# It lives!



## partsguy (Mar 6, 2012)

*Enter epic music!

After waiting for more than a year, endless hunting on every Classic Bicycle forum, eBay, Craiglist, Dayton Daily Classifieds, flea markets, swap meets, junkyards, etc. my hardwork is about to pay off. A major milestone in the restoration of my 1966 Huffy Silver Jet is here...THE TANK! A COMPLETE AND FULLY FUNCTIONING TANK! Using parts from the beat-up original, and fighting for the only two on eBay, I've pieced one together and it don't look half bad. The battery tray and factory original (I believe) bulbs, along with the lense were salvaged from an Eldorado.

For the replacement screws I went to True Value up the road in Troy as the Menard's in town ran our mom & pop shop out of business. Getting ANY kind of hardware is a pain, its poorly organized and never in stock, plus I hate the arrangement of the store. Help isn't very good either. Plus, the attention I got bringing the tank in to get the parts matched up was priceless! Yes, I can be a bit of a show off. 











One of the bulbs was pretty dim so I didn't put it in for this shot.




The only bad thing is the typical damage to these plastic headlight shrouds:


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## partsguy (Mar 6, 2012)

I still have enough spare parts to build up a lesser, yet still somplete (minus horn) tank. So none of this will be in the buy-sell-trade anytime soon. Although I'm not sure what I'll do with the original. Rat Rod it? The only valuable piece is the switch plate.










Now just wait until I get this all cleaned up and lookin really good!


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## jd56 (Mar 6, 2012)

Your hard work is paying off my man. can't wait to see it all put together and beaming and gleaming.
Just got my 45 day work done on my Astroflite today, except for the lights. Progress is a good feeling.

JD


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## partsguy (Mar 6, 2012)

jd56 said:


> Progress is a good feeling.




[video=youtube;SSR6ZzjDZ94]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSR6ZzjDZ94[/video]

I'm hoping to get all my work done tonight so tomorrow I can finish cleaning and TEAR DOWN THE BIKE! I've been in the parts hunting stage this whole time, now I feel justified to dive right in! Having this tank together and seeing the bike finished is the fun part, not the "thrill of the parts hunt". Parts hunting is hard, strenuous, and very meticulous work. Seeing those chrome fins back on the rack, the lights turn on, horn sounds off to wake everyone in the house at 1:00 AM , and a freshly rebuilt transmission in the hub, turn out a machine so beautiful that it deserve's its own holiday. To bring back a bike from America's Golden Years, from an old hulk to a show machine crusing down the sidewalk, street, trail, or where ever it is you ride, is the fun part.

It's times like this when the opening scene from _Christine_ runs through my head.


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## partsguy (Mar 6, 2012)

Why am I tempted to keep flipping the horn switch?


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## 1959firearrow (Mar 8, 2012)

I wish my tank lights and horn worked! That's awesome though hope you can find a good bezel some day too.


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## partsguy (Mar 8, 2012)

1959firearrow said:


> I wish my tank lights and horn worked! That's awesome though hope you can find a good bezel some day too.




Well, thats impossible unless the bike or the bezel is NOS. I think they were made of a plastic similar to bakelite? Correct me if I'm wrong. But there are two other holes in on the bottom half of the tank and if push comes to shove, I may break out the Dremel and make use of those holes.


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## jd56 (Mar 9, 2012)

I too need the chromed bezel....bidding war is in store?
Stephen, you have more money than me so you would win I'm sure.

I'll have to look at the bottom of my tank for the extra holes. My tank is equiped with just the one headlight switch.


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## partsguy (Mar 9, 2012)

I highly doubt I have more money than anybody, but thats why I love these 60's Huffys. I get a lot of syle for the money and every part can be had (well used to be) for pretty cheap. The only exceptions being the more rare stuff obviously. But in any case, you do have the holes. If you look at the bezel, there are only two holes on the top, while the bottom is smooth. Then, if you look at the tank, where the bezel mounts, there are two holes at the top and two unused holes in the bottom. Since the holes in the bottom of the tank are not used (yet) and the bezel covers them up, I'm think about drilling holes in the bottom of the bezel and covering up the top. It will look flush and mount better. Or so I think.


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## partsguy (Mar 9, 2012)

jd56 said:


> I too need the chromed bezel....bidding war is in store?
> Stephen, you have more money than me so you would win I'm sure.
> 
> I'll have to look at the bottom of my tank for the extra holes. My tank is equiped with just the one headlight switch.




Oh, and are you able to get your light working? If not, I've got the little secret and can help you out.


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## jd56 (Mar 9, 2012)

classicfan1 said:


> Oh, and are you able to get your light working? If not, I've got the little secret and can help you out.




Haven't been able to yet, In fact I don't beleive I've tried yet. If I remember right the tray was in pretty bad shape. I have to pull that one back in to the house and tear the tank apart again.
I've been busy working on the AstroFlites and I spent some time stripping my Sabre Flyer. Getting it ready for a repaint. Not sure about the tray in that tank either.

But throw me you secret tip anyway....don't hold back. If it's a real secret, send me a PM.


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## partsguy (Mar 9, 2012)

*"Doctor doctor, gimme the news!"*

There should be no secret info for Classics. If your battery try has rust, just clean it and clear coat it, its the contacts that matter. Post some pics when you get a chance so I can diagnose the issue.


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## jd56 (Mar 9, 2012)

Will do that as soon as I relook at them....have a Columbia tanklight not working yet either.


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