# Taking Schwinn out of mothballs.



## ski1 (Sep 29, 2018)

I’ve had this old Schwinn for several years and finally decided to do something with it. It’s original paint but a 25 footer at best. I plan to just clean it up and put some wax on it along with greasing everything and straightening out the fenders. I’ll also recover the seat, get some grips and any other missing parts like the tail reflector. I think the bike is somewhere in the 39-42 time frame. Any help in pinpointing the year would be appreciated. I’d also like to find out what the correct nomenclature for the frame style, (straight BAR?) wheel style, what type of tank would fit, etc. in case I run across any replacement parts that are in better condition. Mostly I plan on just keeping it as is and taking it to the beach once in a while.  
ski


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## Rides4Fun (Sep 29, 2018)

I believe it’s a ‘48 straight bar made in September of that year.  I looked it up on the web.  Not any sort of expert, but hope this may help.  I’m sure it’s going to look great after you do you magic in cleaning it up.


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## Rides4Fun (Sep 29, 2018)

https://bikehistory.org/serial-number.html

Here’s a link that may be of interest to you.

Barry


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## johnboy (Sep 29, 2018)

This is a pre-war Schwinn as evidenced by the chain adjusting bolts . I think that is a 1940 serial no. but we'll see what others have to say. Real nice bike you have there! Look for the date code on the Morrow hub shell.


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## Rides4Fun (Sep 29, 2018)

johnboy said:


> This is a pre-war Schwinn as evidenced by the chain adjusting bolts . I think that is a 1940 serial no. but we'll see what others have to say. Real nice bike you have there! Look for the date code on the Morrow hub shell.




Johnboy,

Thanks for weighing in.......I don’t know why I overlooked the chain adjusters!  

Ski1- sorry for the misinformation.


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## johnboy (Sep 29, 2018)

It's easy to overlook something when viewing a bike---- I do it lots of times ! I really enjoy the CABE forums and all who participate.


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## WES PINCHOT (Sep 29, 2018)

1940-41


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## ski1 (Sep 29, 2018)

Thanks everyone. I started cleaning it up a little today.


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## ski1 (Sep 29, 2018)

johnboy said:


> This is a pre-war Schwinn as evidenced by the chain adjusting bolts . I think that is a 1940 serial no. but we'll see what others have to say. Real nice bike you have there! Look for the date code on the Morrow hub shell.




Thanks johnboy. here's some pics of the hub. It says:

ECLIPSE MACHINE DIVISION
MADE IN ELMIRA, N.Y. U.S.A.
J 3                                  36  13


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## ski1 (Sep 29, 2018)

Rides4Fun said:


> Johnboy,
> 
> Thanks for weighing in.......I don’t know why I overlooked the chain adjusters!
> 
> Ski1- sorry for the misinformation.




No problem Barry. I thought the same thing when I tried to look it up by S/N.


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## fordmike65 (Sep 29, 2018)

Nice


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## mr.cycleplane (Sep 30, 2018)

shootin' from the hip-i'd put earnest money on 1940 as evidenced by the dished sprocket the sliding rail seat and the small wing chainguard. seat clamp and rearmost fender brace also figure in the mix. 'b'' series frame. if I am seeing the morrow hub date right as you noted=1940. when you get the crank out-it may hold a secret(date of manufacture) also. bike looks totally untouched-everything seems original/correct(even has its springer bumper on the down tube!). 'pbl 1942' license=Pasadena? please preserve-don't repaint! cool ride for sure-you'll be styling at the beach!


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## rollfaster (Sep 30, 2018)

Can’t wait to see this one cleaned up and back on the road!


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## REC (Sep 30, 2018)

Based on similar serial numbers, it is indeed a '40... and a NICE one too!
Love it!!
REC


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## Kato (Sep 30, 2018)

Awesome............can't wait to watch the progress on this one !!


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## ski1 (Sep 30, 2018)

mr.cycleplane said:


> shootin' from the hip-i'd put earnest money on 1940 as evidenced by the dished sprocket the sliding rail seat and the small wing chainguard. seat clamp and rearmost fender brace also figure in the mix. 'b'' series frame. if I am seeing the morrow hub date right as you noted=1940. when you get the crank out-it may hold a secret(date of manufacture) also. bike looks totally untouched-everything seems original/correct(even has its springer bumper on the down tube!). 'pbl 1942' license=Pasadena? please preserve-don't repaint! cool ride for sure-you'll be styling at the beach!




Thanks, I never noticed the seat rail. I'm guessing I can slide that seat back a bit to give more leg room? I was wondering about the plate too. I was thinking maybe Pomona but couldn't find a listing on the web.  I'll have to ask my buddy exactly where it came from. I won't paint it even though it looks pretty crusty in person. When it's cleaned up the missing paint will show more. I just want to stabilize it.

ski


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## ski1 (Sep 30, 2018)

Any thoughts on this stand as far as original or added later?


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## mr.cycleplane (Sep 30, 2018)

looks original to me-seen plenty of prewar Schwinn's with them. slightly curved version-like this-found on the deluxe version bikes. there is a more common version of this with a straight leg. no doubt original to bike.


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

Here’s some pics of my progress so far. I reviewed all the posts concerning rust removal and decided to go with what I had on hand and have been using for auto maintenance and restoration over the years. It’s basically phosphoric acid. I dilute it three parts water to one part phosphoric as a starting point. I adjust as necessary depending on the degree of corrosion.  I don’t follow the directions on the label because I don’t want the heavy rust to turn into a hard, black shell. I let the part soak totally submerged and brush the neutralized rust away with a soft brush every hour or so. If I take the part out because I can’t watch it all day I thoroughly rinse, wash with soap, and rinse again then completely dry it until the next session. I found doing it this way leaves you with clean bare metal where the rust was and not a black finish or hard shell of encapsulated rust. I have also found that this mixture has not affected most well painted surfaces.  On smaller heavily corroded parts I used a stronger mixture but it should be watched closely.  Anyway, here’s the pics.

First the seat. It will need another bath.


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

Kick stand


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

stem


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

The chain guard is pretty crusty.


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

I degrease everything before soaking


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

Trying to save what's left of the decal.


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

After 7 hours


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## ski1 (Oct 4, 2018)

Now the problem becomes what to do to keep stuff from rusting again. I can see why some folks clear the parts but I'm not going to do that. car wax may protect some parts but that seat and chain guard I'll have to coat with some type of preservative and wipe it down frequently. I used to used a product called Break-Free or CLP to keep my helicopter from corroding out from under me in the Navy. Not the intended use but it worked well and stayed put. I may have to get another chain guard for everyday use.


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## mr.cycleplane (Oct 4, 2018)

nice work ski! better living through chemistry! in the last 30 years the chemicals available for the restorer are fantastic-save time and preserve the parts better. 30 years ago all we had was Jasco paint remover and sandpaper! and when you got fed up-you sandblasted the parts. your hard work is paying off-so far so good. can't wait to see what you can do with the painted parts!


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## ski1 (Oct 5, 2018)

Here's what I've been using so far.


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## ski1 (Oct 5, 2018)

I forgot about this stuff. My brother turned me on to this product a couple years ago. I use it for protecting the underside of cars and other corrosion prone areas on anything metal. I think it will be better than Break- Free and it is just as easily removable.  I'm going to rub it on the underside of the seat and see how it goes.


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## mr.cycleplane (Oct 5, 2018)

my favorite rust remover is muratic acid-pool stuff-very nasty-cleans rust away in minutes-then neutralize with soap-rinse. but have to use caution when using-vapors are strong-burns the skin. still haven't figured what to use on surface rusty painted stuff without destroying the paint. the oxy bath supposedly does just that. hummmmm…...


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## ski1 (Oct 5, 2018)

I think it will be good for the seat. It won't require wiping down or reapplying as frequently as the less viscous break-free.  I put it on a corner of the seat just to see how it looked. Found the original padding for the seat too.


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## mr.cycleplane (Oct 5, 2018)

that area looks better-probably adds a little 'moisture' to dry/cleaned paint.  seat pad looks very 'organic'!


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## ski1 (Oct 5, 2018)

mr.cycleplane said:


> my favorite rust remover is muratic acid-pool stuff-very nasty-cleans rust away in minutes-then neutralize with soap-rinse. but have to use caution when using-vapors are strong-burns the skin. still haven't figured what to use on surface rusty painted stuff without destroying the paint. the oxy bath supposedly does just that. hummmmm…...




Some of the readings I've done state that phosphoric acid unlike muriatic acid which is basically industrial grade hydrochloric acid does not mitigate rust by a corrosive process that continues after the rust is gone. Instead it contains whatever traces of rust are still there. It must be protected by some type of overcoat or it will eventually wash away and the natural oxidation process will continue. With the muriatic the corrosion and etching process continues and it is tough to get all traces off the part. This is just a laymen,s understanding of a bunch of google searches and may not be entirely correct.


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## ski1 (Oct 5, 2018)

mr.cycleplane said:


> that area looks better-probably adds a little 'moisture' to dry/cleaned paint.  seat pad looks very 'organic'!



Yup, that thing has seen a lot of action.


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## ski1 (Oct 5, 2018)

mr.cycleplane said:


> my favorite rust remover is muratic acid-pool stuff-very nasty-cleans rust away in minutes-then neutralize with soap-rinse. but have to use caution when using-vapors are strong-burns the skin. still haven't figured what to use on surface rusty painted stuff without destroying the paint. the oxy bath supposedly does just that. hummmmm…...




That black paint on the seat has been soaked for over 10 hours with no real degradation. I'm not ready to stick the frame in a bath though until I test it on something else. The mixture I used was pretty weak.


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## mr.cycleplane (Oct 5, 2018)

I am kinda waiting to see what you can do with painted stuff. mine has the surface rust on the painted areas and I am living with it for now.


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## bobcycles (Oct 5, 2018)

1940 bike  unequipped model 
nice rider


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## Schwinn lover (Jan 21, 2019)

ski1 ,,, Any more progress on your bike?


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## SJ_BIKER (Jan 22, 2019)

Glad to see this bike getting this kind of attention. When they are not to far gone...aged refurbished bikes in my opinion have more character than an over restored too shinny trailer queen with the fear being that itll get scratched....no worries for the original paint bikes...knicks scuffs general wear tell a good story....mostly that they were loved!!


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## Bryan Akens (Jan 22, 2019)

Like  your  bike......I  have  personally  never  seen  one  of  those  kickstands!!!   I  noticed  that  your  bike  has  the  Morrow  brake  with  a standard  chain......Thats  not  something  you  see  everyday!!!   Good  Luck  on  your  project........


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## ski1 (Jan 24, 2019)

Schwinn lover said:


> ski1 ,,, Any more progress on your bike?



Not since the last post. I put it together without the fenders when I went on vacation in Oct. and when I got back the holidays and other ongoing projects got in the way. Christmas stuff is now all put up and I'm starting to work on things again. Its still a little cold here in socal so I'm moving slow.


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## Schwinn lover (Jan 24, 2019)

Yeah, it's currently 25 degrees here in Ohio
No riding till spring time for me.


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