# Help Finding info Shelby Cadillac



## Twenty Times (Feb 22, 2011)

Hello everybody.  I picked up my first classic bike and would like to begin the process of restoring it to what it once was (or at least somewhat).  However, my searches keep coming up with dead ends.  I've attempted to use the search engine on this site too, but could not find what I was looking for.  I hope somebody out there can help.

The information I have:
There is a Cadillac head badge.  The word "Cadillac" begins low and swoops upwards

The tag under the bottom bracket:
- Shelco
- No. 51
- Serial # 79352

The bike is complete and I can get on and ride it.  It does need a lot of TLC though in terms of refinishing it and cleaning everything up.  The seat also needs to be reupholstered.

This bike is going to be a personal toy.  I am an avid road and mountain bicyclist and would like to take this girl out to my club's vintage and cruiser rides as well as just turn heads as I roll through the neighborhood.  

This is a horrible cell phone picture, but hopefully it could help.


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

Was this the one on Craigslist for $80?.......


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## Twenty Times (Feb 22, 2011)

Yes.  On Long Island.


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

I live on Long Island also, but passed it up only because it was a base model (no tank, truss rods, rack, etc.). Looks like you have a good project to work with though. Enjoy the project. It will be a lot of fun! BTW, Schwinn also built Cadillac branded bikes, but yours is the Shelby made one for sure.


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

Another place to look for info would be www.nostalgic.net

Hope this helps......

fred


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## scrubbinrims (Feb 22, 2011)

If your bike is a Shelby (and I beleive it is as well with the info provided), I have never seen one with that crankwheel and chainguard and the fenders don't look correct (but I cannot see the tips very well).  Maybe the Cadillac branded Shelby's are slightly different though.
I think a better pic would help.
Welcome to the hobby and have fun with the restoration, Chris


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

That being said, the crank matches the one on my girls 1939 Colson......

fred


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## Twenty Times (Feb 22, 2011)

I will try to get some more pictures tonight.  

When I showed the bike to a pal, he thought the same thing about the drive train thinking it should be a skip tooth and not a Wald.


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

Here's the photo of the crank from my Colson (as I bought it. Haven't started the restoration yet), but you can see that it ALMOST matches yours. Mine is a skiptooth, though, yours isn't.


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## Twenty Times (Feb 22, 2011)

I have been searching during my free time.  I came across this link...

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/bbcbikes/IMG_3870.JPG
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/bbcbikes/IMG_3873.JPG
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/bbcbikes/IMG_3876.JPG

Maybe it was unique to Cadillac models?  

When I looked at the tab and seen "No. 51," that is this was going to be easy.  LOL!


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

Hey, nice detective work!!! That sure looks to match yours exactly.


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

BTW...did you manage to get the person down in price from the $80, or did they hold firm?.....


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## scrubbinrims (Feb 22, 2011)

This is where it all starts brother...most of us come across a fixer upper like this, and with investigation, are introduced to a whole new world and hobby.
I found a Schwinn ladies flying star a couple of years back in a thrift store and decided to buy it for 30 to use for the beaches rather than pay for a rental.
Now, I have 25 bikes in the atitic and numerous parts in rooms all over the house, with a highlight being a special look from the Mrs. everytime a box shows up on the porch or one appears in the backyard for cleansing.
With persistence, you'll find the tank...remember patience and conservative steps in restoration, and all things considered you have a nice first subject.


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## Twenty Times (Feb 22, 2011)

I did - but I am bad with that stuff when it comes to personal toys.  I offered $60, we agreed at $70.  All I had were 20s and the guy was nice, so I said "make it $80."  (Besides it was cold last night  LOL!)  This sounds silly, but for the amount of fun I *hope* to have on it.


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## blasterracing (Feb 22, 2011)

Definitely a Shelby, made in 1951.  The chainring and chainguard were used by Shelby.  The fenders look odd and are kind of hard for me to see in the picture, but Shelby did use some peaked fenders.  Nice project.  Have fun with it.

Tim Newmeyer
Shelby, Ohio
thenewmeyers2@aol.com


Twenty Times said:


> Hello everybody.  I picked up my first classic bike and would like to begin the process of restoring it to what it once was (or at least somewhat).  However, my searches keep coming up with dead ends.  I've attempted to use the search engine on this site too, but could not find what I was looking for.  I hope somebody out there can help.
> 
> The information I have:
> There is a Cadillac head badge.  The word "Cadillac" begins low and swoops upwards
> ...


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## HARPO (Feb 22, 2011)

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-RARE-PR...ultDomain_0&hash=item588cc129c1#ht_500wt_1009

This is listed as a Prewar Shelby Cadillac tank on ebay right now......

fred


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## tony d. (Feb 22, 2011)

I have a springer and a rack that could go with that bike       tony d.


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## Twenty Times (Feb 23, 2011)

I received this email back from NBHAA (NBHAA.com) today.

Now its time to get to work.  Tony I am interested in that rack possibly.  



> Hello...
> 
> Your bicycle is from 1951, but it has a 1950 and earlier style frame on it. This exact frame design (with a gap at the rear of the two horizontal bars) was officially discontinued for bicycles with the SHELBY badge on them. However, the CADILLAC model was a distributor model and it broke the rules continuing with this frame design.
> 
> ...


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## AntonyR (Feb 28, 2011)

You did very well. Cadillac badged Shelby frames are really rare since they made very few of them, and very randomly of the course of the years. I have a '36 Cadillac, the only one I've seen besides the one on Dave's Vintage site. I also saw a middleweight from the forties at one point. Yours is interesting because your badge is pretty much identical to mine, almost a decade earlier. On rarity alone, you scored.


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## AntonyR (Feb 28, 2011)

Ok, so after looking at the pictures of mine and your badges, they are a little bit different, but unless you really examine them, you probably wouldn't notice.
A couple things to note- Those tires cost more than half of what you paid for the entire bike(eventhough they are re-pops), so you're stoked.
Shelby started using the speed chain (half inch pitch) a lot earlier than a lot of bike brands, so you have the right chainring and chain. As far as chainrings go, yours and a Colson style sprocket are totally different. At first glance, they may seem similar, but laid side by side, way different. Shelby also used peaked fenders through the forties, and now obviously into the fifties. Too bad you aren't over here in SoCal. You could turn that bike around for an easy $250-300 in a hot second. Keep it and ride that mofo.


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## Twenty Times (Mar 1, 2011)

AntonyR said:


> Ok, so after looking at the pictures of mine and your badges, they are a little bit different, but unless you really examine them, you probably wouldn't notice.
> A couple things to note- Those tires cost more than half of what you paid for the entire bike(eventhough they are re-pops), so you're stoked.
> Shelby started using the speed chain (half inch pitch) a lot earlier than a lot of bike brands, so you have the right chainring and chain. As far as chainrings go, yours and a Colson style sprocket are totally different. At first glance, they may seem similar, but laid side by side, way different. Shelby also used peaked fenders through the forties, and now obviously into the fifties. Too bad you aren't over here in SoCal. You could turn that bike around for an easy $250-300 in a hot second. Keep it and ride that mofo.




Hey.  Can you post a side picture of your bike?  

The reason I ask, I pulled the tires off of the wheels yesterday and Found some pretty heavy rust.  I am going to likely wire brush it.  I also have some other areas of concern too and thinking a full repaint may be in order.


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## AntonyR (Mar 2, 2011)

I'm not at the computer where my pictures are, but B. Triplett's photo from Dave's site is just like mine. Not a lot in common with your bike, but if it's the paint scheme you're interested in, I'm not sure what your original scheme would have looked like. Just be creative..
http://www.nostalgic.net/pictures/bicycle552/2373.htm


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## HARPO (Mar 15, 2011)

Any new updates to show on the bike?.......

fred


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