# Huffy? Monark? 1961?



## DennisDawg

I picked this up today. It is a blue bike with a bad red paint job. I thought it was a huffy for sure but I have seen pictures of Monarks with the same rear carrier. 






The area where one would fine the serial number. I do not see anything near the rear hub as some similar bikes have.





If it is the “big” character number, then it is easy to read, the others are in a layer or two of poorly sprayed paint.

It looks a lot like this 1961 Monark boys bike (same chain cover, sprocket, and more . . .) and has the same Komet Super and red pin stripes on the rims.

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?15595-1961-Monark-build-thread





This is going to be my wife’s pizza getter, and since it is painted and all, we can make it whatever she wants. Any help or ideas would be very helpful.

Thank you in advance.


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## partsguy

The bike is indeed Huffy built, but how do you know it was a Monark? Is there a badge I don't see? Huffy changed a few things, even little stuff like decals to change their Huffy bikes and the Monark bikes. Monark was a totally seperate company until 1958 when Huffy bought them out and built bikes under the name until about 1966/67.

Your serial number would be on the rear dropout (where the rear wheel bolts on). It should start with a number, then have "H". My bike you posted in the link has "1H......". This meant 19-1, then you have to determine the decade it was built. That number, along with the style of the frame, chaingaurd, chainring, tank, and rack put this bike in the '60s. So it was a 1961. Your bike is a 1958-1964 model. In 1965, Huffy pretty much changed everything. A whole new body style. Chrome plastic bullets instead of metal caps, that chaingaurd was pretty much gone from adult bikes, that chain ring was long gone on all models, and a new rack was made, along with a totally new set of tanks.

So until you find the number on the dropout, you are in the ball park, but I don't see anything that would be Monark exclusive. For example, I know the Huffy Impala was very similar bike. Does it have the badge on the front? If the badge is missing, but there are no holes, then it was pobably a decal, which Huffy started in 1963. Since the bike was repainted at one time, try to get that top layer of paint off and see if any original paint is still underneath. If it has a crown anywhere in the paint, then it is a Monark. I can tell you its not a Huffy Silver Jet/Monark Silver King because those were both chrome-the whole bike.

I hope this helps, good luck with her!


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## DennisDawg

I didn't say it was a Monark but that it was a Huffy or a Monark, I know not which. 

When I bought it today, I was sure it was a Huffy, the owner did not know,  but as I looked at it, I became less sure.

The only numbers I have found thus far are those in the picture above. Everyplace else, I see nothing but red or blue paint. I looked in other threads on many forums and looked in all the places they had pictures of the number for these bikes, nothing.  I do not know if they are painted over, or not there. The red paint is very thick in places and in others not at all. 

The head badge is painted over.

I it looks in every way but for being a girls bike as that which is linked. The shape of the carried, guard, everything but the girl/boy stuff . . .

It is ridable as is, a bit creaky and squeaky but it rolls.


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## partsguy

Ok, then with a metal badge (I'm assuming you can see it through the thick paint, therefor it is metal) it is '58-'62. I can't read the serial numbers, could you type that up, please?

As for the red paint, it sounds like a typcial house paint and brush job. The paint is not roginal and the blue aint underneath is the factory paint I'm sure. Your answers are under that red paint! If the painted designs are still there, it should tell you what make AND model.

You can use a variety of things to get that house paint off. A light going over with fine steel wool(gentle, watch the stripes!), a variety of paint thinners (CAREFUL!), and more. There are more tips in the restoration tips and tricks section.


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## DennisDawg

The badge is held on with rivets, so I assume the badge itself is metal. I will be carefully removing it and then try to get the “red” off. It will either get fixed or I will get another so it can be put back on when the bike is done.

The red paint is sprayed on, rattle canned and uneven. It is all over some things like the seat post, and then not at all on some things like parts of chain guard. It is thick and thin and was put on directly over the paint below, which is the blue. It should be easy to remove well enough to read under it, I hope.

There are what look like 2 to 3 numbers. With the paint the numbers are hard to make out. The large font number is: AN2951,  and the only other one I can make out it a possible partial  15427.  I need to remove more paint to be sure I have the numbers. 

Physically, it is very much the same as this bike: http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?15595-1961-Monark-build-thread as previously presented, just a girl’s version.

Eventually this bike will be sandblasted and redone to my wife’s specs.


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## DennisDawg

I took a little swipe at looking under the red on the chain guard and could not fine any lettering! Could they have sanded it off or was I too gentle? I do not know. 

The previously reported number "AN2951" looks to be some kind of owner ID or something. It is one (number 1) of four sets of things stamped under the crank.  2) is just an "AN" which is stamped over another number (3). 3.) is what I think is the serial number. And 4.) is what read to me to be "W015427."

So let’s look at 3! Over it you can see the AN (2) . .. the picture is below. 


I see maybe one of these:

2HCHH2093 - A 62 Huffy then? Would a Monark have some other letter?
2BCHH2093  - The first H has a lot on top, could be a B?

Maybe:

2BCH-2093
2HCH-2093

Here is just the number with the AN stamped over part of it I bsed the above upon:





Also stamped is W015427





So there you go, more information . . . rode it last night, broke the chain, ha ha ha!


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## Bicycle Belle

*My old Huffy*

I love to see girls bikes getting a redo and my first one was my 1964 Huffy Galaxie. I too had no idea what it was under the thick yellow housepaint but when I started removing it I got to see the tell tale signs. Huffy was printed on the chainguard and galaxie across the tank. I love my bike and was not concerned with restoring it but rather making it my own. This is what I did with it (there are more pics in my gallery) By the way...I do have 1.95 tires on it and they fit just fine fenders and all.


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## DennisDawg

Your bike looks great, very pretty! And looks like new!!! I hope we can do that well with this one!


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## partsguy

Bicycle Belle said:


> I love to see girls bikes getting a redo and my first one was my 1964 Huffy Galaxie. I too had no idea what it was under the thick yellow housepaint but when I started removing it I got to see the tell tale signs. Huffy was printed on the chainguard and galaxie across the tank. I love my bike and was not concerned with restoring it but rather making it my own. This is what I did with it (there are more pics in my gallery) By the way...I do have 1.95 tires on it and they fit just fine fenders and all.





WOW! Thats awesome! I really like the way you did the chrome and paint, it probably saved you a small fortune to be conservative on the chrome, and still looks sharp! Notice how Huffy and Murray both had racks resembling late '50s car fins? I don't think Schwinn and AMF jumped on that band wagon.

Dennis, you are correct it is a 1962. It doesn't matter what division it was built for, all had the same "H" in the serial number. Kind of like a Lincoln, Mercury, or Ford all having "FoMoCo" on the parts. I would just go ahead and tear into her, if you find out what she was, great! If you must find the make and model, I think your best bet would be to clean on the tank and the clean the headbadge. The chaingaurd would just have the brand on it, and so would the badge. The tank would have the model name (if it was given one).


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## DennisDawg

classicfan1 said:


> Dennis, you are correct it is a 1962. It doesn't matter what division it was built for, all had the same "H" in the serial number. Kind of like a Lincoln, Mercury, or Ford all having "FoMoCo" on the parts. I would just go ahead and tear into her, if you find out what she was, great! If you must find the make and model, I think your best bet would be to clean on the tank and the clean the headbadge. The chaingaurd would just have the brand on it, and so would the badge. The tank would have the model name (if it was given one).




In looking at the chain guard, it looks like the person who painted it, sprayed primer on at least that, and it looks like they may have sanded a bit because I cannot find any white above the blue.  So, if that holds true for the rest, it may be gone. I will try for a bit longer . . .


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## partsguy

DennisDawg said:


> In looking at the chain guard, it looks like the person who painted it, sprayed primer on at least that, and it looks like they may have sanded a bit because I cannot find any white above the blue.  So, if that holds true for the rest, it may be gone. I will try for a bit longer . . .




Like I said, your best bet is the headbadge and the tank.


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## DennisDawg

classicfan1 said:


> Like I said, your best bet is the headbadge and the tank.




Yes, I know. I do not hold out much hope for the tank because of the sanding/primer thing. The head badge I have always had plans to remove the red paint from but have not gotten to it yet.  Even if we never figure out what it was, we’ll make it into something my wife will like. It is her bike, so I’ll make it into whatever she wants it to be. 

It rides well, well, until I broke the old chain!


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## DennisDawg

Solved!






Now I need a new head badge!


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## partsguy

LOL! In all the Huffy/Monark debates, I forgot about the other brands Huffy supplied! Western Flyer was Western Auto's brand of bicycles. If your wife wants the bike to look like it did when it was new, then have no fear. All you need to do is track down a 1961 Western Auto Catalog. You just missed a 1961 Christmas edition, but it sold for $10.50. The 50s and 60s catalogs are very common, you should have no problem tracking one down. Frequently check eBay and another will turn up.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-Wester...062?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56464150a6


That headbadge is not too hard to find I don't think...maybe its the decals that are common? Either way, here is a link to a set of 1960 paper work on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Fly...977?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6b39c3e1


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## DennisDawg

It is funny even more because my bike is an old Murray built Western Flyer, so now they are related (in a way).  Her plans for the bike are not to put is as it was but it will have a hint of Flyer and the head badge if I can find one.


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## partsguy

Well now...if I may offer a paint suggestion. How about the whole bike white with black pinstripes on the fenders. Red accents/darts on the fork and on the tubes of the frame. Perhaps a custom design on the rack, gaurd, and tank?


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## DennisDawg

Ha, proof you have never met my wife! Her vision is a little less classic, a black frame, everything else with paint a very dark red or purple, a few silver pin stripe accents . . . something like that. She is still working it out but it will be “stealthy” she tells me.  

Does that mean she’ll sneak up on other bikes? 

It will become her short range pizza getter, well a ride with me to go get a pizza bike. I’ll have to carry the pizza back!


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## DennisDawg

*Here is is all done and rolling like a new bike!*

Old thread brought back to live! Got it done yesterday! As it was a mess, we did not go back to original but made it what she wanted. The light is a Delta Hawk shell that has an LED light in it now.


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