Pulled out of a ravine

[kram]

Me and a buddy went to this old junkyard looking for cool stuff. It's a place where they would push cars and junk over a cliff and probably was last used in the late 60's. It's pretty scary getting down and out and would be really difficult to get anything large out of there. Most of the stuff is pretty mangled from the ride down the cliff but I pulled this frame out. The frame is actually in pretty good shape with the exception of the forks. I have a feeling the forks aren't original to the bike anyways. It has some schwinn looking elements to it but I'm just not that familiar with the old ones. It has a serial number on the bb that is r64037. I'm glad I grabbed it but climbing up a cliff with a bike on your shoulder is not a very fun experience :lol:. Any idea what it is and the age?

This gives you an idea of the place

 

[ratina]

Not sure what it is but that frame is awesome!

 

[B607]

Looks like a prewar Schwinn to me. With the straight down tube, I'd say middle to late 30's. Looks like you had to work for that save. Good job! Gary

 

[user 135]

Talk about going the extra mile.

Cool story and frame.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

WOW! Great story and a great find. We had a strip mine in my hometown,with water about 50-60 feet deep, that cars would 'disappear' into and later be reported as stolen (I guess some people thought it beats getting it repossessed) . :roll: :roll:

Anyway, back to your bike, can't wait to see what you do with it.

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[kram]

Yeah I have never worked this hard for a bicycle, lol. We really went down to look for car parts but most of the good stuff has been picked through and the big stuff is just about impossible to get out. The picture I showed shows maybe a tenth of the metal that is down there. This frame was wedged really good between two cars and was all caught up in the springs of an old mattress. I worked up a good sweat getting it out. There are some other bikes too but like most of it they are twisted beyond fixing. I did pull a nice straight firestone super cruiser frame out too, but the rear stays are really pitted and the metal is getting thing. It might be a good candidate for a custom bike. We also pulled out some really cool old metal pieces and I'm sure we will head back there to see what else we can find.

As far as the bike goes I think B607 is right. From pictures I have looked at it looks to be a mid to late 30's Schwinn bike. The frame itself is in super straight condition and I think there is paint under the rust. I might try a dip in evaporust and see what happens. The forks don't look to be original and are rusted up but should be able to be made loose again. Even though the aren't correct they are cool forks and with some heat could probably be persuaded back into shape. Surprisingly the bb feels good and turns just fine.

 

[Nickinator]

Looks like a motorbike frame from 1934-1938 to me

 

[Deadkenny49]

Reminds me of a place in SoCal. Called Cadillac Hill. Old stripped cars and other metal sorts. Rumor had it that the first car rolled down the hill was a Cadillac. Hence the name. Maybe I should go back and look for old bikes. Thanks for the memories.

 

[Hawthorne Larry]

The frame is no newer than 1939. Schwinn started making them with the bend in them
After that. Also the chainring is Schwinn. There is a date code on the crankset sometimes it's just some casting marks and numbers. Like month and day sometimes year. There's some good info on web searches on them. Bearings usually have mfg and size #'s some have date codes on them too! Great find cool
Place. The fork looks to be from schwinn also I have seen that front end on there bikes to at least 1947. Good luck on the build. If you ever want to sell it or trade I have lots of stuff!!! Lol pm me

 

[B607]

The frame is no newer than 1939. Schwinn started making them with the bend in them after that.

True for 26" bikes, but Schwinn still made 20" bikes with the straight down tubes and drop stands through 1941. Gary

 

[J_Westy]

Looks like a Schwinn seat cluster, and

With the straight seat and chainstays and the straight downtube,

I'd guess Motorbike too:

http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1893_1940/1936_motorbike_$1700_2000.html

 

[1speedJam1982]

I agree.... this def looks like a mid to late 30s motorbike. love it, amazing find, and love the work you put in to rescuing it... build build build it. I would love to see it come back to life.

 

[J_Westy]

I agree.... this def looks like a mid to late 30s motorbike. love it, amazing find, and love the work you put in to rescuing it... build build build it. I would love to see it come back to life.

Moot, but the fork could be original... I've seen that style on some of the non-Schwinn headbadge versions.

I say Clunk it!

http://clunkers.net/billsavage.html

 

[kram]

Thanks guys for all the continuing information. I was planning on pulling the crank like Hawthorne larry suggested to see if there are any stampings.

I still think the fork isn't schwinn but of a similar style, or an older version. If you look at the schwinn forks they are all one piece. Where the the top of the legs on this one go through two pieces of plate. However I am far from an expert and could be wrong.

 

[J_Westy]

I still think the fork isn't schwinn but of a similar style, or an older version. If you look at the schwinn forks they are all one piece. Where the the top of the legs on this one go through two pieces of plate. However I am far from an expert and could be wrong.

I'm not really an expert either, but I've seen that fork on 2 different "Fleet" badged 1938s. Maybe it was a way to make the non-Schwinn badged ones cheaper?

You might ask the question over at thecabe.com if it really matters to you.

Not that it was guaranteed original, but here's what my C-model came with:

 

[kram]

J_Westy, thanks for the pic. I also found a picture of a 1935 Ranger that had the same fork on it too. I'm not really that concerned about it but it is kind of fun to figure out stuff. Now the question will be if I can get the fork straightened back out enough to still be usable.