Rusty twisted frameframe

[Terra Incognita]

I have this skip tooth Colson I've been picking at. The head tube and seat tube aren't alligned. I've got heavy welding tables I can attatch it to..and all kind of leverage available. My question is should I apply any heat? My concern is the frame joints..which appear to be brazed.


Also..although I plan on leaving it in its "red oxide" patina..there are two spots that concern me

At first I thought they were repairs..as they make the lines of the tubes look not fair. But last night I started thinking maybe they are build ups of rust scale. Could this possible be where a pair of clamps where? Maybe from a tank?
I love the lines of this beauty and would love for it to appear fair..but don't want to change the patina too much.
Ideas?

 

[pholTmonx]

I have this skip tooth Colson I've been picking at. The head tube and seat tube aren't alligned. I've got heavy welding tables I can attatch it to..and all kind of leverage available. My question is should I apply any heat? My concern is the frame joints..which appear to be brazed.

View attachment 38602
Also..although I plan on leaving it in its "red oxide" patina..there are two spots that concern me
View attachment 38603
At first I thought they were repairs..as they make the lines of the tubes look not fair. But last night I started thinking maybe they are build ups of rust scale. Could this possible be where a pair of clamps where? Maybe from a tank?
I love the lines of this beauty and would love for it to appear fair..but don't want to change the patina too much.
Ideas?

Hi first when upload select full image as very hard look on mobile. Want try make as easy as possible for others to peek and spit a reply if you will.
It be good if we could see the side profile. I think this bike took a digger... Looks to me like it was possibly backed into in a garage. Some how the head tube and tail sections got smashed twords each other.. Those are some rather gnarly kinks from alot of leverage.
It be best show the side I don't think the forks could have survived Suh an impact. Hey may have been change or will show some twerk.
It looks like wahtever smashed Y was pretty dead on straight that's why tubes released as they did where they did..
We can try find repair SOLUION but need figure out whats wrong first.im. Guess the forks gave way with he wheel till the head tube kicked in. There was a lot of force involved...
I think car and wall before noticed

 

[pholTmonx]

I think u can see it in top tube as well maybe an inch back

 

[Terra Incognita]

Here's a side view.

 

[pholTmonx]

Looks straight and awsome... Hrrrmm.... I was expecting squishy...

 

[pholTmonx]

Actually what's that on the seat post below bottom tube.. looks like it was customized.... Bottom tube moved up??
Some one will know for sure but that's my new wild guess.. I like it

 

[G-Matt]

Must have been a Klunker. Well it can't get much worse. I'd pull out all the tricks . If it doesn't work , you got a new mail box post !!!


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[dragnusa]

Id clean up the old welds and give it a cool paint job and ride the heck out of it

 

[Terra Incognita]

Well..the price was right. When I inquired about the bike after seeing it in a farmers barn..he said "You like old bikes? This must be your bike then" as he picked it up and put it in my work truck.
I kept it as a yard ornament..until I was tearing down an old chicago Schwinn factory bike to build a clunker..and realized I didn't really like the lines of the Schwinn...at least compared to this bike.

 

[pholTmonx]

I think it's cool, and if it was customized long ago, defiantly awsome rat fuel!!!! Awsome price as well!!

 

[us56456712]

I would slap some old junk wheels, tires, bars, seat, crank etc and ride it single track. If you have no problem negotiating single track then I would make it into your klunker. I have done this before. You can also use the string test, but that assumes the chain stays are parallel. Also, if you have access to another frame then you can use a magnetic angle indicator (cheap at the hardware store) to check the head angle. Both bikes should be within about 1/2 degree of each other, assuming the second bike is true. I have done all this but still slapped some junk on the bike to ride it before I invested in klunker parts for it.
String test:
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSp...To_Do_It/FrameSetPrep_5_StringingFrameSet.htm
Angle indicator, I got mine at Menards:
http://www.lewiscontractorsales.com...1GTvLiYm6VM4uH477TH1BOm9ZHEnnCU1gGxoCODrw_wcB

 

[Terra Incognita]

I would slap some old junk wheels, tires, bars, seat, crank etc and ride it single track. If you have no problem negotiating single track then I would make it into your klunker. I have done this before. You can also use the string test, but that assumes the chain stays are parallel. Also, if you have access to another frame then you can use a magnetic angle indicator (cheap at the hardware store) to check the head angle. Both bikes should be within about 1/2 degree of each other, assuming the second bike is true. I have done all this but still slapped some junk on the bike to ride it before I invested in klunker parts for it.
String test:
http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/Site Contents/How_To_Do_It/FrameSetPrep_5_StringingFrameSet.htm
Angle indicator, I got mine at Menards:
http://www.lewiscontractorsales.com...1GTvLiYm6VM4uH477TH1BOm9ZHEnnCU1gGxoCODrw_wcB

Solid advice. I have a MTB I'm going to use for a mock up..just been waiting for camping season to be over with before I tore it apart. I have a magnetic angle finder but didn't think about using it. Great idea!

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

I think PTMonx is correct. The bottom tube was moved up and re-welded back onto the seat-tube a few inches higher That would explain the weird bend in the bottom tube towards the front of the bike. If you look harder, you can see the bottom tube was welded back together with 3 pieces of tube? Question then becomes....why do that?? Lets see a pic from directly in front or from the back to see the seat/head tube alignment if possible. skpc

 

[us56456712]

I think it was originally a straight bar or a rainbow frame. Colson made both. It has been made into something imitating the Colson Loop tail top tubes. I don't think it was welded back together from 3 pieces, instead it was cut at the seat tube, heated and bent upwards and it kinked. Then it was welded back to the frame. If it is straight just use it. It's cool.

 

[Terra Incognita]

Thanks for the replies. It is a curiousity why this was done. Maybe someone misimformed "expert" was trying to to dupe somebody into thinking it was more valuable model..maybe some tinkerer was trying to make room for a motor. I guess this just makes it more intersting to me. "Rat fuel". I think you just named it pholTmonx!
Anyway.. my metal shop buddy advised me to bend it back cold..and I'll try that. I've got other projects that are more completable right now like my middleweight Schwinn. I'll just collect parts for this one right now..and if the frame doesn't prove worthy I have yet another Schwinn that was originally slated to be a klunker.
Phew. Anyone else have problems just keeping track of what direction you're going?

 

[SSG]

Someone could have attempted to mod the frame to take a whizzer motor. If it was me I'd cut out the bottom tube, align the head tube and weld/braze a new bottom tube in.