# late 30's shelby question



## newbee (Aug 11, 2008)

hey guys,
can anyone tell me the main differences between the late 30's banana tank shelbys? such as what rims each had, which rear rack each had... my desire is to build a 95% correct or higher late 30's shelby much like the shelby attached.

i am also in need of the rear bracket that holds the tank on which fits in between the top bar split and the seat post. i dont even know what it looks like, can someone send me a picture of theirs so i know what im looking for?


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## AntonyR (Aug 11, 2008)

newbee said:


> hey guys,
> can anyone tell me the main differences between the late 30's banana tank shelbys? such as what rims each had, which rear rack each had... my desire is to build a 95% correct or higher late 30's shelby much like the shelby attached.
> 
> i am also in need of the rear bracket that holds the tank on which fits in between the top bar split and the seat post. i dont even know what it looks like, can someone send me a picture of theirs so i know what im looking for?




That picture is of a '36, and is correct except for the chainguard and rear carrier, which would have been chrome on the deluxe model. The fenders would have been polished aluminum too(standard models had same style fenders, just steel and painted). The next year had a different rear rack, the Troxel horizontal spring seat on deluxe models, and all the fenders were steel and painted to match the frame. In '38 the fenders went from the deep blunt Macaully(?)s to the not as deep with the rounded spoon ended ones. The truss rods also went from the straight with bend style to a curved bend. The basic models, including the Western Flier branded bikes usually had painted tanks, chainguards, and racks. I haven't seen any pictures of frames with banana/peanut tanks after '37, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The rear tank attachment point is a triangular plate with a hole in the center. You'll probably have to make your own. I got to hand it to ya, you picked one of the most difficult and expensive bikes to find correct parts for. My '36 has been waiting for the parts to make it whole- stainless tank/hornlight/rack for almost 2 years now. Hope you have deep pockets and patience, cuz you're gonna need 'em.


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## newbee (Aug 12, 2008)

wow thanks for the info!
what about the rims for the 1936 and 1937? did they both have chrome triple step wheels? what kind of tires came stock?

ive attached some pics of the bike i just bought. the guy i bought it from said it was a 1936 but the rack definitely looks like a 37. do the fenders look like 37's?

thanks for your help


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## AntonyR (Aug 12, 2008)

*the details..*

The frames are pretty much identical '35-37 so you could make it whatever you want. '35 and some '36 had the perforated hockeystick chainguard, later '36-on had the chainguard you have. The wheels came chromed. The tires, I dunno. Maybe Davis Deluxe? The rack is definitely '37+. Find a '36 rack and now you have a '36. That Troxel Deluxe seat came on the '36 model. The fenders are correct. Unless the front one has a hole for the phone cord and the light, and the rear with the holes for the Defender light, they are the standard fenders, as opposed to the deluxe model fenders. If that rack is actually chrome, and not sprayed silver, it would be a deluxe model rack. You can also tell a deluxe model by the truss rod bracket- there is a little hole in the upper right for the wire from the horn button.


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## newbee (Aug 12, 2008)

the front fender does have the telephone cord hole for the delta horn light wires and the rear does have the holes for the delta defender light. however, they are not aluminum as well as the tank. did some deluxe models have chrome plated steel fenders and tanks? did only deluxe models come with the front and rear delta lights?

so you said the only thing i have to change for it to be a 36' would be the rear rack. what would i have to change to make it a 37'?

do you know what the paint schemes were back then?

thanks for your help, your an indespensible amount of knowledge


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## AntonyR (Aug 13, 2008)

I don't think there were ever chrome plated fenders. Pretty sure they were polished aluminum, then painted steel. Tanks were stainless plated, or painted. One thing I forgot to mention was that the correct handlebars for a '36- was a scout type, not the longhorn. That first pic is correct '36-37 paint scheme. I think there was a standard model available that was all red, no tank or rack. Your badge was probably a 'Flying Cloud', or possibly 'Cadillac'.
The thing I don't know is any models that were offered in between the deluxe and the standard that offered a painted tank, besides the Western Flier branded bike. I can't find any literature on that at all. The front and rear Delta lights were definitely deluxe model items. Your bike looks like it was pieced together from '36-38 parts. The oldest part on your bike is the seat-'36. Besides that, it's a '37 bike.


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## Aeropsycho (Aug 13, 2008)

*Literature!!!!*

Please post the pages of the catalogs you are talking about!!!

All this info back and forth is confusing!!!

I do not think it is correct... sorry 

Photos needed to clarify... 

J...


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## newbee (Aug 13, 2008)

i think im going to go for a western flyer tagged 1937. i found this article on the 1937s: http://www.nostalgic.net/pictures/534.htm

it says the deluxe had:
-chain guard is "all of flashy chrome"
-seat is "geniue troxel super saddle"
-fenders and tank has "heavy chromium plate"

nothing is said about the fenders or tank being aluminum, i think it is implied that they are steel because of the previous information on the "master"

what do you think?


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## AntonyR (Aug 13, 2008)

*X-post from the other thread...*

The Shelby ad describing the aluminum and stainless parts:


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## raidingclosets (Aug 13, 2008)

*Where's the ad from?*



AntonyR said:


> The Shelby ad describing the aluminum and stainless parts:




Where's that ad taken from, I'd like to find a copy....

Jason


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## AntonyR (Aug 13, 2008)

raidingclosets said:


> Where's that ad taken from, I'd like to find a copy....
> 
> Jason




Jerry Peters of Chestnut Hollow sent it to me. It looks like newsprint.


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## raidingclosets (Aug 13, 2008)

AntonyR said:


> Jerry Peters of Chestnut Hollow sent it to me. It looks like newsprint.




Thanks for the info!

Jason


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## Flat Tire (Aug 14, 2008)

Heres a pic of the triangle piece to hold the back of the tank, not the best picture but you can see how it bends up on either side to rest against the frame...Don


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## newbee (Aug 14, 2008)

thanks for the pic of that plate..that helped alot!

next question, my tank doesn't have a hole for a horn button...did some of them have the buttons clamped to the handle bars?


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## Flat Tire (Aug 14, 2008)

newbee said:


> thanks for the pic of that plate..that helped alot!
> 
> next question, my tank doesn't have a hole for a horn button...did some of them have the buttons clamped to the handle bars?




Yes....mine is also like that...(except I dont have the correct button, should be a Delta I think).....I dont know what years the button was in the tank.....


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## newbee (Aug 14, 2008)

do you have a picture of the button on the handle bars? that woud be really helpful


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## Flat Tire (Aug 15, 2008)

newbee said:


> do you have a picture of the button on the handle bars? that woud be really helpful




Heres a picture of a Delta horn button, which I assume would be correct for the earlier bikes....the horn button on my Shelby is from the sixties or so, I stuck it on there just to have a place to run the wire. These old Delta buttons are expensive, they also have repops that come on ebay now and then.....


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## Aeropsycho (Aug 15, 2008)

*I'm Calm Now...*

Hey Anthony...I really like the pics you posted on the Shelbys!!! it cleared up what your were saying once I saw what you were talking about is the 36 rack the same as a 35-37 Ranger?... I always wondered why Bill T. had that rack on his beautiful bike I have seen a picture of a older bike with the "flat rack"  

...and the rack I bought on the bay last week was for a Girl's Zep a little different... 

I do not have alot of Shelby literature to compare I have two bikes more or less 36-38...

38 is the one with the aluminum torpedo "S" light???

J A M I E


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## AntonyR (Aug 15, 2008)

Aeropsycho said:


> 38 is the one with the aluminum torpedo "S" light???




I don't know what year that torpedo S light was available. I do know that they are really hard to find. At some point I was convinced that aluminum lights came on aluminum fenders, steel on steel. In some cases it's true, but  I think there were a lot of exceptions. The one thing I do know is I'd put either one of them on my '37 and be stoked to have it.  For now, I just have a cast aluminum Whippet on my fender, and if the right hornlight comes along, I'll switch it out. Anyone have an early Whippet headbadge? Trade my Cadillac badge for it.....


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