StratoFlite (Spaceliner style)

[Kevin B]

For what it's worth, there's a very good how-to here:

https://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=351132&p=1

Thanks, I'm saving that one for future reference.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

I had forgotten how amazing oxalic acid is. The rust quite literally WIPES OFF.
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Looked at the frame for a while and decided that the steel wool I had done already wasn't making it any better. I was starting to get paint off, but not surface rust. So I rubbed it all down with Gibbs protectant and started putting stuff back on.
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I noticed an interesting problem... the butt end of the kickstand just about touches the inside of the sprocket sometimes depending on how it's tightened to the frame and how it's kicked up. Apparently it was a problem before, as the chrome is worn off the sprocket in a couple places where it was rubbing. Will have to fiddle with that, maybe file or grind on the kickstand a little...View attachment 200006View attachment 200007

Next: experimenting with alternate rust removal methods for the wheels and the rack. Yuck.

My first build off bike was a Murray and had the same issue. Lots of slop in the kick stand bar. Try sliding it away from the sprocket and if it moves, maybe lock it in place with a hose clamp to keep it from sliding.

 

[Jake Sensi]

BEAUTIFUL!! GTB!! PEACE

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Very cool and thanks.

Carl.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Ditch the kickstand altogether.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Cleaned up and bolted together for a test ride.

The original wheels cleaned up pretty good, but then they were a little more wobbly and eggy than I realized, so I ended up using a newer generic wheelset. The gumwall MTB tires have to go; besides being cracked and ugly and not fitting the look of the bike they are just barely clearing the fenders. I have these well-seasoned whitewalls I'm going to try:

They say 26 x 2.125, same as the MTB knobbies that are on it now, but they appear to be physically smaller so I think they'll play nice with the fenders.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Ditch the kickstand altogether.

If I were stripping it down into a dirt bomber I might, but I'm trying to keep it in the vein of an original old-school cruiser and hoping to ride it on weekly pizza and ice cream excursions, so for now it stays.

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Wow that bike really cleaned up nicely!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

The StratoFlite's turning out all right! Hopefully those tires will clear, but given that your bike would have originally come with 26"x 1.75" tires, it might still be a tight fit. Spoken from experience. Looking sharp! You're almost done!

 

[Pestcontrol02]

Amazing transformation!
I love that bike so much, nice job!

edit: do the lights work?

 

[ParkRNDL]

Ok, so we are at the point where I could drop it into the rotation and take it on a group ride on any given week. It's done to that point. Before and after:

From this point on, it's picking away at stuff. Easy stuff: paint the cap on the sprocket, paint the headlight part of the tank, find some more original-looking pedals, swap out the bars and/or seat. Not so easy stuff: recover the original seat, come up with a graphic to replace the completely washed-out "StratoFlite" on the guard, get the headlight and/or taillight and/or horn to work, either by patching up what's left of the original stuff or by starting from scratch with fancy LEDs and electronic buzzers.

Questions for you guys:

Do these handlebars look okay with this type bike? I have a few nice Schwinn bars like this, but I'm not convinced... I think the bike loses something without the original bars.

Next question: Has anyone recovered a seat like this? What's the layer UNDER the metal pan? (The part that looks like it's water-stained in these pics?) It almost feels like some kind of leather, but that doesn't make sense.

I'm scouring the internets for information on restoring Troxel seats like this, but haven't found much yet...

 

[ParkRNDL]

The StratoFlite's turning out all right! Hopefully those tires will clear, but given that your bike would have originally come with 26"x 1.75" tires, it might still be a tight fit. Spoken from experience. Looking sharp! You're almost done!

I have a bunch of other 26 x 2.125 tires here, and I think you're right; any tires that are truly that size would be a problem with the fenders. But this particular set of tires is NOT true to size. There's no way they're that big. You can see in the pics above that the 2.125 gumwall knobbies were just about rubbing unless you tweaked and adjusted everything and tightened it just so, and even then they'd make noise if you turned a certain way or leaned on the pedals hard. The whitewalls, however, have a fair amount of clearance in the fenders, yet here's what they are sized:

 

[kingfish254]

I like those bars better than the original ones. They have a lunging forward feel about them that matches the frame design.

For the most part, I have found that model of Troxell saddles to be crap. Whenever I've removed the old covering I find one layer rusted brittle holey metal. I believe the material underneath is just a type of thin flexible cardboard.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Amazing transformation!
I love that bike so much, nice job!

edit: do the lights work?

Sadly, no. The good news is that everything was there: the wiring, switches, lamp sockets, even the bulbs. The bad news is that much of it is too badly rusted and deteriorated to make the original system work.

Part of what I'd like to do before the build-off ends on September 6 is get the lights updated to LEDs, but we shall see how far I get on that.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I have a bunch of other 26 x 2.125 tires here, and I think you're right; any tires that are truly that size would be a problem with the fenders. But this particular set of tires is NOT true to size. There's no way they're that big. You can see in the pics above that the 2.125 gumwall knobbies were just about rubbing unless you tweaked and adjusted everything and tightened it just so, and even then they'd make noise if you turned a certain way or leaned on the pedals hard. The whitewalls, however, have a fair amount of clearance in the fenders, yet here's what they are sized:
View attachment 200211

Yeah, I've had a few tires that weren't exactly as big as they claimed to be, so I'm not surprised you have a set of whitewall balloons that can fit inside the fenders just right. They definitely look good on the StratoFlite!

Nice to hear all that's left to do is some buttoning up. On your handlebars, I like the originals better than that set you mocked up, but what about flipping either bar upside down? If you're going for riding comfort, I'd stick with the originals, but for style, those other bars might look good flipped. Do you have any other handlebars you might want to use?

 

[ParkRNDL]

I like those bars better than the original ones. They have a lunging forward feel about them that matches the frame design.

For the most part, I have found that model of Troxell saddles to be crap. Whenever I've removed the old covering I find one layer rusted brittle holey metal. I believe the material underneath is just a type of thin flexible cardboard.

That's what I feared about the seat. The stuff under the seat reminded me of the layer of insulation-type stuff between the rear seat and the trunk of my '65 Impala, which once I took it out, could best be described as thick, greasy, crumbly cardboard.

But yeah, I am a big fan of those bars in general. Maybe the seat and bars will be updated to Schwinn spec. I wonder if part of what's throwing me off about the bars and the look of the bike is that I have the seat too low...

 

[ParkRNDL]

Yeah, I've had a few tires that weren't exactly as big as they claimed to be, so I'm not surprised you have a set of whitewall balloons that can fit inside the fenders just right. They definitely look good on the StratoFlite!

Nice to hear all that's left to do is some buttoning up. On your handlebars, I like the originals better than that set you mocked up, but what about flipping either bar upside down? If you're going for riding comfort, I'd stick with the originals, but for style, those other bars might look good flipped. Do you have any other handlebars you might want to use?

I briefly considered these, which are no longer on the pictured bike but are currently sitting in the basement:

They're cool, but they're huge and weird and out there and I don't know. Maybe it's time to mock them up too.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I briefly considered these, which are no longer on the pictured bike but are currently sitting in the basement:
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They're cool, but they're huge and weird and out there and I don't know. Maybe it's time to mock them up too.

Those are pretty funky! Not sure they'd be a good fit on the StratoFlite, but I've seen weirder. Sometimes the only way to know whether or not a part works is to mock it up.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Sadly, no. The good news is that everything was there: the wiring, switches, lamp sockets, even the bulbs. The bad news is that much of it is too badly rusted and deteriorated to make the original system work.

My 1964 Karmann Ghia had a lot of 6v bugs when I got it. After spending an afternoon cleaning every contact point in the car with a Dremel wire wheel, the bugs went away.

 

[ParkRNDL]

GUYS WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE

I put these bars on as a goof. I was fully prepared for them to look ridiculous. Am I crazy, or do they look pretty good? They're huge and funky and I think I like them. I bought them years ago for another project and they didn't stick, so they've sat in the basement all this time collecting dust.