemed to have lost interest in that one - an April 15, 1949 made one - when I found the '46 frame. The '46 has the original tapered kickstand and is a really nice frame to start with. It is blue/white with red pins, and is in need of a complete re-do. I'll get to it eventually. Too many other projects in the way.

Does yours still have the tapered stand? The attached photo is the stand on my DX - also a 46.


I'll be watching for updates..

 

[rustycrank]

so what designated the b6? is it more along the lines of the phantom? also did mine have a tank? thanx rusty

mine has that tapered kickstand too
They were very similar to the Phantom in appearance, only with painted parts instead of chrome tank/fenders etc. - only didn't have the name.

There are a LOT of nice examples if you Google them and look at the images. Nice bikes for the most part.

Mine is a mess... It is basically a frame now, but had a tank at one point, and I have one here for it. I started to build one up quite a while back (there is a thread in the builds section) and seemed to have lost interest in that one - an April 15, 1949 made one - when I found the '46 frame. The '46 has the original tapered kickstand and is a really nice frame to start with. It is blue/white with red pins, and is in need of a complete re-do. I'll get to it eventually. Too many other projects in the way.

Does yours still have the tapered stand? The attached photo is the stand on my DX - also a 46.


I'll be watching for updates..

 

[rat royale]

mine has that tapered kickstand too

They were very similar to the Phantom in appearance, only with painted parts instead of chrome tank/fenders etc. - only didn't have the name.

Does yours still have the tapered stand? <snipped>

I'll be watching for updates..

The tapered kickstand is a one year only thing. that locks it as a '46. Nice! I was amazed to see it on the B-6 frame I got as it was kind of a bonus. I bought the frame as the photo made the finish look usable, and I wish that was the case. I would like to do this one over the same way when it comes time. The colors look fantastic together to me.

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Yeah, I must be remembering the serial # wrong on mine. It's down in the basement awaiting some more flat black paint so I'll have to check.

It's good to know about the tapered stand. Mine is definitely postwar, with a built in stand and dropouts like a Phantom. The stand is not tapered and certainly seemed to be original.

The crank was a straight type (not dogleg) with a clover skiptooth chainring. For those who went to Monson Mass with us last year, this was the bike found at the Stafford Springs CT antique store.

In the update / mod/ resto of this bike it's going to be converted to a later crank and sprocket. Havent decided to go with a '55 New Departure wheelset I've got or a newer set of heavy duty wheels with drum brakes and a 5-speed from a tandem. Both would be great for this project.

I'd have to come up with some crazy shifter for the 5-speed. (wheels are turning...)

Now that Christmas is over I can concentrate on getting some of my projects moving again.

--Rob

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Ah there we go, I post on here so much I forgot I did a writeup for it when I first got it.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=17213

Serial # is C 01030.

Originally was a purple blue with cream colored frame head. Funky greenish-yellow Schwinn cross on the chainguard. I've picked up some of the Phantom style quality circles which should look good with flat black. I'm getting psyched now about finishing this one up. Wait till you see the seat I made for it. My wife is still rolling her eyes at me, and if you know her, that takes a lot.

--Rob

Yeah, I must be remembering the serial # wrong on mine. It's down in the basement awaiting some more flat black paint so I'll have to check.

It's good to know about the tapered stand. Mine is definitely postwar, with a built in stand and dropouts like a Phantom. The stand is not tapered and certainly seemed to be original.

The crank was a straight type (not dogleg) with a clover skiptooth chainring. For those who went to Monson Mass with us last year, this was the bike found at the Stafford Springs CT antique store.

In the update / mod/ resto of this bike it's going to be converted to a later crank and sprocket. Havent decided to go with a '55 New Departure wheelset I've got or a newer set of heavy duty wheels with drum brakes and a 5-speed from a tandem. Both would be great for this project.

I'd have to come up with some crazy shifter for the 5-speed. (wheels are turning...)

Now that Christmas is over I can concentrate on getting some of my projects moving again.

--Rob

 

[rat royale]

Ah there we go, I post on here so much I forgot I did a writeup for it when I first got it.
<snip>
Serial # is C 01030.

Originally was a purple blue with cream colored frame head. Funky greenish-yellow Schwinn cross on the chainguard. I've picked up some of the Phantom style quality circles which should look good with flat black. I'm getting psyched now about finishing this one up. Wait till you see the seat I made for it. My wife is still rolling her eyes at me, and if you know her, that takes a lot.

--Rob

Yeah, I must be remembering the serial # wrong on mine. It's down in the basement awaiting some more flat black paint so I'll have to check.

It's good to know about the tapered stand. Mine is definitely postwar, with a built in stand and dropouts like a Phantom. The stand is not tapered and certainly seemed to be original.

The crank was a straight type (not dogleg) with a clover skiptooth chainring. For those who went to Monson Mass with us last year, this was the bike found at the Stafford Springs CT antique store.

In the update / mod/ resto of this bike it's going to be converted to a later crank and sprocket. Havent decided to go with a '55 New Departure wheelset I've got or a newer set of heavy duty wheels with drum brakes and a 5-speed from a tandem. Both would be great for this project.

I'd have to come up with some crazy shifter for the 5-speed. (wheels are turning...)

Now that Christmas is over I can concentrate on getting some of my projects moving again.

--Rob

Rob,
Since we exchanged posts last, I've gotten several more documented numbers. It appears as though yours would be an early '47 - based on other serial numbers and production figures. I don't have any earlier "C" numbers, and based on what I am seeing in the list, it looks as though that may have been the break from 46 to 47. I hope to continue this list for a while and eventually be able to use it to point production to proper year. It takes a lot of time to get responses, and then it takes a swift kick in the .... to get me to remember to go and add the numbers to the list with either an owner's name or newsgroup ID, which helps to keep the list understandable (as bikes change hands from time to time).
Thanks for your input and the number,

 

[NLCTVWguy]

I'm happy with calling it a '47. I'm going to keep looking on the parts for other clues. I have a few days off coming up, hopefully will make some progress on this baby and show it off a little more.

I didn't look to see if the forks had a X+X date stamp down inside but I will check for that now.

I did learn why so many of those early seats are hard to find in good shape. They didn't paint them on the inside of the pans! Mine was almost mint inside, thankfully, somehow, in spite of living outside for a while. But when I opened up the seat to restore it, there was NO paint in between the pans. A tiny bit of overspray at the bolt holes. I thought that was very odd of Schwinn to not finish a part like that.

BTW I'm looking for a headbadge for one of these early bikes. A large oval plain Schwinn one would work or one of the more interesting styles.... let me know if anyone has anything appropriate for this vintage bike.

--Rob