# Prewar smooth tanks?



## Freqman1 (Jun 27, 2021)

Ok so as not to sidetrack a for sale thread here is the question: What year was the straight bar smooth tank available? Was it only on certain badges i.e. BFG or other distributors as well. I've had two '40 straightbars and one, a BFG, had a smooth tank and the other had a regular embossed tank badged as a Tulane. @cyclingday @bobcycles @markivpedalpusher @aasmitty757 @Autocycleplane  others what you guys say? V/r Shawn


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## GTs58 (Jun 27, 2021)

Both the straight bar tank and cantilever tank for 1941 are advertised as newest embossed design. 
BA 107   
1940 catalog.


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## Freqman1 (Jun 27, 2021)

I believe what that is referring to is the change from the '36-9 type tanks. V/r Shawn


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## Rust_Trader (Jun 27, 2021)

The ones I’ve seen/owned are 1940.


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## BFGforme (Jun 27, 2021)

My '40 straight bar Ace was smooth tank! Another '40 world was also as '40 BFG also was smooth


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## SJ_BIKER (Jun 27, 2021)

Here's a goodrich smoothie tanker


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## BFGforme (Jun 27, 2021)

SJ_BIKER said:


> Here's a goodrich smoothie tanker
> 
> View attachment 1437555



That's a sweet one, should put it in Bikes and babe's....


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## Freqman1 (Jun 27, 2021)

So like I said I've had '40s with both styles. Evidently there was a change made sometime in '40. Maybe when I get back I'll check my '40 parts catalog and see what it says.


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## GTs58 (Jun 27, 2021)

So what the catalog says for 1940 about the tank being embossed, meaning stamped with design, is still what you guys are calling a smoothie? The current day licence plates are photo finish smoothies and the old plates are embossed with the numbers, state, year etc.. 

Quote: "Notice its new tank with its design embossed, not just painted on." 



Freqman1 said:


> I believe what that is referring to is the change from the '36-9 type tanks. V/r Shawn




If there are actually 1940 models with a smooth tank then the 1940 catalog page saying they are embossed must have been a later post January 1940 publication and sometime after the 1940 model production began.


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## Freqman1 (Jun 27, 2021)

Here is the '40 BFG I had. V/r Shawn


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## GTs58 (Jun 27, 2021)

So the BFG's had a different paint scheme that didn't fit the new embossed sections of the tank so they had smooth tanks? Makes sense. Any others that had their own special paint scheme that didn't fit on the embossed tanks?


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## cyclingday (Jun 28, 2021)

Some 1940 Mead Ranger’s also had the non embossed clamshell type, straight bar tank.
Also seen on some 1940 Chicago Cycle Supply bikes.


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## onecatahula (Jun 28, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> Some 1940 Mead Ranger’s also had the non embossed clamshell type, straight bar tank.
> Also seen on some 1940 Chicago Cycle Supply bikes.



Smooth straight bar pinch tanks also found on 1940 “Thunderbird” models, which I believe were a run of bikes in a few basic colors intended as rental bikes:


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## Autocycleplane (Jun 28, 2021)

Some examples from 41. Don't forget about the canti with the smooth top half.....


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Jun 28, 2021)

Yeah I think these were just a very early design after the hangers along with the non embossed canti tank. Then Schwinn mid year was like, these are weird let’s do this other design.. so all the smooth tanks ended up in the “budget” models.. or off branded bikes to use. Schwinn has done this before with stuff so I’m gonna assume I’m not too far off on this simple explanation…best not overthink it lol..


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## Freqman1 (Jun 28, 2021)

So to sum up what I think I’ve learned so far is the smooth tanks were offered in both ‘40 and ‘41 alongside the embossed tanks but seem to have been predominantly used on budget or promotional lines. V/r Shawn


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## bobcycles (Jun 28, 2021)

I own 2 NOS dark red/Ivory 'non embossed' tanks with the standard "Schwinn" prewar decal
and the 'Embossed' paint scheme, talk about unusual....painted as tho embossed..
So they could have come on standard Schwinn BA-107 models, not just BFG and Ranger.
I once bought a bike on ebay...a complete and orig Postwar B107 untouched out of Montana
back in 1998 early Ebay days....
Totally complete original bike.
one side of the tank was embossed, the other wasn't...been on there since day one..
talk about a screw up on the assembly line.  Bike was not from a collector and 
totally original...non embossed side was painted as if embossed.


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## GTs58 (Jun 28, 2021)

bobcycles said:


> I own 2 NOS dark red/Ivory 'non embossed' tanks with the standard "Schwinn" prewar decal
> and the 'Embossed' paint scheme, talk about unusual....painted as tho embossed..
> So they could have come on standard Schwinn BA-107 models, not just BFG and Ranger.
> I once bought a bike on ebay...a complete and orig Postwar B107 untouched out of Montana
> ...




You are most likely correct about the smooth tank also being on the standard BA-107's. The way Schwinn wrote up the description for the new embossed tanks on the BA-107 - OS  Autocycle *Deluxe*, one can easily assume that was the only model to be equipped with the embossed tank.
 In one of the mid year 1960 Reporters Schwinn announced the new starburst head badge and then mentioned all the models that were immediately going to be equipped with it. The Continental was one model they mentioned, and I have only seen ONE Continental with that head badge and 99% of the others had the standard round Continental badge. So SJ BIKER's 1940 Autocycle is a Deluxe and it has the embossed tank.


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## BFGforme (Jun 29, 2021)

'40 Ace I had was smooth but painted like embossed...same with one of the'40 BFG I had...


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