Big news: I can start sandblasting again! Dad and I got the new sandblasting parts installed into his sandblaster, and after testing it out on my Schwinn frame, it proves to be fully-functional!
For comparison, here's the old sandblasting tip and nozzle on the left, and the new tip and nozzle on the right.
Here's the sandblaster in question. 1950 26" Schwinn DX bike frame for scale, because there are no bananas at my dad's shop.
I didn't completely sandblast the frame, as this was just a test for now. I'll sandblast everything when I've fixed a few parts, and when Dad is ready to powder coat everything. I did however make a point to sandblast the inside of the seat tube, though.
Okay, I need some help from the more experienced bike builders here. The layback seat post on the left is what I plan to use to mount my seat. It will need some shims in order to sit properly inside the frame, as it's narrower than the original seat post, pictured in the middle. The gold line on the middle seat pole marks the top of the seat tube, after inserting the seat post as far down as the frame would allow, which is about 3 or 4 inches (I didn't measure, but the other pictures will show how far down inside the frame that is. It actually bottoms out right at the... is it called a "mid tube?") The seat post on the right is a stock seat post, shown because the original seat post that came with this bike was trimmed, no doubt because of whatever blockage is inside the seat tube.
Here's what I need help with: I want to put my layback seat post as low as it can go, which isn't a problem with it being narrower than the original seat post. I remember the shims that I used to put an identical seat post in
last year's RRBBO bike were even shorter than the distance the original seat post can go into the frame, and I feel like I should be able to make everything work despite whatever blockage is in the seat tube. However, I am concerned about the frame bending under my weight pushing down at a point just behind the seat tube, and I want to be sure that this will all work. So, will this all work, or do I have a serious problem on my hands?
One other detail that I took care of today: I freed the pedals I want to use from the crank that the Monark sprocket I'm using on the bike came from. They're not perfect, but they're usable. The side plates have some peeling chrome, so my plan is to sandblast those pieces and powder coat them.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot; I revisited my digital mockup of
Schwinn Dixie yesterday, and I think I've decided on a near final design. There are a few variables left to figure out, like what color the fender braces and pedal parts will be, and whether the tank will be metallic white or gloss white, but the rest has pretty much been figured out. This is pretty much what the final bike will look like. I've also decided to rename this build
"The Schwinn Dixie Dreamcycle," because the whole "
Project Quick Change" moniker hasn't really worked out like I thought it would.
So what's next? Well, depending on what everybody says about the seat tube/post issue mentioned earlier, I'll either try fixing the seat tube, or I'll reach out to my local welder to see about fixing the fork, fenders, and a bad spot at the back of the seat tube. I still believe I should be able to have everything finished by September 6th, but I'm going to try getting as much done as possible before August 11th, as I have another pet/house-sitting job coming up that will go until the 22nd. I should still be able to work on the bike during that time, but knocking out as much as I can right now will just make everything easier to manage.
That's all for now! Stay tuned for more!
Great looking bike! I like the handlebar up right best, but that’s just a matter of taste. The matte red looks more “authentic” to me too.
