Hey all. The Hawthorne is done
. The bicycle was definitely a diamond in the rough and it has brought me a ton of enjoyment exposing her. Before I describe the past three weeks I want to say a BIG THANKS to The Golden Greek. He has helped me during the process providing helpful insight and locating some nice parts. We have also developed a friendship along way. I also want to say thank you to my wonderful wife for allowing me time to work on the bicycle.
I know what many of you are probably thinking "there is no way that is the original red paint that was under that ugly silver." I can truly say it is... all the original paint that remains can be seen. I touched up some (not all) of the bare metal on the front right fork, chain guard, the right seat post and the top rear forks. I touched up a few other bare spots, but I would say 95% of the red you see is the original. I used lacquer thinner to carefully remove the silver paint then I wet sanded the red to brighten it up. I used my high speed buffing wheel to bring out the shine.
I also freshened up the white graphics and distressed them to match the age of the bicycle. I added the Delta front light and super nice tank with horn and button (thanks George). The tank was selling on EBay at the same time as the bicycle and the Golden Greek brought it to my attention. It was already red, so I wet sanded and buffed. The seat is not original or correct, but I recovered it in black leather. It needs more pad so I will probably do it over in the next couple of weeks.
All the spokes, nuts and bolts are original - I did not break a one and I reused them all. I kept a detailed log of the materials and labor so my grandson will have a history of my work.
I brought the bicycle home on February 5th and flooded it with PB Blaster. From start to finish it took 18 days and approximately 100 hours to complete. I went through and rebuilt everything on this bicycle down to the smallest detail. It rides and shifts perfectly. My hands are really sore, but it's a good pain if you know what I mean. My grandson is 4 and Lord willing I will give it to him on his wedding day. While I was working on the bicycle I would say prayers for him praying that he would have a long happy life and meet a wonderful woman to marry. I don't know who she is but God does. As I was spending so much time on the bicycle, I couldn't help but think that I was taking something old and giving it a new life. That's what God does for each and every person who believes and places faith in Him. He gives new life. Thank you God for giving me this opportunity to work on this old classic. Please scroll down through the before and after pics. Thanks, Jim
