# Schwinn Debutante...I'm a Glutton for Punishment...



## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

Well, I'm usually on the lookout for my next project. And this is what a found. A ton of work!! Though the Cadet speedometer shows such low mileage, your can see that this bike was left to the elements for quite some time. It is all original, though...😝

I was attracted to it because of the rear rack with the four reflectors, along with the dual headlights (photos always make things look better on-line!). Obviously not by much of anything else. But, the bike was pretty close to my daughter (45 minutes away), so I figured it was at least worth a look after agreeing to a price.
When I got there, it was much worse than I had thought. Turns out the bike was found in a "barn" upstate along with a few other things he purchased. Super nice guy, and after going over some of the details that were poor, he agreed to a lower price. We were both happy.

So, along with a banged up front rack (I might be able to straighten out), dented tank missing the horn, and rusted out lights I'll have some work to do to get it halfway decent. Only the paint bothers me, as I know I can do well with the rust. Should the bike not look as I had hoped when done, then a parts bike it will be!

I haven't had a rear rack like that in a while anyway, so that alone was worth the purchase. 🙂


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## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

...and a few more...


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## bikecrazy (Nov 17, 2022)

That was a very pricy bike when it was new. I am always amazed at how well Schwinn bikes clean up.You know all the tricks so I’m sure it will turn out great


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## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

bikecrazy said:


> That was a very pricy bike when it was new. I am always amazed at how well Schwinn bikes clean up.You know all the tricks so I’m sure it will turn out great




I'll give it my best. 😎

And yes, this bike was pricey because it was loaded with everything Schwinn had in its arsenal. Very lucky girl that originally owned it.


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## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

I checked the serial number and it’s from 1962


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## juvela (Nov 17, 2022)

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retention, flipmenture or other?


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## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> retention, flipmenture or other?
> 
> ...


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## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

@bikecrazy  Here's what it was new...


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## GTs58 (Nov 17, 2022)

You might want to pick up a Dolly Parton fix up restoration kit on eBay before you start on that.


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## HARPO (Nov 17, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> You might want to pick up a Dolly Parton fix up restoration kit on eBay before you start on that.




...and a Tetanus shot...🤨


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## GTs58 (Nov 17, 2022)

HARPO said:


> ...and a Tetanus shot...🤨



Just don't stick your finger in her tank hole and you'll be fine. 😂


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## rollfaster (Nov 18, 2022)

I miss the one owner 61 I found five minutes from my house, 100 percent original bike. Yours should clean up nicely.


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## HARPO (Nov 18, 2022)

rollfaster said:


> I miss the one owner 61 I found five minutes from my house, 100 percent original bike. Yours should clean up nicely.
> 
> View attachment 1734536




It's not going to be  anywhere near that one. WOW! 😃


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## juvela (Nov 18, 2022)

rollfaster said:


> I miss the one owner 61 I found five minutes from my house, 100 percent original bike. Yours should clean up nicely.
> 
> View attachment 1734536




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a deb very ready for her coming out party!   🤩 🚴‍♀️




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## HARPO (Nov 18, 2022)

This Debutante is proving to be a real bitch...at least on her neck 😉. The bolt is stuck and just won't budge. No problem loosening the ring, but that !@#$%^ bolt really has me angry. I'll try again tomorrow taking off the front wheel and shootingWD-40 into the head tube.

I have the headlights (_bottom section_) soaking in Evapo-Rust tonight along with a few bolts. But I don't think there's any way I can straighten out that front rack. That took some hit! To bad...😕

Fenders are more pitted than I had thought, and if I can't get the paint to come back decently, I'm going to start saving parts (wheels, handlebars, etc.) that I'll strip off. Too bad. I had higher hopes for this girl.😟


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## phantom (Nov 18, 2022)

I know what you mean. I recently had a stem stuck in the fork that was a real M%^&$#. WD40, penetrating oil, rubber mallet for about 15 minutes at a time for three or four days. I was ready to give up. Wala, day five, another whack and it came out. I felt like Rocky running up the steps.


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## HARPO (Nov 19, 2022)

phantom said:


> I know what you mean. I recently had a stem stuck in the fork that was a real M%^&$#. WD40, penetrating oil, rubber mallet for about 15 minutes at a time for three or four days. I was ready to give up. Wala, day five, another whack and it came out. I felt like Rocky running up the steps.




It's the bolt in the stem that won't turn. I'll try again today, but I'm not to hopeful. 😟


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Nov 19, 2022)

HARPO said:


> I don't think there's any way I can straighten out that front rack. That took some hit! To bad...😕



I had a similar situation, it is nearly impossible to counteract the impact it took to damage mine. I could not brace it in any way in order to straighten it out.  Maybe try running it over in the opposite direction that it was damaged hahahah


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## juvela (Nov 19, 2022)

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rack -

it looks like the cold-setting force required to move it back toward alignment might be adequate to break loose one or more of the crossbar welds

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stem -

just stay in there with your favourite penetrating oil and give it some taps every few days

may take a fortnight but it will eventually free up without you doing any permanent harm to it

it could be a two-stage process; once you get the expander free the stem itself may also be seized...patience


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## HARPO (Nov 19, 2022)

Got it out!! _Larger_ handled socket wrench, plus hitting it with a mallet. 😎


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## GTs58 (Nov 19, 2022)

Nice threads!!


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## HARPO (Nov 21, 2022)

The horn unit is in there...well, _most_ of it. Button got banged up when the tank got hit, but ironically even the spring for it is still there. I thought it was missing completely when I bought it. Useless at this point though.


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## HARPO (Nov 30, 2022)

Aagh!! I did it again! 😢 I was hoping to be able to move the switch levers under the dual lights, but figured maybe leave it alone. And I did...for a minute. One lever moved, the other either fell off or snapped (_probably_) into the unit. When will I learn...~!@#$%^&. I'm leaving the guts in there where they are. I'm not tempting fate again.

Cleanup on other pieces continues with still more to do on the tank and rear rack... 🧐


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## HARPO (Dec 1, 2022)

More _AAUGH!!_ I forgot that Windex eats off the silk-screening...so goodbye SCHWINN and DEBUTANTE on the chain guard.(and some on the tank). 😢 I really am my own worst !@#$%^ enemy. 😕

The paint is looking decent so far, considering I was just going to keep parts off of the bike initially. Spending _way_ more time on this bike than I had planned to, but lets see what happens when I'm done. Worst case, it becomes a parts bike after all.


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## westwildcats (Dec 1, 2022)

Thanks for the heads-up about the Windex.......I did not know that.


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## bikecrazy (Dec 1, 2022)

It’s starting to come around!


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## HARPO (Dec 1, 2022)

bikecrazy said:


> It’s starting to come around!




Would have been so much nicer with the wording!! 😟 I'll be beating myself up for a while with this.


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## HARPO (Dec 3, 2022)

Well, I found where the missing spoke went. 
I started to clean the teeth on the hub and saw something sticking out. Turns out it was the nipple, with the spoke wrapped around it. I need a hacksaw to cut it loose and a pair of pliers. Just another day working on this bike...🤪


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## dave429 (Dec 3, 2022)

I see progress. The paint looks like it’s cleaning up better than I imagined it would. You always seem get stuff looking nice again.


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## HARPO (Dec 4, 2022)

dave429 said:


> I see progress. The paint looks like it’s cleaning up better than I imagined it would. You always seem get stuff looking nice again.




Evapo-Rust worked very well on the paint...MUCH better than I had dared hope for. And since I don't have gallons of it to have placed the frame into (just a half gallon in an old plastic Tupperware), I wound up using a small brush and scrubbing the paint. When that seemed to be working, I then dipped 0000 steel wool in it and gently did that.

I was amazed at how well the head tube cleaned up! Paint looks better from far away as you can expect, but it's like night and day so far when you compare it to when I brought it home. The fork legs are giving me more of a battle!

More to do, of course, but it gives me the drive to keep going forward.  🙂


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## HARPO (Dec 5, 2022)

_Work continues_, but I wanted to put it back together anyway to see how far its come. 🙂 Saddle and grips still need to be cleaned, and more rust removed from the chain guard. Forks are about as white as they can be on the outside, so I'll see when I remove the wheels as to how clean the insides will turn out...

To bad the front rack is toast because of being so bent. 😕 And for whatever reason, the bolt for the twin lights won't fit back properly (_I remember it was a pain to remove it!_) into the bracket. I'll have to delve farther into that, as I don't want to strip it.


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## GTs58 (Dec 5, 2022)

Looking good. She will love you long time when you get her done.


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## Drosentreter (Dec 5, 2022)

HARPO said:


> _Work continues_, but I wanted to put it back together anyway to see how far its come. 🙂 Saddle and grips still need to be cleaned, and more rust removed from the chain guard. Forks are about as white as they can be on the outside, so I'll see when I remove the wheels as to how clean the insides will turn out...
> 
> To bad the front rack is toast because of being so bent. 😕 And for whatever reason, the bolt for the twin lights won't fit back properly (_I remember it was a pain to remove it!_) into the bracket. I'll have to delve farther into that, as I don't want to strip it.
> 
> ...



24” or 26” rack? I’ve got both, let me know which you need, and we can try and make a deal.


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## HARPO (Dec 5, 2022)

Drosentreter said:


> 24” or 26” rack? I’ve got both, let me know which you need, and we can try and make a deal.




I'm _not sure_ if after I'm done I'm keeping it together.

I purchased it mainly for the rear rack, speedometer, lights and wheels when I first saw it. Time will tell, but thanks anyway for the offer. 🙂


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## Nashman (Dec 18, 2022)

HARPO said:


> More _AAUGH!!_ I forgot that Windex eats off the silk-screening...so goodbye SCHWINN and DEBUTANTE on the chain guard.(and some on the tank). 😢 I really am my own worst !@#$%^ enemy. 😕
> 
> The paint is looking decent so far, considering I was just going to keep parts off of the bike initially. Spending _way_ more time on this bike than I had planned to, but lets see what happens when I'm done. Worst case, it becomes a parts bike after all.
> 
> ...



You're on a wave @HARPO


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## juvela (Dec 18, 2022)

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already a strong positive contrast with the "as found" images






have found that a product called SoftScrub is just the ticket for removing the grey schmutz on the rear reflector housing

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think she would look better if she were to eschew Stewy


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## HARPO (Jan 6, 2023)

@juvela  The grey "Schmutz" is actually the leftover residue of the fake chrome that Schwinn used on the tail lights and the dual head lights. 🙂


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## Nashman (Jan 6, 2023)

HARPO said:


> @juvela  The grey "Schmutz" is actually the leftover residue of the fake chrome that Schwinn used on the tail lights and the dual head lights. 🙂



I'd give that a rattle can "chrome" treatment after 600-800 grit buff so there is no more "Schmutz".


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## Goldenrod (Jan 7, 2023)

I am going to invent a voice player designed for hiding under any rusty bike seat.  It would play, "I love you Daddy."or "Please don't amputate my appendages."  This would get us through the sloppy part and accelerate the bonding impulse.  
"I'm more exciting than green paper."  "Please put down the ax. It scares me.  Do you rubdown and soak all your girls?"


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## Goldenrod (Jan 7, 2023)

GTs58 said:


> Just don't stick your finger in her tank hole and you'll be fine. 😂



My childhood included an unfortunate incident involving a bike hole and some fake fur.  1955 Moms in our small town (loaded with steeples) thought that my artwork was too advanced for public viewing. We hid Playboys from our Boy Scout paper drives, in our dirt fort, for reference.


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## spoker (Jan 7, 2023)

HARPO said:


> Well, I'm usually on the lookout for my next project. And this is what a found. A ton of work!! Though the Cadet speedometer shows such low mileage, your can see that this bike was left to the elements for quite some time. It is all original, though...😝
> 
> I was attracted to it because of the rear rack with the four reflectors, along with the dual headlights (photos always make things look better on-line!). Obviously not by much of anything else. But, the bike was pretty close to my daughter (45 minutes away), so I figured it was at least worth a look after agreeing to a price.
> When I got there, it was much worse than I had thought. Turns out the bike was found in a "barn" upstate along with a few other things he purchased. Super nice guy, and after going over some of the details that were poor, he agreed to a lower price. We were both happy.
> ...



wall hanger


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