Prewar Schwinn madness..

I have a question regarding Schwinn prewar parts, what years those parts apply to which bikes, and how I can make sure I am getting the right parts with the right year of bikes. At the present time I am trying to build out a pre 41 cantilever autocycle and a 36-37 motorbike.

One of the first questions I have is if there was fire that destroyed all the records that schwinn had for bikes older than 1948, then how are you suppose to be sure what you are buying is truly a 39 or 40, or 41, etc.

I started trying to piece together a motorbike and am finding that the details of these bikes is way different to post war bikes. It appears that the cantilever tanks for 35 and 36 are different from the ones used in 39 or 41 but they seem to fit those frames. If I build out a cantilever frame from a 41 frame and use an aluminum tank for a 35 or 36, am i going to take a hit when I try to sell it in the future?

What are the correct fenders to use on a cycle plane/motorbike and how do you verify you have the correct ones. They look less deep compared to the fenders for a phantom, etc. I have a a set of fenders that are really deep and have the entire area indented for the fork and truss rods, but the matching rear does not have the holes for a rear drop stand clip (which I thought all prewars had).

Also, when did the spring fork and the built in front fender light start to appear? This prewar thing is way different than working on postwar bikes as there were a lot of changes taking place from 36-40.

Thanks,
Ken

Ken,
First things first. You need to figure out the years of the frames you have. The '36 Motorbike frames (bikes) are very different from the '37s. Secondly, there is no such thing as a '36 canti frame and I believe only a handful of late '37 canti frames have appeared as they weren't released until the '38 model year.

There are ways to ID the frames from the construction (i.e. straight vs. curved downtube) as well as the serial number. As of '37 Motorbikes were equipped with side stands NOT drop stands. At least according to the catalog, so don't sweat the dropstand clip holes. Springer fork didn't arrive until '38, so again make sure you have the frame/fenders for a '38 or later if you plan to go with a '38 build. Tanks were also different '36, '37 and '38. Fender light appeared late '40. Feel free to call/text me with any other questions. You're also welcome to check out my '37 Motorbike anytime.

Hey there Jason,

Thanks for the info... when were the cati tanks used (the one that have aluminum repops with the tab in the front of the tank). Also when did the front built in fenderlight come into play on the autocycles. I am trying to get a date when both springers and fenderlights should be on the same autocycle or motorbike.

Thanks,
Ken

If you're looking to use both the springer and fender light, 1940 or '41 are your only options. Not sure what tank you're referencing. Pics?

Sent you a PM