Parting Is Such Great Sorrow......

[SirMike1983]

For this bike, the plastic should be fine. I save the metal ones for really nice, earlier stuff or stuff with specialty hubs.

 

[rustjunkie]

what's your address?

 

[juanitasmith13]

I live in a clearing surrounded by cornfields. Closest large city is Chicago, about three hours north of me. I was hoping to find them today so I could start putting it back together tomorrow, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. I did find myself a nice little oil can with a flexible spout. It seems to pump about a tablespoon of oil with each squirt. Just one or two squirts should be enough, right?

All bearings you described have a manufacture's name and a part number, also, usually USA. Convo me these names and numbers... I'm in Peoria area; we have about three bearing stores. Need your snail mail, too. Bike dealers are high; and only have these if they are ancient dealers and they are NOS.

 

[juanitasmith13]

ok, update. I found a NOS SA 3 speed cable on eBay and that is on the way. I went to Niagra Cycle, and it looks like they have Jagwire grey housing in 50 ft rolls. The way I am buying bikes, I am going to need it. What I didn't see is the end caps/ferrels that go on the ends of the cables. And I am assuming I need a special tool to crimp those on the housing? I also found loose bearings on another site, but I have no idea what size to order. 1/4, 5/16? I don't have a micrometer to measure the bearings with, so I wondered if anyone knew offhand what size I need? I read somewhere that you can just seat loose bearings into the race with grease and skip the cages. The bearings in the crank are 9 bearings in a 1 3/4" cage, and the head bearings are 15 bearings in a 1 1/2" cage. Just measuring with a tape measure, they seem to be 1/4" and 1/8" respectively. Does that sound right? Finally, there is a round tube on the frame that the wire for the shifter runs through. When I took it out, there was a plastic sleeve with a slot in it that kept the wire from rubbing on the frame. When it came out, it split in half. Does anyone know what that piece is called, and has anyone had to replace one of these? I looked all over, and I haven't seen anything like it.

You can pop one ball out of each cage... smaller / larger; go to an ACE hardware, Tractor Supply / Farm and Fleet, or similar competitor... they have ball bearings... all sizes. You don't need to measure with .000"; you will see that the balls are easily sized if you have one in hand.

 

[Sigh1961]

All bearings you described have a manufacture's name and a part number, also, usually USA. Convo me these names and numbers... I'm in Peoria area; we have about three bearing stores. Need your snail mail, too. Bike dealers are high; and only have these if they are ancient dealers and they are NOS.

The head bearing says "Schwinn 2557AH", and the crank bearing says "Schwinn Natl 6178A"

 

[juanitasmith13]

Original housing is cracked and brittle. I don't think it is salvageable.

I often get Electrical shrink tubes... The OG cable is on my Breeze.... I worked WD 40 into it until it ran out the other end. There seemed to be no groove worn internally; only the rubber cover was hard and cracked. I put shrink tube over the OG housing to seal where broken so water could not get in... applied heat with a hair dryer....

 

[rustjunkie]

a great inexpensive tool:

http://www.parktool.com/product/spoke-bearing-and-cotter-gauge-sbc-1

 

[juanitasmith13]

The head bearing says "Schwinn 2557AH", and the crank bearing says "Schwinn Natl 6178A"

Cool ... convo me your USPS address... I'll send some bearings. pappy

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Sigh, you've only been here for 22 days, and already developed a severe case of bike fever! There's no known cure, so sit back, and enjoy the wrenching!! Kudos for reviving a bike that a jaded collector wouldn't look twice at!!

 

[Sigh1961]

Well, I ended up with the breeze because the seller wanted me to take both. I was really after the Suburban, but for $25, I figured "what the hell". I looked at it as a way to learn without too much risk. Now that I have been working on it, I have come to appreciate its simplicity. Once I get it done, I will gift it to my sister.