# prewar hawthorne?



## ramjet70 (May 24, 2015)

picked this up for $50. wards hawthorne. any idea on the year. i haven't wrote down the serial numbers yet. seems to be original except mismatched wheels. any ideas? thanks!


, 

, 

, 

, 

,


----------



## jpromo (May 24, 2015)

I'm curious to get a serial here. That particular fork was only used very briefly before WWII and shortly after. The serial will help distinguish between the two. I'm thinking you'll have a serial starting with a J, K or somewhere in the E, F range.


----------



## syclesavage (May 25, 2015)

I got basically the same fork and a complete set of curved fenders and braces my bike serial number is C06336.


----------



## jpromo (May 25, 2015)

syclesavage said:


> I got basically the same fork and a complete set of curved fenders and braces my bike serial number is C06336.




Basically the same fork was used for many years by CWC, but this one has small shoulders at the crown, versus the standard flat-forged blade fork. Serials were repeated a few times in a couple year span, so it's impossible to determine anything without pictures.

With the bike in question here, I'm leaning towards late prewar. Very early postwar bikes all had blackout hubs, but with one wheel definitely being replaced here, it's possible the other was as well, so it's not a sure thing without the serial.


----------



## syclesavage (May 25, 2015)

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/images/imported/2015/04/9zk9Hpo-1.jpg http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/images/imported/2015/04/IXAYWLg-1.jpg Here's mine


----------



## jpromo (May 25, 2015)

syclesavage said:


> http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/images/imported/2015/04/9zk9Hpo-1.jpg http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/images/imported/2015/04/IXAYWLg-1.jpg Here's mine




With the photos and serial, your bike should be a 1947. Any chance there is a Cw stamped to the right of the serial? It's right around the early '47 time which they starting adding the Cw and I'd like to narrow down a cutoff serial as close as I can.


----------



## syclesavage (May 25, 2015)

No Cw I have been over that bottom bracket a lot if ya want to see how I got it search Junk??? go to and a thread was started by Croprisk.


----------



## ramjet70 (May 26, 2015)

*sweet bike!*



syclesavage said:


> http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/images/imported/2015/04/9zk9Hpo-1.jpg http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/images/imported/2015/04/IXAYWLg-1.jpg Here's mine




thats a sweet bike. what year is yours?


----------



## ramjet70 (May 26, 2015)

i'll write down the serial # today and get it back to you guys.


----------



## syclesavage (May 26, 2015)

Mine I've been told is a 47'


----------



## ramjet70 (May 26, 2015)

here is a picture of the bottom bracket.


----------



## jpromo (May 26, 2015)

That is indeed very early postwar--1945 built. I had one approximately 700 units after yours with shoulder fork and blackout hubs. Is the front hub blackout? The rear wheel has definitely been swapped, but if the front is a black enamel, it's likely original. They're solid bikes and make great riders. If you go through it, two fender braces are flipped backwards. Back brace on the front and the back brace on the rear.

This early after the war, CWC did not offer any extra sheetmetal parts. No deluxe bikes until later 1946 or so. No tanks, no racks, it's possible it never came with a guard either. Mine had an aftermarket one as well as yours. Enjoy!


----------



## ramjet70 (May 26, 2015)

*thanks for the info*



jpromo said:


> That is indeed very early postwar--1945 built. I had one approximately 700 units after yours with shoulder fork and blackout hubs. Is the front hub blackout? The rear wheel has definitely been swapped, but if the front is a black enamel, it's likely original. They're solid bikes and make great riders. If you go through it, two fender braces are flipped backwards. Back brace on the front and the back brace on the rear.
> 
> This early after the war, CWC did not offer any extra sheetmetal parts. No deluxe bikes until later 1946 or so. No tanks, no racks, it's possible it never came with a guard either. Mine had an aftermarket one as well as yours. Enjoy!



any idea on a model?


----------



## jpromo (May 26, 2015)

I doubt it really had a model name, just a catalog distinction, which I don't know. It would have been really stripped down and just an attempt to get new bicycles into circulation quickly after being down for 4 years.


----------



## Hpwraps (May 26, 2015)

Wow nice buy ramjet. Somebody gave you a great deal! LOL!





jpromo said:


> I doubt it really had a model name, just a catalog distinction, which I don't know. It would have been really stripped down and just an attempt to get new bicycles into circulation quickly after being down for 4 years.


----------



## ramjet70 (May 26, 2015)

*gonna get it going again*



Hpwraps said:


> Wow nice buy ramjet. Somebody gave you a great deal! LOL!



i'm gonna tear it down and repack everything. put a different set of matching wheels on it for now and start riding it again. its sat too long!!!


----------



## Hpwraps (May 26, 2015)

ramjet70 said:


> i'm gonna tear it down and repack everything. put a different set of matching wheels on it for now and start riding it again. its sat too long!!!




Why don't you ride it back out to Gowen so I can see it.


----------



## ramjet70 (May 30, 2015)

*whats up casey!!*



Hpwraps said:


> Why don't you ride it back out to Gowen so I can see it.




just doing my research!! i bought a really cool firestone today. you'll have to come check it out.


----------

