# 1941 Dx



## Brian Richards (Aug 30, 2016)

Hi guys.  I'm excited about a restoration project I've had in mind for years.  I rode this bike 20 years ago in downtown San Jose.  Back then that area was having a little Renaissance going on with bands and bars and we all rode our bikes around.  I'm sure many of you may be familiar with Faber's Cyclery.  It was a famous old San Jose place.  It was in a dilapidated old Victorian house which was drastically leaning to one side!  I think before they closed down it was the oldest continuously open business in San Jose.   Anyway this was a bike put together with Faber's parts.  I ended up saving all the parts which I believed were original and hung it in my garage.  I need your guys help in the restoration!  I want to do an authentic period correct job on this but minus any obsessive craziness.  I would like to get all the correct parts, plating and paint schemes figured out though.  I want to do that insanely beautiful black and ivory scheme.  I guess spending $1500 or so would be what I'd expect.  (Let me know if that's realistic.) 
Here's what I have so far...
The frame has obviously been stripped and poorly painted once before.  I can't imagine those grinding marks are original to the factory!  I have 77 of the 10 3/4" spokes.  I realize the forks are bent.  Is the gooseneck correct for '41?  The badge and chrome goosneck parts on the bench are from a later bike obviously.  (I had a ziplock bag full of hardware.)  Anyway let me know what you guys feel looks right and what doesn't and will start this thing.


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## Brian Richards (Aug 30, 2016)

Grinding marks on the frame after I rubbed the cheap paint with acetone.


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## Brian Richards (Aug 30, 2016)

Ugh.  I need to get caught up and up to speed here.  Faber's actually had a fire.   Old news to many of you I'm sure.  That sign on the side!  Sigh.


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## cyclingday (Aug 30, 2016)

Tough to give advise on a project with so much sentimental attachment.
You do have a 1941 Schwinn DX frameset. The truss rods, kick stand, crank arm, headset that's in the frame, and the seatpost all look correct.
The chain tension screws are in backward. Everything else I see is not correct. I am not sure about the grinding marks on the frame, because believe it or not, that is how the finished those frames back in the day. They were cranking these bike out and selling them for right around $20.00
Most of the rough metal finish was filled with paint, so it wasn't that noticable. Big difference in the Schwinn built bikes of the 50s and 60s compared to the handmade bikes of the prewar era.
Fabers was a classic for sure, and I can appreciate your sentimentality towards your project, but my advise for whatever it's worth, would be to buy an original condition 1941 Schwinn model DX in black and Ivory.
If you are patient and stash that $1,500 away, so that you're ready to pounce when one shows up, you will be successful.
I actually just sold a pretty nice one about a month ago for around $400
1941 was a high production year, so the chances of finding what you want are better than average.
If you want to do the one you have, I totally understand. That bike has your history, and that is worth a lot.
Have fun!
That is the bottom line.


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## Brian Richards (Aug 31, 2016)

Thanks for the input cyclingday!  I understand the value in finding a complete bicycle.  I still think I'm leaning toward getting this one rolling again though.  So if I understood correctly the spokes and kickstand may have seemed out of place to you? 

I looked at the excellent posting of the 1941 Schwinn catalog last night as a resource...

http://schwinncruisers.com/catalogs/1941.html

I will be attempting to build a rolling black D97X-1 model and add D97XE appointments as I find them.  I guess for now I'll need proper prewar rims, the skiptooth "sweet heart" chain sprocket and New Departure hub as well as handlebars.

Thanks!
Brian


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## Freqman1 (Aug 31, 2016)

I'd say $1500 might be a bit optimistic even just building the base model. Chrome is expensive and a quality paint job by someone who knows what they are doing is probably $1k. Do not let a local body shop tell you they can paint a bike correctly--ain't seen it happen yet. Then add in a seat restoration, pedals, grips, tires, etc... If its sentimental feelings driving the train then don't worry about the money but just realize you will have 2x-3x the money in it than what its worth finished. V/r Shawn


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## Brian Richards (Aug 31, 2016)

I am hoping to to habe the chrome be my biggest expense.  I'm actually going to do the paint myself.  I have an hvlp and dry air setup in my garage. Does someone make stenchil patterns for the DX white embellishments?  I meant to hit you guys up on that later.  I'll assume the white was sprayed over the base color but perhaps the other way around?


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## Freqman1 (Sep 1, 2016)

You can buy the 'meatball' stencils and yes the white was shot over the base color. Any decent single stage enamel should be fine. Schwinn never used a clear coat on these so if your restoring then clear would not be correct. V/r Shawn


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

Very interesting.  That actually answers a question I had about what sort of paint was used.  I figured it was a simple single stage enamel.  It would seem to me also that getting the paint too perfect wouldn't necessarily be authentic either.  I'm going to have to check out those "meatball" stencils.  You guys are very helpful!




Freqman1 said:


> You can buy the 'meatball' stencils and yes the white was shot over the base color. Any decent single stage enamel should be fine. Schwinn never used a clear coat on these so if your restoring then clear would not be correct. V/r Shawn


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## Freqman1 (Sep 1, 2016)

Hey Brian,
    I've addressed this before but the fact is about every restored bike is actually better than the factory did it. I'm as guilty as anyone. The reason for this is that most factory jobs whether Schwinn, Huffman, Shelby, or any other manufacturer were doing these on an assembly line and weren't to concerned about 'perfect'. Schwinn actually used a cast iron 'mask' that they clamped on the frames to shoot the secondary color. If you really look at an original paint bike this secondary color is normally very thin. The reason is if they laid the paint on too heavy it would bleed through the mask. The DX only had pinstripes on the wheels but I've seen a lot of bikes (Autocyles, Daytons, Shelbys, etc...) with hand striping that either looked like someone was having a rough day or just starting. Runs, drips, dry spots, etc... were all common on factory finishes. I say if you want to make it accurate then paint the entire bike in about five minutes and stripe it in three minutes and you will have an accurate job! That said few of us want to spend the time, money, and effort on a finished product that looks crappy. Lastly the key to any good paint job is preparation. I don't care how skillful you are with a gun it wont cover sanding scratches, pinholes, or shoddy filler repairs. Good luck with your project and keep us posted. V/r Shawn


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## markivpedalpusher (Sep 1, 2016)

Welcome - Here a few good sites to browse for reference in case you haven't seen them yet. 
http://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCat/flschwinn_1893_1940/index.html
http://www.nostalgic.net/
http://www.bicyclechronicles.com/
http://www.vintageschwinn.com/


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## rustjunkie (Sep 1, 2016)

cool bike and a fun project!
the file marks on the frame are probably original. as Shawn said: these bikes were built quickly. Here's some pictures of an original paint '40 DX with similar file marks, and a fairly "robust" braze at the seat tube/bottom bracket.




 

 

 



you can also see how the white was applied over the black, and the edges are soft, not sharp like taped edges would be.
I'm wondering about the headset and bottom bracket on your bike, to me it looks postwar possibly into the 60s? but I'm certainly no Schwinn expert.


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## dla (Sep 1, 2016)

Freqman1 said:


> Schwinn actually used a cast iron 'mask' that they clamped on the frames to shoot the secondary color. If you really look at an original paint bike this secondary color is normally very thin. The reason is if they laid the paint on too heavy it would bleed through the mask. V/r Shawn


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

Freqman1 said:


> Hey Brian,
> I've addressed this before but the fact is about every restored bike is actually better than the factory did it. I'm as guilty as anyone. The reason for this is that most factory jobs whether Schwinn, Huffman, Shelby, or any other manufacturer were doing these on an assembly line and weren't to concerned about 'perfect'. Schwinn actually used a cast iron 'mask' that they clamped on the frames to shoot the secondary color. If you really look at an original paint bike this secondary color is normally very thin. The reason is if they laid the paint on too heavy it would bleed through the mask. The DX only had pinstripes on the wheels but I've seen a lot of bikes (Autocyles, Daytons, Shelbys, etc...) with hand striping that either looked like someone was having a rough day or just starting. Runs, drips, dry spots, etc... were all common on factory finishes. I say if you want to make it accurate then paint the entire bike in about five minutes and stripe it in three minutes and you will have an accurate job! That said few of us want to spend the time, money, and effort on a finished product that looks crappy. Lastly the key to any good paint job is preparation. I don't care how skillful you are with a gun it wont cover sanding scratches, pinholes, or shoddy filler repairs. Good luck with your project and keep us posted. V/r Shawn




It's interesting isn't it?  There was a time when these weren't classics--just bikes being made to era standards.  Clamp 'em and spray 'em!


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

markivpedalpusher said:


> Welcome - Here a few good sites to browse for reference in case you haven't seen them yet.
> http://waterfordbikes.com/SchwinnCat/flschwinn_1893_1940/index.html
> http://www.nostalgic.net/
> http://www.bicyclechronicles.com/
> http://www.vintageschwinn.com/




Brilliant!  Much appreciated!


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

rustjunkie said:


> cool bike and a fun project!
> the file marks on the frame are probably original. as Shawn said: these bikes were built quickly. Here's some pictures of an original paint '40 DX with similar file marks, and a fairly "robust" braze at the seat tube/bottom bracket.
> 
> View attachment 355631 View attachment 355632 View attachment 355633 View attachment 355634
> ...




Whoa!  They ARE from the factory.  I hadn't thought of guys with brazing files? I thought they were some fool's angle grinder quick strip.  Great pics and thank you.


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

dla said:


> View attachment 355665
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Those are too much.  I love it.


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

I have graduated from "On Training Wheels" to "Lil Knee Scuffer"!  What's next?  "Badass Ballooner" or am I getting ahead of myself?


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## Brian Richards (Sep 1, 2016)

rustjunkie said:


> cool bike and a fun project!
> the file marks on the frame are probably original. as Shawn said: these bikes were built quickly. Here's some pictures of an original paint '40 DX with similar file marks, and a fairly "robust" braze at the seat tube/bottom bracket.
> 
> View attachment 355631 View attachment 355632 View attachment 355633 View attachment 355634
> ...




Yeah.  The ghosting on the edges of the designs is certainly evident in your pics.  I am not sure about that stem.  I've seen people who refer to that design as prewar but all the DX's I'm seeing have a different one.  I had that bottom hardware in a ziplock.  It's a mix of random Schwinn stuff. Certainly much of it does not belong on my bike.  I'll probably start over with a new bottom hardware purchase.


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## Mr. Holly (Sep 29, 2016)

Detail is everything to me. With that being said I am repainting an already repainted Schwinn whizzer.
I am removing every trace of old paint, grime, and rust. From there I will be spraying a very thin coat of enamel based red oxide primer, followed by a thin color coat, and thin ivory where needed. I was first into vintage Fender guitars. They are very similar to bikes as far as the value of an original finish vs a repaint. Although a good paint job will always make your repainted guitar or bike way more desirable. Allot of guys will spray a perfect finish on their old guitars, or bikes but will use the wrong kind of paint, the wrong undercoat, and the wrong thickness. Old guitars and bikes were pumped out, and their paint jobs were thin. This helped them dry quicker, and using less paint saved the company allot of money. These are two good things for production. Not only is a thin paint job correct for your bike, but it's not like your going to ghost ride it, and lay it outside in the grass for the next 70 years. Anyway, I have several spray guns, but for ease decided to try some rattle can paint. I went down to Fred Meyers ( a store in Washington) and bought a can of Krylon Cover-Max (Red Oxide) primer for $4.00. Originally I was going to experiment with it on a different bike, which I did, and it was killer. It is the correct color, it is enamel based, it dried very fast, and it is very hard to scratch or chip. I am very impressed. Now I think that I will buy a can of their enamel based black, and then almond for the antiqued ivory color. I tried krylons ivory, it matches the 1950's Schwinns, but not my prewar or other late 40's ivory paint. You can get extremely nice results with rattle cans if you are patient. Any mistakes can be wet sanded out, and then buffed at the end. I plan on taking 3000 grit sandpaper to the the paint when it is finished. It will be hard to see, but I want the paint to have millions of micro scratches (the kind of scratches that you see on a classic car in the sun) I just cant stand the look of perfect shiny paint on old stuff. As crazy as it sounds, I may even re-chip, and scratch a couple areas where the previous paint job was worn,  thus showing some of the cool red oxide primer below. I just simply want it to look original again. Well, that was my 22 cents worth. Take care, and keep us posted.


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## barneyguey (Feb 6, 2017)

dla said:


> View attachment 355665
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Hey guys, I'm kind of a hillbilly. I made my own stencil's out printer paper and glued them on with stencil adhesive bought at Hobby Lobby. I drew and cut out dozens before I ended up with ones good enough to use. I did a partial restore on a Dx that was covered with silver and red paint. when I removed the paint it took off most of the white paint. I repainted the white highlights along with repairing the dent's in the fenders (including removing the bondo and lead from the holes and spot for the fender light) and painted the tip of the fender. I fixed the dents in the Tank and redid it also using stencils from ebay. Here's a few photos. Barry


 

 

 

 

 

 

  Now I need to find someone who doesn't shake as much as me to fill in some open areas in the pin striping. You can see the sand marks from the guy who painted it silver, red etc.I would like to keep it as original as I can. I also put a Schwinn Quality decal on it. I love it. This is my first Prewar Schwinn given to me by my friend Roy 30 years ago who thought it was crap compared to the late fifties middleweight Spitfire with original paint with no tank, rack etc. Both bikes were given to him by the widow of another friend. I like this one better. Barry


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