Royce Union Skylark Cruiser

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Craigslist find at $10. First impression: this looks a lot like a military bike (except for the whitewall stripes). Let's take it the rest of the way to a military tribute! Strip it down, apply some olive drab paint, and see where the project takes us.

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I couldn't turn down a bike like that for $10.
I may do a military bike one day.
Can't wait to see yours
 
Progress report: Got it broken down without incident. Everything seems sound. Since the rattle-can, outdoor painting season has recently ending here in north Jersey, I'm going with brush painting. Here's the frame with a coat of olive drab. It's not as flat a finish as I would like, but it will do. Preparation was a bit harder than imagined because the finish is powder coat. Spots where the finish failed had rust extending out with the powder coat coming off in flakes. Areas where the finish was sound were harder to sand to a paintable surface than if they had been painted.

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Chrome don't get you home
Brother Wheelbender:
Words to live by... I just might stencil that in white somewhere on the bike along with a white patch on the bottom of the rear bumper, a couple of 5-pointed stars, a vehicle ID number, and "max speed 15 mph."
 
Reassembly complete. Went for a test drive on a very mild winter day in north Jersey. It's a smooth rider! Even got a compliment when I stopped to chat with a fellow taking advantage of the weather by changing his car's brake pads in the driveway. Still need to get out the flat white paint for a patch on the rear fender and some Army stars and stenciled text.

To all you on the forum out there, I hope 2022 brings you much pleasure in bike wrenching.

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Reassembly complete. Went for a test drive on a very mild winter day in north Jersey. It's a smooth rider! Even got a compliment when I stopped to chat with a fellow taking advantage of the weather by changing his car's brake pads in the driveway. Still need to get out the flat white paint for a patch on the rear fender and some Army stars and stenciled text.

To all you on the forum out there, I hope 2022 brings you much pleasure in bike wrenching.

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Great stuff. Well done! Looks fab!! Enjoy.
 
I got around to finishing up with the addition of some functionality (front brakes) and some aesthetics (graphics). When appropriate and feasible, I like to add front brakes to complement coaster brakes. This greatly improves stopping power and convenience. The graphics are based loosely on those I've seen on jeeps and actual military bikes.

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That is awesome!
Well done!
 
your paint fits that era. EVERYTHING was paint bombed all the same. even though it's a simple job, it's truer to the original than most of the military themed bikes, cars, etc i've seen.

if you want to age the stencils, take some fine sandpaper or emory paper & knock some of the white paint back off so the drab shows through in parts.
 

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