1947 Schwinn B6 Rustoration questions??

I am looking for some help from the Schwinn gurus. I purchased this crusty 1947 B6 off of Craigslist Thursday. The current plan is to do a rustoration on it. Meaning going thru the mechanicals & massage the rust to bring back what's left of the paint, which isn't much.

I have a couple questions after googling & cabeing for images. 1-it seems like the fender light belongs on a springer fork, not a truss fork? 2-This bike has New departure hubs, is that correct? 3-are drop center rims correct to this B6?

Also looking to find the approx. value of this sweet heart. Other than being really crusty, it appears to be complete. The horn tank & fender/light are solid & in great shape considering the outside.

Thank you for your input on the items above, or any other points noticed.

Very cool find! From what I have seen in the catalogs and magazine ads, the train horn did come with both the truss rod and springer version. Other questions I can't be much help, but sure others will chime in. I'm putting together a 49 B6 currently but one of the previous owners removed the goodies, tank, rack and fenders. Best of luck, I'm having a blast putting mine back together! Enjoy and keep updates coming! Joe

Here's a pic of one I found on nostalgia site.

I have a 46 that looked about the same when I got it.i gave it a good dousing of WD40 and just wiped it down.then a bath with dawn dish soap followed by a complete drying.then went through all the bearings.had to replace a couple.mine has flat lobdell rims,but dropcenters are also correct.as far as value,it's pretty subjective.i paid a couple hundred for mine and it has better paint.

The bike appears to be complete and correct. I think this one would be a good candidate for a wood bleach bath. Search the resto section here to find out more. As far as value goes if you like it then what its worth is not that important. You can probably find some comps buys searching through the sale section here as well as Ebay ended auctions results to get an idea. V/r Shawn

Nice bones!

I agree, the truss rod models did come with a fender light as well. It is likely the drop center rims are also correct. They were in process of changing over to S2 rims but I think there were a few drop center models produced in 46/47. New Departure hubs are normal also. The sliding rail Mesinger seat is also an earlier model but consistent with the 46/47 (prewar-postwar) transition period features of your bike.

I would go buy a very large can of WD40 and a half dozen 3M gray scrubbie pads and start soaking and rubbing on it. It's hard to tell from the photos how much original paint is under that rust but I bet there is some. After taking the rust down to a nice patient, I like to use a medium Mcguires automotive polish and polimar wax to encapsulate and preserve the results. Shawn is correct that wood bleach (oxcallic acid) is an option that works for rust removal.

Great pick! I'm sure you will have it fun with it.

Very cool b6 man. Rob.

1948 was a transition year for rims. Schwinn moved away from drop centers and introduced the S2 (non-knurled) in 1948. They also used up their remaining inventory of drop centers so those were used too. Your bike looks correct to me. Yes to the New Departure hubs as well.

Dude, great score. Looks wonderfully bone stock. Heck, I wouldn't even touch the rust. Just do the bearings and slap some fresh rubber on it. Re-do seat and pedals if needed.
Cheers, Geoff

Congrats on a nice find.

CONGRATS ON A NICE FIND.
IT ALL LOOKS ORIGINAL AND ALL THERE.
AS WAS SAID BEFORE, THE SCHWINN B 6 MODELS ALSO CAME WITH THE TRUSS ROD FORK.
AND YOURS IS A LOCKING TRUSS ROD FORK!
IF YOU NEED HELP GETTING A BROKEN KEY OUT OR NEED A KEY, I CAN HELP.
WES PINCHOT
[email protected]