I made some good progress on the bike on saturday,....and had a strange turn of style direction too.
The wheels are painted, the frame is painted(for the most part), and the new style has inspired a new name.
Problem - A really bad area of rust corrosion on the rear wheel has revealed holes in the rim after sanding and prep work.
I attempted to weld fill the holes, and was successful for the most part, but after grinding everything back down smooth i'm having second thoughts as to the durability of the repair. I may have to replace the wheel.
Solution - The new style change really favors a typical 26" knobby tire as opposed to the older steel Schwinn 18 speed wheel. I don't remember which "S" wheel size it is right now. So, since I have a set of 26" rim brakes mtb wheels not being used, I think i'm going to use those instead.
The only parts I have to worry about now are.....
1. Ensuring the rear cog set is compatible with the older components.
2. Fitting the the older brakes to the smaller and wider 26" mtb wheels.
3. Hoping the mtb knobby tires clear the frame, but this shouldn't be a problem at all.
4. At 1.5" of current ride clearance, I hope the smaller 26" wheels have enough height to get the frame off the ground.
The rest of the details, and some pics should be sorted this coming week.....
1. Paint the brakes and other components.
2. Fir the newer mtb wheels and tires.
3. Fit new cables, the chain, and adjust everything.
4. Take pics and post them here.