# Round 2 of Name...that...Ballooner!



## tacochris (Nov 4, 2020)

Yet another wicked patina bike in my collection that intrigues me!  This one was found on Thanksgiving day on the road to family, as a poor yard art bike (barf).  Fell in love immediately and wouldnt leave it...made the deal over the phone with the land owner and slipped money under an old door.  Haha good memories.
On to the bike.  Its an inch-pitch bike that has CWC hallmarks like the serial number and sprocket but it has a color arrangement ive never seen.  Once i got it cleaned up the colors are base black with a light green accent setup very similar in hue to the green on the prewar Schwinn Ace (i know its not that).  Also the spears are somewhat telling.
Hub is Morrow and if i remember correctly it was dated 40’s.  I have a few of these seats but never had the bike they went on till this one.  If you notice, the fork crown has “shoulders” that poke out and isnt totally curved off.  Serial number below as well.
Btw-funny story when i got it home the handlebars were PACKED with huge angry tree ants...lol. Fun times...


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## tacochris (Nov 4, 2020)

O yeah I forgot to mention the BEAST of a drilled angle iron bar welded into the frame i totally plan on leaving because ive grown to love it.  Haha


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## Freqman1 (Nov 4, 2020)

'39ish CWC-check the chart to nail it down for sure. V/r Shawn


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## tacochris (Nov 4, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> '39ish CWC-check the chart to nail it down for sure. V/r Shawn



Thanks bud.  I’ll be interested to see if anyone has ever seen this odd light green-over-black color combo!


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## Goldenrod (Nov 4, 2020)

It was motorized?


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## tacochris (Nov 5, 2020)

Goldenrod said:


> It was motorized?



I see no real evidence that it got motorized but it could have been put there with the future intent to be motorized.  The angle iron is old and the patina/welds appears to be as old as the bike.  Kinda adds some off character...lol


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## tacochris (Nov 5, 2020)

This is one of those bikes that KILLS me the badge is gone because i have a feeling it was a cool one and not a basic roadmaster.  Ive never seen this light green over black paint scheme.


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## all riders (Nov 5, 2020)

I think the darts around the headtube area are wrong for Hawthorne, so my guess is Western Flyer. I don't see drop-stand ears on the rear(just can't tell from pics). If they are not there, then I suspect your bike to be from late '47 which is the year they started adding the "C" around a "W"  stamp--it will be a little farther right of the serial#---I think I might even see a little ghost of it in your picture, but my mind could be seeing what is not there.


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## Freqman1 (Nov 5, 2020)

all riders said:


> I think the darts around the headtube area are wrong for Hawthorne, so my guess is Western Flyer. I don't see drop-stand ears on the rear(just can't tell from pics). If they are not there, then I suspect your bike to be from late '47 which is the year they started adding the "C" around a "W"  stamp--it will be a little farther right of the serial#---I think I might even see a little ghost of it in your picture, but my mind could be seeing what is not there.



I may have been premature in my assessment. If we could get a good pic of the dropouts that would help determine pre/postwar. V/r Shawn


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## CURTIS L LINDGREN (Nov 5, 2020)

My Guess is the welded flat plate was used for coasting at high speed ..............to take your feet off of the pedals. ( makes you more streamlined ) Why ? Because it looks cool !!!  OR he forgot he had a rack on the back......................and that's where he keeps his Lunchbox


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## Frank and Pam Skid Kings (Nov 5, 2020)

Leaving that welded plate on is perfect. Preserves the history. I like it !


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## tacochris (Nov 5, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> I may have been premature in my assessment. If we could get a good pic of the dropouts that would help determine pre/postwar. V/r Shawn



Ok so here is a pic of the drops which i believe put it around the mid to late 40’s.  ....and also a detailed pic of the welded plate just for the fun of it.  Lol
I will also mention it appears to have no headbadge holes which is odd to me.


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## skiptooth (Nov 19, 2020)

looks like 46-47 cwc 3 gill slim tank , and pep boys sold that color back in the 50's don't you remember? i think covic took over my brain lol


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## tacochris (Nov 19, 2020)

skiptooth said:


> looks like 46-47 cwc 3 gill slim tank , and pep boys sold that color back in the 50's don't you remember? i think covic took over my brain



Thats a possibility i never considered, i will look into that!  Lol


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## Superman1984 (Nov 19, 2020)

@tacochris you should weigh it just for giggles vs an un added accessories bike. I would be dying to ride it jus' for sake of it being CWC and a true different odd rat survivor


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## Nashman (Nov 20, 2020)

tacochris said:


> Yet another wicked patina bike in my collection that intrigues me!  This one was found on Thanksgiving day on the road to family, as a poor yard art bike (barf).  Fell in love immediately and wouldnt leave it...made the deal over the phone with the land owner and slipped money under an old door.  Haha good memories.
> On to the bike.  Its an inch-pitch bike that has CWC hallmarks like the serial number and sprocket but it has a color arrangement ive never seen.  Once i got it cleaned up the colors are base black with a light green accent setup very similar in hue to the green on the prewar Schwinn Ace (i know its not that).  Also the spears are somewhat telling.
> Hub is Morrow and if i remember correctly it was dated 40’s.  I have a few of these seats but never had the bike they went on till this one.  If you notice, the fork crown has “shoulders” that poke out and isnt totally curved off.  Serial number below as well.
> Btw-funny story when i got it home the handlebars were PACKED with huge angry tree ants...lol. Fun times...
> ...



Adam ant ( most of you may be too young to remember this cartoon) says HI Five, and thanks for letting his Bro's live in the handlebars for so long!!


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## Balloonoob (Nov 20, 2020)

Nashman said:


> Adam ant ( most of you may be too young to remember this cartoon) says HI Five, and thanks for letting his Bro's live in the handlebars for so long!!View attachment 1304544



C'mon Bob.... Even us younger guys remember "up and Atom" Ant.


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## tacochris (Nov 20, 2020)

Nashman said:


> Adam ant ( most of you may be too young to remember this cartoon) says HI Five, and thanks for letting his Bro's live in the handlebars for so long!!View attachment 1304544



Right before they all went to be with Jesus....boy there were hundreds of the surly little farts.


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## GTs58 (Nov 20, 2020)

tacochris said:


> Ok so here is a pic of the drops which i believe put it around the mid to late 40’s.  ....and also a detailed pic of the welded plate just for the fun of it.  Lol
> I will also mention it appears to have no headbadge holes which is odd to me.
> 
> View attachment 1296700
> ...




If you stand the bike up with the head tube a 12:00,  that rear fork end might be considered a drop.    ...


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## tacochris (Nov 20, 2020)

GTs58 said:


> If you stand the bike up with the head tube a 12:00,  that rear fork end might be considered a drop.  ...



Its just a short word me and my bike friends use for the rear dropouts....lol


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## corazzobikes (Nov 23, 2020)

Is it a Fleet Wing? Attached are photos of my dads bike I've been restoring. He had to bend the crossbar tube in order to get the motor to fit.


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

Im reviving this thread because Im about to throw this badboy in the stand and finally build it.  

I still have not determined what type of CWC this was and I have drug the internet and gone thru pages-on-pages of CWCs and have yet to find one of this style.  Here is what I have to go on:

--Color combo is black with light green
--spears and fender tips are trimmed in a way I havent seen
--rear rack has the fat brace similar to a monark rack
--full pan style seat
--front fork has the bump shoulders at the top.  @fordmike65 says he has seen rarely
--no badge holes I have found yet but I haevnt looked inside the head tube.

Someone has mentioned a slim-tank 3 gill, but I have gone thru all the ones I can find and none match
Roadmaster is always mentioned first but I have yet to see one similar in that respect either


Either way its getting built and ridden but knowing would be awesome if I can figure it out.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (May 12, 2021)

tacochris said:


> Im reviving this thread because Im about to throw this badboy in the stand and finally build it.
> 
> I still have not determined what type of CWC this was and I have drug the internet and gone thru pages-on-pages of CWCs and have yet to find one of this style.  Here is what I have to go on:
> 
> ...



Did that have a motor mounted on it at one point? what's the angle iron?


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (May 12, 2021)

Killer bike by the way , it is in the right hands


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Did that have a motor mounted on it at one point? what's the angle iron?



....not that I know of honestly because I got it from a junk dealer who rescued it from someone's yard art display way out in the sticks.  I plan on leaving it honestly because it adds an oddball character to the bike.


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Killer bike by the way , it is in the right hands



There is something about this bike that I just love very much and I cant explain it.  Ive had countless patina bikes of this style and I usually end up selling them but this one I dont think i ever will.  It speaks to me....Lol


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## Superman1984 (May 12, 2021)

Call him Mystery & get him ridin' .... maybe he'll reveal what he is when you look down the head tube; If he has badge holes. If Not you won't love it Any Less  I Promise


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

Nah...i certainly wont love it any less.  Its an amazing patina bike but its like finding a jane or a john doe person.  Its great you found it and it doesnt change that but its like an unfinished story.  Things missing on bikes just eats at me i guess...
I love a good mystery hunt.


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## Superman1984 (May 12, 2021)

tacochris said:


> Nah...i certainly wont love it any less.  Its an amazing patina bike but its like finding a jane or a john doe person.  Its great you found it and it doesnt change that but its like an unfinished story.  Things missing on bikes just eats at me i guess...
> I love a good mystery hunt.



Wooosahhh man woosah  It may be known in due time.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (May 12, 2021)

You have oil and rust in your veins taco


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## saladshooter (May 12, 2021)

tacochris said:


> This one was found on Thanksgiving day on the road to family, as a poor yard art bike (barf).  Fell in love immediately and wouldnt leave it...made the deal over the phone with the land owner and slipped money under an old door.  Haha good memories.






tacochris said:


> ....not that I know of honestly because I got it from a junk dealer who rescued it from someone's yard art display way out in the sticks.



I would say it's a 1945 CWC three gill style frame.


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

saladshooter said:


> I would say it's a 1945 CWC three gill style frame.



Thats the second call for that style so ive been leaning that way.  
thanks for responding btw.


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> You have oil and rust in your veins taco



Lol may be where the left arm pain is coming from.


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## tacochris (May 12, 2021)

So i did a little digging tonight and the good news is i found the badge holes and opened em up.
Second thing is i cleaned on the paint a bit more and took some detail shots of the spears.  On the under side as it turns out the light green spears “fish-mouth” underneath the frame bars. 
last pic is a random shot of the bare frame for fun.....
Boy she’s a beaut’ Clark.


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## tacochris (May 13, 2021)

How about a little before and after of rescuing that amazing lime green! 
im telling ya, black with lime green trim is one of the coolest CWC color combos ive seen!  Gets even better when you realize its on the fenders and rack. 
If we’re going for cool factor, this bike has it.  Weird colors, 45 model with all black out parts.


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## Superman1984 (May 13, 2021)

tacochris said:


> How about a little before and after of rescuing that amazing lime green!
> im telling ya, black with lime green trim is one of the coolest CWC color combos ive seen!  Gets even better when you realize its on the fenders and rack.
> If we’re going for cool factor, this back has it.  Weird colors, 45 model with all black out parts.
> 
> ...



Black & Lime Green or the Schwinn green & lime green is Indeed 1 of my favorite combos for bikes! I'd love a few of them; a Monark Super Deluxe or Super Cruiser in black & lime green or the Schwinn colors would top my love for Gumby Green


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## tacochris (May 13, 2021)

Superman1984 said:


> Black & Lime Green or the Schwinn green & lime green is Indeed 1 of my favorite combos for bikes! I'd love a few of them; a Monark Super Deluxe or Super Cruiser in black & lime green or the Schwinn colors would top my love for Gumby Green



Schwinn green/green from the post and prewar canti years is hands down my favorite old bike color combo.  If i ever land one in that color it will go into the ground with me!


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## Superman1984 (May 13, 2021)

I'd damn sure own a Schwinn with that enthusiasm if it was like this! Damn If I'd care what was original, repop, & Restored as long as it looks Well Done & Nice


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## mrg (May 13, 2021)

Cool if those colors are OG, seen Chartreuse & black on Schwinn's & Columbia's, If the fenders are og to the bike, hard to see are the fender tips green?, with the aftermarket rack who knows what happened over the years. oh do the numbers come up 45


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (May 14, 2021)

tacochris said:


> So i did a little digging tonight and the good news is i found the badge holes and opened em up.
> Second thing is i cleaned on the paint a bit more and took some detail shots of the spears.  On the under side as it turns out the light green spears “fish-mouth” underneath the frame bars.
> last pic is a random shot of the bare frame for fun.....
> Boy she’s a beaut’ Clark.
> ...



Are you hiding a Stingray back there?  Get that thing out of there before someone thinks your a muscle bike guy. You have an image to uphold!


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## tacochris (May 14, 2021)

mrg said:


> Cool if those colors are OG, seen Chartreuse & black on Schwinn's & Columbia's, If the fenders are og to the bike, hard to see are the fender tips green?, with the aftermarket rack who knows what happened over the years. oh do the numbers come up 45



The bike is all complete and all of the colors match.  The green on the frame shows no signs of brush strokes or runs and the lines are all crisp and factory sharp.  The fender tips are also the same crisp green and sharp lines as well as the pin-striping on the fenders.  The rack is also the same consistency of black and also had the same green paint with nice sharp lines. I believe it all to be original.
Also the serial number is an early D prefix with no CW stamp anywhere, the bearing and headtube cups are black and none of the parts show any signs of original plating and have a black hue to them.  
The frame also carries the same exact relaxed curvature in the downtube as other confirmed 1945 CWC bikes.


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## tacochris (May 14, 2021)

Here is a better side picture of the bike to show what Im talking about with the chartreuse/lime green trim being original:
The front and rear fender pinstripes are the same green and are factory smooth with zero brush strokes.  The fender tip embellishments stop where they should with zero tape lines or brush strokes and no paint on the fender-brace bolts or the fender braces.  The headtube spears green color is sharp and perfect lines underneath like factory with no green paint on the headtube cups or runs or anything of that nature. 
As far as the black-out parts:  There are no tape lines where they meet the frame and the black color extends to the inside as well and shows no signs of any plating upon even the closest inspection.  In fact, the only thing on the bike that has plating is the dust cover on the Morrow rear hub and its almost completely plated still with no signs of rust like the parts around it.  Normally if the parts around it would lose all original plating, it would too....
Hard to tell with the bright day and camera exposure but all that trim is the same bright green as the headtube spears....


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## mrg (May 14, 2021)

Cool, that's chartreuse, no lime about it, the no chain guard screw hole by the rear axle is also a 45 ( early post war ) thing, wonder if we'll ever know what badge it was, hopefully some literature will turn up, would be nice to know what rack & guard but sometimes early post like late post war came with generic parts.


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## tacochris (May 14, 2021)

mrg said:


> Cool, that's chartreuse, no lime about it, the no chain guard screw hole by the rear axle is also a 45 ( early post war ) thing, wonder if we'll ever know what badge it was, hopefully some literature will turn up, would be nice to know what rack & guard but sometimes early post like late post war came with generic parts.



Yeah the lime thing is just me not thinking before i say it.  Lol. Its very chartreuse and bright and i just love it.
It really is a shame about the badge thing because its like an awesome book with no cover or a painting no signature.  I will have to ruminate on whether i ad one later on.  
This bike has always been one ive loved even more so than some of my tank bikes so im happy it will now live again.


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## mrg (May 14, 2021)

Always been one of my favorite frames and don't know if a odd color means maybe a off brand badge?, Thinking about digging out 4 or 5 pre & post war 3 gill frames to sell, only one having some OG paint. Speaking of off brand badges I still have a 46-7 frame & fork with a "Ranger" badge that I built one of my first Klunkers 40+ yrs ago, don't remember if I ever found any info on a CWC Ranger as most are Schwinn's, M & S and they sold/badged a few others. may have to pull that one out of the rafters also.


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## tacochris (May 14, 2021)

mrg said:


> Always been one of my favorite frames and don't know if a odd color means maybe a off brand badge?, Thinking about digging out 4 or 5 pre & post war 3 gill frames to sell, only one having some OG paint. Speaking of off brand badges I still have a 46-7 frame & fork with a "Ranger" badge that I built one of my first Klunkers 40+ yrs ago, don't remember if I ever found any info on a CWC Ranger as most are Schwinn's, M & S and they sold/badged a few others. may have to pull that one out of the rafters also.



Im so picky and the badge thing is gonna really bug me but hopefully Ill find one eventually that just feels right ya know?  I sent you a message about CWC talk...lol


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## tacochris (May 14, 2021)

Couple of awesome new developments for this rare oddball beast!
So i managed to undercover pretty much all of the original chartreuse paint and I even managed to cut/polish it and get some shine out of it too which is cool!
The coolest development though is this: 
As you can see from the pics the original drop center wheels were beyond toast but i saved the front hoop because i could see it had paint left and i knew i would need it later.
Well tonight i pulled it off the wall and scrubbed it down and to my surprise the original hoops were white with the same chartreuse pinstripe around the hoop!
What an awesome oddball bike this is but its gonna look amazing when i replicate the original wheels!


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## tacochris (May 16, 2021)

Did a bunch of work to the 45 tonight.  Cleaned and rebuilt the original black-out stem, crank and sprocket, soaked and rebuilt all the bearings and hardware and got those items installed.
Something very interesting i noted on the wartime black-out crank and thats the entire center is copper plated.  No paint, no finish, all copper plated.
I saved as much black-out finish as i could and it will remain as such.  This bike is far too important to replace any asthetic parts and will go back to original in every way.  
Let me tell ya, bottom bracket hardware and headset parts were some of the nastiest and caked ones ive ever rebuilt.


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## Karmguy (May 17, 2021)

Looks like a Rollfast


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## tacochris (May 17, 2021)

Karmguy said:


> Looks like a Rollfast



This one is a 1945 Cleveland Welding-made bike.


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## tacochris (May 17, 2021)

Im not sure anyone is following this build but for the few that are, its update time!
Tonight i focused on the rear fender because, evident by the before pic, it needed a ton of work.
Started out by hammer and bag work on the dents and twists, hand formed the braces back into shape and got it fitted.  Next up i cut it down to fresh paint, two stage wet sand, cut and polished it until i got a rich black color back to it and removed the rust stain from the chartreuse. This fender was very bad but i can now read something in its reflection.  I also did a 2 stage sand on the frame and got a nice rich color back out of it as well.  Tomorrow will be front fender time.
One pic below is before as found, one pic is compared to the untouched front fender and the rest are glamour shots.
This is an amazing bike and it will be getting better.


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## Billythekid (May 18, 2021)

What is a 2 stage sand? looks great


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## tacochris (May 18, 2021)

Billythekid said:


> What is a 2 stage sand? looks great



Ok so its technically 3 stages but Im not counting the first hit with a green scotchbrite.  I basically just use a medium grit paper and keep the bike really wet and knock down the "topography" of the rust and severe oxidation.  Then once I dry it off and assess how close I am, I finish it out with 2000 grit wet sanding to remove any imperfections.  Then I close that out with a light cut compound and a good wax.


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## tacochris (May 20, 2021)

Well i spent the night on the front fender and boy was it a mess but considering the before shot, it came out awesome!  Hard to get in pictures but it actually has a decent shine and reflection!
Took a minute to mock it up too and its looking amazing!
Im not trying to make a show bike, or fool anyone, im just trying to give this bike back its dignity with respect to its past but giving it an awesome future.

BEFORE



AFTER



MOCK UP


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## Pondo (May 22, 2021)

Wow, tacochris, that’s a great find and an amazing bike!  The finish is coming out really nice and I love the patina. Very cool!


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (May 22, 2021)

That transformation on the fender is outstanding.


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## tacochris (May 22, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> That transformation on the fender is outstanding.



To put things in perspective, this bike was so rusty when i found it, i had no idea what color it even was....


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## tacochris (May 22, 2021)

Pondo said:


> Wow, tacochris, that’s a great find and an amazing bike!  The finish is coming out really nice and I love the patina. Very cool!



Hey thanks bud!  Im glad i get to document this bikes rise from the ashes!


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## tacochris (May 25, 2021)

Im on the hunt for one Allstate Safety Tread tire like the one below so I can get this bike closer to the finish line.  
Ive got a wanted ad posted but figured I would throw it on here too for the folks that are watching:


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## tacochris (May 26, 2021)

Well an awesome Caber stepped up yesterday and offered up a set of period correct and awesome condition tires so this project is progressing along nicely.
In the process of building a wheelset for it since the originals were trashed. 

The vision of this bike in my head is really working out which is the best feeling.


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## tacochris (May 28, 2021)

Guess what showed up today?!?  The original Allstate Safety Tread tires i dreamed of for this bike.  They look every bit as amazing as I dreamed they would even just hanging there by zipties.  Haha
Stay tuned cause it only gets better!


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## Pondo (May 28, 2021)

Looking good! I really do like this bike.  That row in the background looks mighty fine as well.  You have great taste Tacochris!


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## tacochris (May 28, 2021)

Another angle because im just so in love with the look!


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## tacochris (May 28, 2021)

Pondo said:


> Looking good! I really do like this bike.  That row in the background looks mighty fine as well.  You have great taste Tacochris!



Thanks buddy!  This bike is one of my favorites so far and im treating it that way.  The blackwalls are a first for me but its what this bike called for so i do whats best for the bike.


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## Pondo (May 28, 2021)

I think you're right on the blackwalls, they just look right on this one.  I'm hoping to find some yard art like this to rescue out here but I live in gold country in Cali where people think they're stuff is made of gold.  Still, deals can be found so the search is ongoing.


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## tacochris (May 28, 2021)

Pondo said:


> I think you're right on the blackwalls, they just look right on this one.  I'm hoping to find some yard art like this to rescue out here but I live in gold country in Cali where people think they're stuff is made of gold.  Still, deals can be found so the search is ongoing.



Its like that everywhere these days buddy....you have to leave the paved roads to find these kinda bikes in most cases.  
I found this one leaning against an old gas station being used as decoration.


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