# Gramp’s 1941 New World - Trying to get it running as a rat rod bike



## Miq

Hi Cabe Lightweight Schwinn Folks,

I recently inherited my grandfather’s 1941 BF Goodrich badged Schwinn New World.  SN# H69537.  I’ve been reading about it and learning how its built as I take it apart.  I’m really interested in getting this bike running again to ride with my kids.  It looks really ratty on the outside since it was stored in a shed in Pennsylvania for the past 70 years or so but the bearings and races all seem ok.


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## Miq

At some point the right pedal must have gotten stripped and my grandfather welded the pedal axle to the crank.


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## Miq

To get it in the shipping box the guys at the bike store in PA cut the pedal off.

I’ve been looking at pedals on eBay and the set of Torrigton 10s I was watching just sold for $46.  That seems like too much money for me since I just need the right axle.  All the other parts look fine in my pedal assemblies.


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## Miq

Was hoping to find just a crank too but most eBay listings are for the whole crank and bottom bkt assembly.  There’s an older looking set from a Hornet DX bike on eBay right now.  Are most old cranks treaded the same and have the same spacing? 

Thanks for any advice you can share. 

The bike was painted with red spray paint and is pretty beat but I think it will be a very cool rat rod and the sentimental value for me is huge.


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## Miq

The fork tube that runs through the head tube got bent at some point.  Also there were some rogue ball bearings that were loose in the head set and over a period of time they badly scarred the threads.

Is this saveable?  Can I straighten the fork tube and re-thread the top so that it can be properly adjusted once straight?


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## GTs58

Miq said:


> Hi Cabe Lightweight Schwinn Folks,
> 
> I recently inherited my grandfather’s 1941 BF Goodrich badged Schwinn New World.  SN# H69537.  I’ve been reading about it and learning how its built as I take it apart.  I’m really interested in getting this bike running again to ride with my kids.  It looks really ratty on the outside since it was stored in a shed in Pennsylvania for the past 70 years or so but the bearings and races all seem ok.  View attachment 932946View attachment 932946
> View attachment 932947View attachment 932946
> View attachment 932947
> 
> View attachment 932948





Welcome to the Cabe! 

It seems the photos are not showing up.


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## Miq

Hi GTs58.  I can see them on my screen.  Maybe they’re still loading or need approval since this is my first post.


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## Miq

The hubs are New Departure with a D coaster in the back.  Seem to be in good shape too.


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## Miq

Hi GTs58, 

I had legitimately messed that first post up.  I think the pics are there now.  Should be better now.

Miq


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## 49autocycledeluxe

I see them.


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## Miq




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## Miq




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## Miq




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## Miq

Soaking tonight.


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## Beach Bum III

Miq said:


> The fork tube that runs through the head tube got bent at some point.  Also there were some rogue ball bearings that were loose in the head set and over a period of time they badly scarred the threads.
> 
> Is this saveable?  Can I straighten the fork tube and re-thread the top so that it can be properly adjusted once straight?View attachment 932956View attachment 932958


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## Beach Bum III

I've had luck straightening fork blades. I used a bit of heat from a bottle of Mapp Gas so that they would bend up by the crown. You kind have to just eyeball them because of the taper.   Remember to straighten them side to side also. Key for "no hands" riding. You can draw a center line of a piece of plywood or paper. Next, draw two more lines parrelel to the center line that is the width of the fork tube. Measure your front hub axle width and set your blades up so the axle rides dead center. A high end bike shop should have a huge die that will clean up the fork tube but the messed up threads below the head set should be a problem.


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## Beach Bum III

Miq said:


> Hi Cabe Lightweight Schwinn Folks,
> 
> I recently inherited my grandfather’s 1941 BF Goodrich badged Schwinn New World.  SN# H69537.  I’ve been reading about it and learning how its built as I take it apart.  I’m really interested in getting this bike running again to ride with my kids.  It looks really ratty on the outside since it was stored in a shed in Pennsylvania for the past 70 years or so but the bearings and races all seem ok. View attachment 932959View attachment 932960View attachment 932961



Great machine. I think that is one of the frames that uses Cromoly thing and is hand brazed.


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## Miq

Hi Beach Bum III, 

Yea I think you’re right.  Fillet brazed seamless drawn chromoly.  

I’m guessing I can re-thread the head tube with the correct die.  The threads at the very top are in good shape so the die will be lined up correctly when it hits the scarred section.  Wonder what the thread size is?

Miq


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## GTs58

Miq said:


> Hi Beach Bum III,
> 
> Yea I think you’re right.  Fillet brazed seamless drawn chromoly.
> 
> I’m guessing I can re-thread the head tube with the correct die.  The threads at the very top are in good shape so the die will be lined up correctly when it hits the scarred section.  Wonder what the thread size is?
> 
> Miq





The steer tube threads are 1"- 24 tpi    https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-head-tube.53640/#post-317497 

I haven't come across one that looks as nice as yours. lol  Hope you can clean it up and salvage the fork. 

The Superior and Paramount were chomo  and I'm thinking the New Worlds were seamless steel.


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## Miq

Thanks for the threading info GT.

The Sheldon Brown site says the Superior and New World were seamless chromoly.
Sheldon Brown

Miq


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## GTs58

Miq said:


> Thanks for the threading info GT.
> 
> The Sheldon Brown site says the Superior and New World were seamless chromoly.
> Sheldon Brown
> 
> Miq





Not being a smart a, but I take some things on Sheldon's site with a grain of salt. He stated that Schwinn never imported bikes from their Hungarian factory and that printed statement is 100% false.


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## Beach Bum III

That's my understanding. They ride really nice. I regret getting rid of mine but I was a teenager and traded it for an SE Cruiser. Ha. I think the later 60's Super Sports used the same frame jig but I'm not positive.


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## Beach Bum III

*also sold set up like this. I think this is from the 1940 catalog and it already has "postwar" style dropouts. *


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## Beach Bum III

Miq said:


> Was hoping to find just a crank too but most eBay listings are for the whole crank and bottom bkt assembly.  There’s an older looking set from a Hornet DX bike on eBay right now.  Are most old cranks treaded the same and have the same spacing?
> 
> Thanks for any advice you can share.
> 
> The bike was painted with red spray paint and is pretty beat but I think it will be a very cool rat rod and the sentimental value for me is huge.



I've never had a problem swapping Schwinn parts from year to year. It all seems to work together (barring the later tire/rim sizes).  For the rattle can finish; a gentle rub with lacquer thinner can sometimes reveal original paint and even decals if you are careful...


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## Sven

Very nice score. Welcome to the CABE!


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## Jeff54

Hello Miq welcome, , However, it appears as if you've got some misidentification  on serial numbers. The drop-outs in 41 were rear facing and it wasn't until 45-46 that the front drop-outs on your bike were implemented. Did you use that dfumb auto thing at schinnhistory  site?  it's got lots of faults. Accordingly, The better serial number site : http://www.angelfire.com/rant/allday101/SchwinnCodes3.html    Lists your SN# *H69537:*

* 1953:  02/23 to 02/24 ------- H68055 ----------------- H72800*

That would mean  your serial numbers are on the drop-out. However if they're on the bottom bracket then it means it was built post war; 46-51.



Miq said:


> Hi Cabe Lightweight Schwinn Folks,
> 
> I recently inherited my grandfather’s 1941 BF Goodrich badged Schwinn New World.  SN# H69537.  I’ve been reading about it and learning how its built as I take it apart.  I’m really interested in getting this bike running again to ride with my kids.  It looks really ratty on the outside since it was stored in a shed in Pennsylvania for the past 70 years or so but the bearings and races all seem ok. View attachment 932959


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## rustjunkie

I do recall seeing a couple New Worlds with the Cro-Mo decal


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## rustjunkie

Jeff54 said:


> ...The drop-outs in 41 were rear facing...




not all fork ends are created equal
drop outs are forward or downward facing, no drop outs are rear facing


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## SKPC

What's up with your right axle?  I may have one for you, I will look today.     (edit) Oh, I forgot it was cut off!


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## Miq

GTs58, I have seen a lot of different info different places for sure.  I'll say drawn seamless steel for now.  

Beachbum, I'll keep looking at ebay and see what cranks pops up. 

Thanks Sven!

Jeff54, there is too much messed up serial number info out there.  I'll send pics that show why I think it's prewar.  Maybe I'm naïve in judging, I'm hoping you guys can help.

Rust Junkie, the Goodrich info is great!  Do you know what year it was from?

SKPC, thank you for looking for a R axle for me.  Fingers crossed.


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## Miq

The bottom pic model W1M from this 1941 catalog is really close.  Same chain ring gear style with the small holes between the bigger holes.  Says "with coaster brake...and with one-piece hanger set."


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## Miq

Seat tube locking parts are integrated into the frame.  That's prewar from what I've read.  Check out section 9 here:  Bike Shed Guide to New Worlds


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## Miq

Check out the rear mud guard.  It has separate "wire" stays that meet at the axle.  There are two sets of "eyes" that need to be attached to the axle.  Post war this changed to a one eye scheme.  Also when you look at the way the upper stay angles back from the axle it is almost straight up and down on the post war bikes.  The stays on the "two eye" prewar bikes angle toward the back of the bike, not straight up and down.

Miq


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## Miq

1940 Parts Catalog  1940 Schwinn Catalog


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## Miq

H series is prewar 1941 from this site:  bicyclechronicles.com


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## Miq




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## Miq

1948 Catalog:




By 1948 you can see how the rear stay points straight up and is integrated with the bottom stay when it joints the frame at the axle.  Chain guard attaches to the frame differently as well.  Chain ring gear (front sprocket) no longer has the little circles between the bigger circles.

Here's a pic of the exact chain ring gear in the 1940 catalog #229  "Sprocket Dished 52 tooth 1/2" x 1/8" - New World and B Models".







Miq


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## Miq

The seat and the grips may have been replaced.  Anyone have a feel for the vintage of those parts?  

Miq


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## Roger Henning

The red bike in question is a prewar bike.  Prewars had welded on seat post clamps and postwars the clamp was separate part.  Roger


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## rustjunkie

Miq said:


> Rust Junkie, the Goodrich info is great!  Do you know what year it was from?





1950

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/p...on-discussion-thread.70318/page-2#post-472709


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## Miq

Thanks for the pre war seat post clamp validation Roger. 

Thank you rustjunkie. 

Pre war diamond 65 chain.  My grandfather made his own “master link” arrangement with a bolt and nut (not shown). . This bone dry chain got fully lubed right after these pics were taken.


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## Miq




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## Miq

Bottom bkt bearings all clean.


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## GTs58

Roger Henning said:


> The red bike in question is a prewar bike.  Prewars had welded on seat post clamps and postwars the clamp was separate part.  Roger




The pre war Superior had a removable seat post clamp and I believe there was another model that did also, but can't remember at the moment what it was.


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## rustjunkie

the superior had “oversized” thinwall tubing, thus a larger diameter seatpost...26.8mm iirc. 
same as paramount?
the clamp was like the post war cro-mo continental


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## rustjunkie

Miq said:


> Bottom bkt bearings all clean. View attachment 933406View attachment 933407




go get some grade 25 chromium 5/16” ball bearings, pop them into the cages, then chuck those old m&ms in the bin


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## Miq

Rustjunkie those look like an easy buy. Thanks. 

Miq


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## Miq

Rear sprocket looks zinc galvanized. Is that common?


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## Miq




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## gkeep

What a  great story and project! A family heirloom to pass no to your kids.

A question for the real experts here. Will a 70s crank from a ladies Collegiate work in this bottom bracket? I might be able to pull one from a frame that turned up at work. I was going to pull a few parts for cases just like this. The frame is badly tweaked but I'll check tomorrow and see if the cranks seems straight. Post office shouldn't be able to bend cranks too badly only traveling one state away. 

Gary


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## Miq

Thanks gkeep.  I'm looking forward to the kids remembering me riding great grampa's bike.  When I get it back together it will last another 75 years here in dry AZ.  

I think the cranks are different sizes from men's to ladies to juvenile.  Is a 70's ladies crank the same size?

Miq


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## Miq

Looks like 6.5" from center of crank to center of pedal.


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## Jeff54

It took some doing  to discover more , albeit it's got center mounted caliper  brakes but, an illustration  of this forward drop-out that's clearly represented, 1940:




Miq said:


> 1940 Parts Catalog  1940 Schwinn Catalog




It's currently listed on ebay:  http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=132909634644


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## Miq

Nice find Jeff54!  

Looks really close to the W3MFC at the top of this 1941 page.  The simplest model (W1M) below it looks spot on if you took the handlebar riser and seat from the W3MFC and stuck it on the coaster bike.  




Another use of that color drawing of the caliper style version from 1940:


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## gkeep

Hi,

Good news and bad news on the crank. It's full size 61/5 inch arm but the left side is bent about 15 degrees from true. I'm thinking that is why the bike was tossed out. I'll see what other parts are floating around though because you never know when another one might turn up. It could be months but just as easily I could find one tomorrow, life working at a big city solid waste transfer station. The trick is to be at the right place and the right time and save something preferably before a CAT front end loader runs over it. 

I think you should try chasing those fork threads, they may clean up well enough to use. I had a pedal damage the threads on my teens Pierce crank but chased/retapped the damaged threads and a new pedal went on nice and snug. I've been riding it for 2 years with no sign of failure.

Gary


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## Miq

Thanks for looking Gary, I appreciate it.  

I'm definitely going to try to chase the threads with a die.  There's nothing to loose and I think one of my machine shop buddies will have the die & handle I need.  

-Miq


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## Miq

All the info from this thread was interesting.  1940s Schwinn New World Info Thread  Neat to see one from that era that clean and well preserved.


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## Miq

New Departure D Coaster Bearings

How do these look?  They feel great in your fingers!


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## Miq

New Departure Front Wheel Hub Bearings









This one has wear that removed the name stamps.  Is this an issue?


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## Miq

Head Bearings









The smaller diameter bearing cage is really uneven.  Some areas are tight:




While some are loose:




Thinking I will even this out.





Miq


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## Miq

Torrington Pedal Bearings


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## Miq

New Departure Front Hub Assembly

How do the races look?  What can I do to smooth these?


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## Miq

New Departure D Coaster Rear Hub Partial Assembly

This is better than the front but the smaller bearing race needs to be smoother.


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## Miq

Torrington Pedal Axle Assemblies

These seem functional but the Right pedal axle is bent and cut.  Still looking for another 4" block right axle....









Bent and Cut:


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## Miq

Is this good vintage Schwinn lightweight bike porn or just too many pics to wade through?  

-Miq


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## GTs58

Miq said:


> Is this good vintage Schwinn lightweight bike porn or just too many pics to wade through?
> 
> -Miq




I'm enjoying all this and your pictures.   Sorry to say your cones are trash though. Some of the bearings look cracked, but couldn't say for sure with all the lint on them. If you plan on actually riding the bike, my suggesting is to replace balls and cones, but my dog never listens to me either.


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## Miq

Thanks GTs58!

I haven't tried looking for those kinds of parts yet.  Do you have a feel for how hard / expensive it is to get the cones?  The balls are probably not difficult to find right?  Love that you can notice the lint.    Didn't see any cracks myself but I'll take another look - feel.  

-Miq


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## Miq

Looked on ebay.  The ND coaster NOS bearings can be had for not much money.  The front hub WL cones by themselves can be gotten NOS too.


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## GTs58

Miq said:


> Looked on ebay.  The ND coaster NOS bearings can be had for not much money.  The front hub little cones by themselves can be gotten NOS too.




Good news. Posting what you're looking for in the Want section here is another option. I mess with mostly 50's and early 60's bikes, parts are much easier to find.


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## Miq

Ordered the NOS bearing set for the New Departure rear D coaster, a NOS small adjuster cone for the D coaster, a NOS axle assembly for front WL hub including new cones and bearings, a set of new head set and crank bearings, and a 50's vintage crank.  That should take care of most of the issues in those assemblies.

Gotta get the fork head tube sorted and find a right pedal axle still...

-Miq


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## Bozman

Miq- Let me look though my parts boxes and see if I have a spare right side Torrington pedal post in stock. Welcome to the club! I've restored several lightweight Schwinns and I did a Wartime BF Goodrich Schwinn a few years ago. Let me see if I have the pics of the restoration.


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## Miq

Bozman said:


> Miq- Let me look though my parts boxes and see if I have a spare right side Torrington pedal post in stock. Welcome to the club! I've restored several lightweight Schwinns and I did a Wartime BF Goodrich Schwinn a few years ago. Let me see if I have the pics of the restoration.




Thanks Bozman!  I'd like to see your wartime BF Schwinn resto pics if you can find them.


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## MarkKBike

What a wonderful project you have going there, great photos too.


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## Miq

Thanks MarkBike!

I worked on the coaster brake steel and bronze discs today.  Here’s what they looked like washed off after soaking:






The bronze discs had a red tint to them and the steel ones were corroded.  Both had grooves and wear on their surfaces.


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## Miq

Used double stick tape to hold the same type discs to a flat board while I carefully hand sanded them using 400 grit sand paper and a hand block.  Some parts required more love than others.  They all got individual attention and the group got worked over as a whole at times too.  When they all looked pretty good, I flipped them over and did the other side. 








Can you tell which ones I flipped already?



I performed the same sanding on the bronze discs too.


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## Miq

After a quick wash off they look like this:





Some look better than others but I don’t know how much I need to stress over this.  The majority of the surfaces looked pretty even and most of the wear marks are gone.  The bronze looked like bronze again and the steel looked like steel again.






These are the worst surfaces:





The sides got some love too.


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## Miq

Steel Discs





These are the worst surfaces:







These look pretty good:


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## Miq

They are fun to fidget with in your hand.  I coated all of them with Mobil1 synthetic motor oil and threw then into a plastic bag for now.


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## Miq

Took the old tires off today.  Any idea the vintage of this stuff?

Goodyear Rib - interesting diamond pattern.


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## Miq

This stuff used to protect the inner tube from the spokes.  Now it’s crusty and needed to be chipped out with a plastic tire lever.  Found some hand stamps inside the rim that are still readable.  Pretty cool IMHO.  You can also see how straight the sides of this rim are and how the spokes don’t attach directly down the centerline but alternate side to side.  











Loving how ratty the rims look.


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## Miq

Cleaned the hub shells.  They look much better now and I got to check out the oil port lid more closely.  Cool piece of bike jewelry really.  The port tube looks like its plated brass and you can clearly see where it’s pressed into the shell when you look inside since the brass shines.  Still want to scrape that dried grease in corners of the channels with a wooden sishkabob skewer and spray it out again before I assemble it.  
I can finally see where it says WL on the front hub.


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## Miq

I‘m interested if anyone knows what this is from?  Some kind of accessory like a speedo?


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## Miq

front wheel: 3032 
rear: 3033  maybe?


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## Adamtinkerer

Miq, I salute your thoroughness and attention to detail!


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## GTs58

Excellent photo documentation on the resurrection of Grandpa's Schwinn! That part on the spoke has to be a odometer pin of some sort.


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## SirMike1983

Right- it's a basic, pre-war New World. The New World is thought of as a bicycle, but really should be thought of as just a "platform" for a bike because there are so many variations. They range from basic bikes with a one-speed coaster brake up to bikes with 3-speed hubs, hand brakes, and upgraded wheelsets (usually the "Superior" wheels). The New World could be ordered with a huge number of American and English-type parts, depending on what the owner wanted in a bike.

You have a great, family-based project there. It'll be a really nice bike that you can keep and hand down some day in the future.


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## Andrew Gorman

Looks like you are having fun with the bike! And New Worlds are nice riding bikes.  One thing that usually helps a New Departure hub is replacing the retarder spring.  A new one will make the braking and release action a little snappier, and they are widely available NOS.


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## Miq

@GTs58 Thanks for the pics!  I think the little round part on the pictured part on my spoke must have been a free spinning wheel at some point.  Had to hit that cog in the odometer but be able to roll off it.  

@SirMike1983 Exactly!  The 1940 catalog of parts shows how many different combinations could be put together. This simple version is something you might buy the first year you had a full time job.  My grandfather had just started his job in the fall of 1940 and must have bought the bike a few months later in 1941.  He would ride this bike to work for many years after.

@Andrew Gorman Thanks for the tip on the ND spring.  I will order one before I reassemble.  It’s all apart right now so why not?

Thanks guys!


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## Miq

Today was a big day for the bike.

Paint remover challenge....




Saturate a rag - rub it on a spot on the inside of the chain guard for a little while - see what happens.





Paint thinner (aka mineral spirits) is not doing anything to Gramp’s rattle can red.




The Goofoff Pro is taking off the most red paint and the rag shows it.  I see original maroon!!!!  




The Lacquer Thinner is also taking the red paint off but not quite as fast.  Better keep trying and see what happens...


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## Miq

The little corners of the shapes that are stamped in the guard collected so much of the rattle can red.  This wooden shishkabob skewer worked great for breaking apart the red paint so I didn’t have to scour the original paint so long.



That was encouraging.


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## Miq

I used a bucket of water and a soft brush to remove all the lacquer thinner that might be remaining on the part.

I carefully rubbed a little clear coat polish onto the entire gaurd.  This polish takes off oxidized clearcoat so it is slightly abrasive.  You can see some of the maroon paint gets sacrificed in this step.  Be gentle.  The paint is pretty hammered from being rubbed on with 3M 0000 pad and lacquer thinner so it needed some fine top surface polishing in my opinion.  





Next I put a very heavy coat of synthetic wax on by hand.  It was a lot like putting hand lotion on and I could feel the wax getting absorbed.    or maybe I was hallucinating from the fumes...




Buff that out after it dries a little and put a few more light coats on.







I’m pretty psyched about how rat-tastic it looks!  Time for some fenders...


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## Miq

And the legend of Lacquer Thinner and bike restoration is repeated again today.  Dripping, saturating, messy as hell amounts of lacquer thinner and softly rubbing with different objects but a lot with this 3M 0000 pad.




Here’s a side by side one fender done, one not.




The maroon is much better!!


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## Miq

Here’s the frame before.  Now I remember gramps being a freak about rust.  He liked to attack rusty stuff with a wire wheel in his hand drill.  I remember us doing that to bike frames before we would rattle can them.  I’m positive that’s what he did here.  Part of why I was approaching this as a rat rod was knowing that in the back of my mind.  It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I much prefer it over the red spray paint.

The frame takes an insane amount of time and effort.  So many parts with little crevices where ever they meet.  Fenders were a breeze compared to this.  I think a lot of why it was so tough is that the paint was adhered to bare steel over a lot of the frame.  



Here’s the painted stuff all together.  I’m starting to believe in this bike as a rat rod now.  Can’t seem to stop...









This is a pano so the top tube looks wiggly.


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## Miq

That was a brutal job.  My back porch has a drop cloth that looks like a crime scene.  Red splatters everywhere.  My face and arms were speckled.  My body is beat from the 10+ hours that took.  I really have respect for those of you that do this more than once.  It will take a long time before I want to do this again, despite how killer it looks to me. I probably wouldn’t have even attempted it, but I got inspired by so many of the before/after shots from you here.  Thanks for showing me the potential.

Miq


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## flyingtaco

Love the way that looks now. Its been fun reading this all week. Been looking forward every morning to see whats next.


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## Eric Amlie

Brutal job, yes. Not one I would attempt I think, especially breathing lacquer thinner fumes for 10 hours.
The bike looks way better now though.


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## Miq

@flyingtaco Thanks!  It’s been a fun project all week and something I need in my life right now.  It’s gratifying to be able to complete parts of this everyday.  Some tasks I’m working on, in other parts of my life, take months to complete. Having something to use my hands on, that I can see tangible progress after almost every task I attempt, is therapeutic.  Saved the 10+ hour paint battle for the weekend however.  Not sure I’d call that part therapy, but it’s all part of the bigger picture.  Thanks for appreciating the new look.

@Eric Amlie Thank you!


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## rollfaster

Great work on this one, little original paint is always better than bright red rattle can spray any day in my opinion!


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## Miq

@rollfaster Thanks!


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## bikejunk

I really wish I had something as important as my grandfather bicycle -you are doing a fantastic job -when i first saw rat rod I said oh boy but you sir have done a wonderful job to this family artifact


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## GTs58

Here's a 1947 that's for sale in the classifieds here. Has a vintage rotation counting Doo-Hickey mounted on the front.


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## Miq

@bikejunk Thank you!

@GTs58 I didn't think it would be located down at the axle.  I guess it reduces the wear by keeping the velocity that the spoke trip doo-hickey hits the counter gizmo as low as possible.  Really small circle being traced that close to the axle.  The early odometer is kind of a hoot.  Looks like it just counted number of rotations, and the rider needed to convert that to distance using their wheel circumference.  I guess you quickly got a feel for how the numbers on the odometer corresponded with tiredness of legs.    People must have loved when they moved the display up to the handlebars and made it read out in mi/km traveled.  Thank you for finding and showing me this.  I keep filling in details on Gramp's bike by talking about it with you.  

That maroon New World in the pics is pretty beautiful with lots of paint and pins stripes.  Cool to see a nicely preserved New World, even if it is a few years younger than Gramp's bike.  Thanks!  I've seen a few of the other New World threads started by many of the people contributing to this thread.  Pics when you first found them and what they became.  You guys have some really nice old bikes and it's inspiring to see how great the finest examples can look.  I know cosmetically I won't be able to take gramps bike there easily, and its a different thing approaching it from a Rat perspective, but it is cool to see mint bikes from this time.


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## GTs58

I had a similar mileage doo hickey on my 64 Varsity when I was a kid. They are calibrated for wheel size, and if I remember correctly it was fairly accurate and no conversions were needed. When the fractional dial hit 0 after a full revolution one mile was traveled. The one I had was real similar to this one http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=192416812296  but it was slightly smaller and looked cleaner, probably had an alloy case. The spoke pin was identical. Definitely not as easy to read while cruising as something on the bars but I wasn't into junk accessories that that added weight or slowed you down.  lol  In 7th grade I had split sessions going to school later in the morning and staying later. During the Winter I was riding home in the dark so a generator light set up was installed. When the time came to where I could make it home while there was still daylight, I took that POS off the bike.


----------



## Miq

I looked at another sale on ebay for one of these.  The boxes they came in from this company clearly indicated the size of the wheel the counters worked with and the distance units they counted in.  Here's a pic of a kids bike counter for 20" wheels and km counted.



I bet this is old hat for most people here but I think it's interesting...


----------



## Miq

@GTs58 I think you have always had the right idea about these.  I'm not interested in any accessories for Gramp's bike.  Despite being called a "lightweight" bike, it's heavy enough already and I have no desire to add more vintage doo dads, even if Gramps had one on there for a while...  Everyone has the choice to make their bikes to their style, and there's nothing wrong with the bikes that have a bunch of accys, it's just not for me on this bike.  Odometer just doesn't say "rat" to me when I look at it.  The thing I like about it, is seeing the technology that was commercially viable during that time period.  What could these companies make that people could afford using the tech they had at the time?  Glad there are some people that are collecting and preserving that on their bikes and in weathered NOS boxes their basements.


----------



## SirMike1983

Miq said:


> @GTs58 I think you have always had the right idea about these.  I'm not interested in any accessories for Gramp's bike.  Despite being called a "lightweight" bike, it's heavy enough already and I have no desire to add more vintage doo dads, even if Gramps had one on there for a while...




Yes, it's sort of funny when they get called "lightweights". I guess they're "light" compared to an American balloon tire bike, but they tend to still be pretty heavy by our standards today. I think they're really just "utility" bikes. They were used as basic, all-purpose local transportation and just riding around for fun. It beats walking a lot of the time if you don't have a car or if you can't get the gas to fuel the car.


----------



## Miq

@SirMike1983 It is all relative right?  For the materials and manufacturing techniques of the time, it was light.    They didn't design in metal like tanks and extra frame tubing and got down to the lower weight essentials.  Diamond frame with "light weight" fenders.

You have a sweet New World SirMike.  The accys you have on it look great and it is so clean!  Been looking at it carefully the last few weeks...


----------



## Miq

I've been looking at the route my Gramps would have taken from his house to the Westinghouse R&D center that he worked at for over 50 years.  I think I know why he ended up choosing the 52/24 = 2.17 ratio for the fixed gearing.  Those who know about Pittsburgh can relate to how hilly the terrain is.  His commute was only about 2 miles but it involved climbing about 200 ft in less than a 1/4 mile, then loosing all that elevation by the time he arrived at work.  So he made a steep climb twice a day when he rode the bike to work.  The rest of the surrounding roads he was riding are the same way.  He had to be able to tackle some steep hills with a fixed gear bike.


----------



## Miq

Some of why I think Gramps might not be opposed to the rat rod approach I'm taking to his bike is that he was an early adopter of the rat rod idea.  Here's a pic of the Ford he "customized" to tackle the journey to the Grand Canyon from his home town in Iowa.  The roads and the vehicles of that time (mid 30's?) were not made for it.  He made it there and back and loved the adventure of it.  He saved this picture, and told me the story, in his attic in PA.





Here's a pic of his dad (my Great Grandfather) driving his fast car. My Gramps said the cops in his home town asked his dad to stop letting his sons drive the car.  They couldn't catch them to tell them to slow down.    Love that story!  And the spoked wheels.


----------



## Miq

Finished getting the final (silver) paint off the seat tube, Miller kickstand, stem and handlebars.  Not sure how important it was, but I tried to keep the thinner off the grips.  They already feel like they are made of stone.

















That's some ratty gold!!!


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## Miq

I lubed all the moving parts of the kickstand and it works great.

Ordered some new Kenda's, spoke tape, and tubes last night along with the retarder spring for the coaster last night.  Filling it all in piece by piece...


----------



## Eric Amlie

You have some great heritage there between your Gramps & Great Grand Dad.
Did your Dad carry on the tradition? I assume he did in some fashion or you would probably not be tackling this project today.


----------



## Beach Bum III

Looking fantastic! Your question about running 70's Continental cranks as a substitute. They will work...and ride nice because they are usually longer, giving you a little more torque for powering up hills. BUT, you can find long, period correct "dog leg" cranks without too much trouble. They have so much nicer of a finish and shape than the 60's and 70's stuff. And rusty ones are cheap.


----------



## Miq

Eric Amlie said:


> You have some great heritage there between your Gramps & Great Grand Dad.
> Did your Dad carry on the tradition? I assume he did in some fashion or you would probably not be tackling this project today.




Hi Eric, I'm doubly blessed in those genes.  The grampa I inherited the bike from is my mom's father.  Luckily, the family on my dad's side are also performance car enthusiasts.  I can't locate the pics of my dad's family's 57 Corvette, or the 1967 Lotus Elan+2 that my dad restored in our garage when I was in middle school, or I would post them.  In fact, that is the only other time I breathed thinner fumes for hours on end.  It took days to strip the Lotus's seven different paintjobs off it's fiberglass body using insane chemicals.  I was amazed the day it came back from paint with shiny new metallic blue finish.  So much work, but so beautiful in the end.

So many great memories this project conjures up.  Thanks for asking Eric.


----------



## Miq

Beach Bum III said:


> Looking fantastic! Your question about running 70's Continental cranks as a substitute. They will work...and ride nice because they are usually longer, giving you a little more torque for powering up hills. BUT, you can find long, period correct "dog leg" cranks without too much trouble. They have so much nicer of a finish and shape than the 60's and 70's stuff. And rusty ones are cheap.




Hi Beach Bum III,  I received the crank I ordered and took a look at it.  It will definitely work and fit the bottom bkt.  It is a little different in the "dog leg" area of the crank as you mentioned.  It doesn't look too far off but clearly people who are into this will notice the difference.  








I think I can live with it for now.  The replacement crank came with a "sweetheart" skip tooth sprocket so it is close I imagine.  If anyone has the correct crank and wants to trade please let me know.


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## Miq

I've been looking at the New Departure "NOS" parts I've been buying on ebay.  Wondered what you thought of this?

The "NOS" bearings I've received, for the most part, do not have the "New Departure" name stamps on the cages and the cages themselves are not formed as nicely as the original ND hubs on Gramp's bike.  Maybe the tooling was worn, or different when these cages where fabricated.  Here's a bearing I got with the "NOS New Departure WL Front Axle Assembly" I ordered next to the original from Gramp's bike with New Departure stamp in the cage.  



The holes that the balls sit in are not formed (stamped) as cleanly and there is a ridge all the way around most of them, formed by the worn or different tooling.  What happened to the "NEW DEPARTURE" name stamp on top???

Closer look at the clean vs ridges holes.  





Maybe it's not a big deal since it's just the cages but why so different?  Did they start skipping the deburring step after they got stamped??  The people at New Departure were proud enough of their work/design to stamp their name on top of the cage for a reason.  I know first hand about tooling redesign and yearly cost downs, so I'm not claiming I know these aren't ND NOS parts because they absolutely could be.  But it looks weird.  Anyone with unopened NOS ND bearing packs in their original ND packaging see them without the New Departures name stamps on top or not?!!

Like Rustjunkie and others have mentioned you can just push the old balls out of, and pop the new ones into, the old cages.  So that's what I did. The balls were the same size old vs new.




Ball Swap:




You can see one of the original WL bearing cages from Gramp's bike doesn't have the New Departure stamp, but the holes are still clean and the top of that cage looks worn.

The new axle looks a little different in length than the original but it won't stick out of the hub too much further and everything can be properly adjusted still.  The threads on the new axle are so much less munched up too.  All the new cones and old nuts spin smoothly on the threads.  So much better!  The new axle has the cool circle ND logo in the center too.  The cones look exactly the same with the ND WL stamps on top.


----------



## Miq

Its a similar story with the bearing cages for the rear Big Arm = Brake D Coaster.  The small bearing in the NOS set has the New Departure stamp and it's holes are pretty nicely formed.  The bigger bearings don't have the stamp and don't have nicely formed holes again. 

The one on the right is Gramps's bike's:



Big bearings Old and New Old Stock






Popping the balls in and out of these too...  

The ND Coaster adjuster cone I bought is not exactly the same as the original.  The neck doesn't extend as far.  It's not going to make a difference since the balls still have plenty of material they are riding on.  I think this is legitimately a cost saving redesign since they were able to save a fair amount of material by making the part smaller in a way that didn't change the performance.  This will work great and is in much better condition!


----------



## Miq

Observations:

The parts I found in the New Departure hubs from this 1941 bike are not the same as some of those I located on ebay.  Maybe these are clues others can use when dating the parts in their hubs.  

Bearing Cages - have New Departure stamped in top of cage.  Ball holes are smooth and well formed.

Big Arm = Brake ND Model D
Brake Disc Count (D-278) = 23
Alternating Steel - Bronze

Longer neck on the Axle Adjusting Cone (D-7)

There's probably others but those are the parts I've seen so far...

Miq


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## Eatontkd

Aside from the interest generated in bringing back something of your Grandfather; Miq, I really appreciate the photos you post. The detail is outstanding. I have to ask, are you taking these pics with your cell phone? This has been an interesting thread, thank you.


----------



## Miq

@Eatontkd Thank you.  All the pics have been taken with my vintage iPhone6.  Years ago I bought a clip on macro lens and I use that for most of the closeups.  Last night I used my 10X loupe in front of the phone's camera lens and it worked OK with a lot of vignetting I had to crop out.  Almost every pic the phone takes needs post processing.  Crank up the brightness, crop out the kids' Legos or my foot, etc...  Makes them more useful and clear.  

Thanks for noticing.


----------



## Andrew Gorman

The clip on lenses really do a great job!  The lower quality bearing cages are probably made to match  the New Departure parts, but not made by them.  I thought I saw a W stamped somewhere, which would mean Wald who make all kinds of bike replacement parts.


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## Miq

Cleaned up the Torrington 8 pedals over the last few days.  SKPC was able to send me a right side pedal axle to replace the brazed/cut one that came with the bike.  Much thanks SKPC!!!!




Cleaned some silver spray paint off the blocks using lacquer thinner.  You need to be very careful with the thinner on the blocks since the surface of the block starts to quickly dissolve.  I got the paint off and dunked the block into a bucket of water to stop it from getting any more dissolved.  It's not as bad as it sounds if you're careful, and after some "interior spray" they look pretty good for how ratty they started.  The blocks all spin freely and so does the pedal on the crank.  These are great pedals!


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## Miq

Built up the front hub with new balls in the old cages and the NOS cones and axle.  Got the Kenda tires to seat in the rims and the wheel spins surprisingly well.


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## rustjunkie

private convo your address and i’ll send a spring tomorrow


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## GTs58

I cracked up looking at the BS on the bottle of ArmorAll. GREASE FREE FORMULA!  Who are they trying to kid!  LMAO


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## Miq

Much appreciated rustjunkie!  I got a NOS spring this week and put together the coaster yesterday.  Popped all new balls into the original cages, and reassembled my alternating oil soaked discs.














I cleaned the splot of grease on the hub.


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## Miq

GTs58 said:


> I cracked up looking at the BS on the bottle of ArmorAll. GREASE FREE FORMULA!  Who are they trying to kid!  LMAO




No kidding.  It's kind of silly right?


----------



## Miq

Put the Kenda tire and tube and spoke tape in the rear wheel too.  


Put the whole rear wheel assembly on the frame and built up the bottom bracket with all new bearings and reinstalled the chain and Miller kickstand.  The wheel spins when I crank the pedals and the coaster brake works fine (no load on it yet really) when I spin the crank backwards. 

I need to visit my buddy with wheel building tools and get the wheels/spokes sorted out.  And also still need to straighten the fork and steering tube.  Hoping that will happen this weekend at another friend's workshop. 

There are a couple of other things I want to address before I put it all together.


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## OldSkipTooth

Nice work! I would say with the effort you’ve put in and the current looks, your machine is more of a preserved OG bike than a “rat”. Your now an “expert” ! Welcome!


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## Miq

@OldSkipTooth Thanks!!  It still looks a little ratty but its starting to perform like new.


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## Miq

I know the Monogram S seat that Gramp's put on the bike is likely from the 60's.  I'm not super interested in getting an expensive prewar saddle so I'm gonna rock it for now.

I've been checking out the handlebar/grips/stem to see if I could identify them in the 1940 Parts Catalog.  All the advertising says this bike should have a "Boy Scout" handlebar.




I found that in the catalog part number 795:








The stem has the Wald stamp on it I think:



It's hard to see in the pic above but below the W is the number 3 sideways.  This corresponds to info on the 1940 catalog page with the stems.  Wald #3 is "photo" #403




Part Number 860:




I originally thought the grips were not original.  After looking at some other pics of vintage New Worlds and finding the "Black Finger Grip" Photo #422 part number 822 in the catalog.  I'm pretty sure they are original.  Wish they didn't feel like stone.





422 - Flat end with three finger ridges.


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## GTs58

I'm no expert on these models, but your stem, bars and grips seem to be the most prevalent type that I've seen on these prewar lightweights. The boy scout bars seems to be the least popular judging from what's still around today. Schwinn always stated you could equip these lightweights just about any way you wanted, at extra cost. Here's a nice original girls 41 if you haven't come across this thread yet. Probably the only one I can remember seeing with the boy scout bars.   
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/‘41-schwinn-bfg-new-world.132408/


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## Miq

@GTs58 thanks for pointing me to that thread!  I can't believe how well preserved that bike is.  Even the saddle is like new.  I hope someone is giving that bike the love it deserved.  It looks like it has been ignored for the past 78 years.   

So if the girls bike in the thread above has the "boy scout" style bars, what is the name of the more common bar style used on my Gramp's bike?  Is it just "World" handlebars?

The boy scout bars look like they make a 90 degree bend when they drop.



The more common World bars have an organic curve that looks different from every angle and changes as the bars are adjusted.  



The grips are interesting.  I see them both ways in the 1941 advertising.  
Here's the ball end grips on the boy scout bar:



But here's Rita Hayworth with her New World with the curved World bars and black finger grips:



This page shows the "World" bars called out. Grips are the ball end ones though...


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## GTs58

The bars on Gramp's bike look the same as the bars I have on my 1955 Corvette, at least the bends and rise do. I've seen some lit where Schwinn called them "latest Continental type, reversible for drop bar position", but I've been calling them Tourist.


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## rollfaster

GTs58 said:


> The bars on Gramp's bike look the same as the bars I have on my 1955 Corvette, at least the bends and rise do. I've seen some lit where Schwinn called them "latest Continental type, reversible for drop bar position", but I've been calling them Tourist.
> 
> View attachment 941558
> 
> View attachment 941559



Yep, world tourist bars!


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## Autocycleplane

You have typical Schwinn oval grips, listed as Part #7167 in the catalog above. Pretty common grips starting mid-1940.


----------



## Miq

@GTs58 @rollfaster Thanks guys!  I like the idea of calling them World Tourist handlebars, makes sense.  

@Autocycleplane Thanks for the correction.  It's not totally clear since the 7167 part number is not associates with any "photo" in the catalog.  Schwinn Oval is a fitting term.  Nice.


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## Miq

@rollfaster Do your grips feel like stone??


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## rollfaster

Miq said:


> @rollfaster Do your grips feel like stone??



Still fairly pliable.


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## rollfaster

These are too.


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## Miq

@rollfaster your black World is so nice!


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## rollfaster

Miq said:


> @rollfaster your black World is so nice!



It’s actually dark blue, and thank you..


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## Miq

@rollfaster Dark Blue is even cooler.  My bad.


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## rollfaster

Miq said:


> @rollfaster Dark Blue is even cooler.  My bad.



No worries, it does look darker in some pics.


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## Miq

Worked on the fork today.  Went to a buddy's workshop and used his wooden vice and a bench top vice with wooden jaw inserts.  As recommended here, my 3 Ton floor jack handle fit perfectly over the tube.  I had to really put some strong love into the bar to get the steering tube to move, but over a series of pushes it finally got in line.  Here's how it started.



Used another piece of wood against the leg to keep it from rotating and hitting the vice metal parts.  You can see the black jack handle we used as the lever arm.



Starting to look better:



Spent some time with a metal bar adjusting the relationship between the fork tips.  I was able to easily overbend the fork arms to get them started in the right directions.



Ended up spending the most time alternating the arms in the bench top vice with wooden jaws and cranking on the tube with the jack handle or cranking on the fork arms with a long piece square stock.  Changing the location of the jaws to help form the bend we wanted to create.  







In the end it looked pretty good to us:


----------



## Miq

My buddy has "Vinyl Sauce" at his place.  Lathered up the monogram S seat.  It really cleaned up nice and the white brightened up a lot.  The vinyl is a bit softer now and I think it liked it.





Encouraged by the saddle I figured I  would give it a whirl on the grips of stone.  It really loosened a lot of surface material and made them tacky for a while while I worked it in.  The paper towel got black but the grips looked cleaner/newer.  Now that they have absorbed for a few hours, they are still pretty stiff feeling but not so rough and stone like.  I'm pretty happy with how much better they are now.  Hard to tell from this early photo of the application.


----------



## Miq

There's a design issue with these prewar bikes that I've been thinking about how to address.  The "wire" stays that hold the mudguards were stamped in a press that formed them into the U shape and formed a hole for the mounting hardware.  This stamped hole has extremely small amounts of metal at the apex of the hole.  The hole itself concentrates the stresses from the long wire arms right to this thin metal area.  Needless to say, I can imagine I'm not the only one with some of the wire stays broken in half.  I broke one myself while cleaning the red paint off this stay. 



From what I see in the pics of bikes from the later 40's, the Schwinn designers addressed this by moving to a bent piece of flat metal instead of forming them from a round "wire".  I'm sure they are still not super robust in this new form but it's better than what you see above.

Gramps had mummified one set of stays with stainless steel wire to hold them together with a washer and nut arrangement.  Pretty whacko but it worked for decades.  One of the stays is still in one piece, but when I look carefully at it. I can see that it was brazed right at the hole at some point.  So it was broken too, years ago.  



I wanted to make something a little more slick using the 3D printer.  I took some measurements with calipers and put together a drawing of what I was thinking about.  


Worked on it in CAD for a spell and got it to look like I was hoping.  I iterated a couple of times to get a nice fitting part with a pocket for a captive nylock nut.



Converted it to a file for the 3D printer and printed them out.



Here's a look at some of the iterating I did to get it dialed in.



I'm pretty psyched with how well they fit and hold all the loose parts together.  



Bought enough stainless hardware at ACE today to equip all 3 stays.  Spray painted the stainless Nylock nuts flat black to hide the mount a little more.  Tried to keep the paint out of the threads when I was spraying them.



Installed they look pretty low key and work great.


----------



## Miq

At my buddy's shop I put some 3&1 oil on the fork tube threads and the head set cone nut and cranked it back and forth to create one or two more formed threads on the tube below where it was starting to bind.  I checked the fit with the straightened fork tube in the head tube with the dry bearings and it easily tightened down against all the balls with threads to spare.  Sweet!

Got home and opened the 5/32" ball bearing bag that came today.  Popped the balls out of the old headset cage and popped the new ones in.  Greased them up and rebuilt the head set.  Much better with a straight steering tube.    This pic shows the old cage with new shiny balls, and the old dull balls above.  The bearing at the bottom of the pic is a new one I got on line and it seems to fit perfectly in the top of the headset.





I pumped up the tires a bit more and just went for a quick ride on it for the first time in the dark.  It kicks ass really, and rolls great.  I was able to lock the rear wheel with the coaster brake no problem at high speed.    It's truly a blast to tool around on the thing and I'm surprised how solid it feels.  It's a damn nice bike for any age.  I need to keep tweaking the mudguards a bit but it is looking pretty good.  It's too dark for any good pics tonight but here's a glimpse of what it is like.  I'll take real photos in the light of day tomorrow.


----------



## Miq

Nice cool night for a ride...


----------



## rustystone2112

Miq said:


> Nice cool night for a ride...



get ready rain's a coming


----------



## Miq

Already felt a few sprinkles.


----------



## rustystone2112

Miq said:


> Already felt a few sprinkles.



we got rain forecast 24 hrs a day for the next 3 days


----------



## Miq

A few rainy day pics.  The flat light is pretty revealing.  Can't wait to ride the bike again.


----------



## Miq

Here's a photo from when I unboxed it a few weeks ago.


----------



## Miq

Pretty satisfying to look at it in working order again.  Thank you for helping me get it here.  Should be a fun ride for another 78 years or so.


----------



## Eatontkd

Miq said:


> Should be a fun ride for another 78 years or so.




Thanks for the including us on your journey and endeavor. You've restored another heirloom for future, um, Miq's!


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## Miq

Here's a pic of my Gramps in front of the "shed" he stored this bike in for over 75 years in PA.  This project has brought back a lot of great memories of him and biking and working together.  The bike will always be a reminder of him and the things he taught me about working with tools and solving problems.  


Classic Steelers cap for him.


----------



## Miq

@Eatontkd Thanks!!  My youngest son has already started turning wrenches on the bike with me.  There's hope for the future I guess...


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## Eatontkd

Excellent!


----------



## Eatontkd

As someone who's a bit nostalgic when it comes to family; I'd be tempted to keep that bike in my house!


----------



## Eric Amlie

Job well done.
You do good work!


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## Miq

@Eric Amlie Thank you!


----------



## MarkKBike

This entire thread was a joy to read, and the end result looks spectacular. I can only hope you post more of your restores in the future.


----------



## Miq

@MarkKBike Thanks Mark!  I certainly have a new appreciation for the potential in these old bikes.  I have a different eye looking out for this kind of stuff now.


----------



## GTs58

Superb job on the resurrection, great thread and your abilities are exemplary! And I really enjoyed following your rebuild.


----------



## Miq

@GTs58 Thank you GT!!  Glad to have you along for the thread!


----------



## gkeep

Great job and ongoing story. What a fun trip through the process. 

You pegged that strut problem. My teens Pierce has the same break in the back fender strut. I trapped the two piece with a wide washer layered with a leather one and it works ok but not as elegant as your solution. Hats off to you!


----------



## sam

The steer tube can be straighten, I've done so. A shop press and wood blocks would work best. But I've also used a vies and sleg hammer. Also a 1 inch I.D. brass nipple split with a hack saw also makes a good block for the vice


----------



## sam

GTs58 said:


> The steer tube threads are 1"- 24 tpi    https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-head-tube.53640/#post-317497
> 
> I haven't come across one that looks as nice as yours. lol  Hope you can clean it up and salvage the fork.
> 
> The Superior and Paramount were chomo  and I'm thinking the New Worlds were seamless steel.



I agree all New Worlds decals say seamless.


----------



## sam

Forgot to say. 41s new worlds were not fillet brazed as other schwinns, they were steel welded and body lead was used to give them the Schwinn look. If you turn the frame over you will see the weld as they didn't bother to body lead the welds at the bottom of the BB.


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## SKPC

Looks great Mike!  Back on the road again for years to come: Nice job.


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## Miq

gkeep said:


> You pegged that strut problem. My teens Pierce has the same break in the back fender strut. I trapped the two piece with a wide washer layered with a leather one and it works ok but not as elegant as your solution. Hats off to you!




Thanks gkeep!  PM me if you want more info on making some.  Still holding together well after daily rides!!


----------



## Miq

sam said:


> The steer tube can be straighten, I've done so. A shop press and wood blocks would work best. But I've also used a vies and sleg hammer. Also a 1 inch I.D. brass nipple split with a hack saw also makes a good block for the vice




Thanks Sam.  The split brass nipple idea would be nice for pressing on the non treaded parts of the tube.  I used wooden vice jaws and long hollow bar lever arms to get it straight.  You can see the pics a few pages back.


----------



## Miq

sam said:


> Forgot to say. 41s new worlds were not fillet brazed as other schwinns, they were steel welded and body lead was used to give them the Schwinn look. If you turn the frame over you will see the weld as they didn't bother to body lead the welds at the bottom of the BB.




Hi Sam, thanks for sending more pieces of the puzzle on the frame construction.  It does look fillet brazed to me.  I can imagine "body lead" could quickly give it a similar look, but wouldn't it be soft like lead?  Here's a pic of the BB.  I'm no welding expert but it looks like fillet welding to me...








Here's some bare patches on the weld on the head tube for reference.  It looks fillet welded to me too.  




How could you tell if it was body lead?

Miq


----------



## Miq

SKPC said:


> Looks great Mike!  Back on the road again for years to come: Nice job.




Thanks SKPC!  It would have been more difficult without your help.  Thanks again sir!


----------



## sam

Schwinn bicycles use brass to fillit weld the joints---except the war ear bikes (your new world) which were steel welded---See the welds are not of a yellow brass and the top finished welds are covered in that soft body led to "give" the Schwinn look. And when you used the wire wheel on those joints you really scratched them up. They can be redressed with sand paper if you want to. You can see that some brass was used on the bridge(it's yellow) but the main tubes are steel welded(silver colored)


----------



## Miq

Thank you for explaining it further Sam. I see what you mean now. So interesting all the different fabrication trade offs they made and how it evolved over time.  Thanks!


----------



## Miq

Got a prewar dog leg crank for the 41 from eBay today. The auction said it was from a ladies prewar Schwinn autocycle.  The 1940 Schwinn parts catalog I’ve been referencing mentioned that the New World bikes used the same crank as the ladies balloon bikes.  Check out the line for "photo" 215 in the One Piece Crank Sets section.







It looks very similar to the original and is the same 6.5 inches from the center of the pedal to the center of the crank.  Cleaned it up and installed it today.  Went for a late evening ride and it worked perfectly.

Here’s the new dog leg next to the “non” dog leg replacement I had been using (also 6.5”) since I got the bike running again. 







Looks right again


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## Miq

The 1960’s Monogram S saddle that Gramps put on this bike was starting to get a little too squeaky.  I haven’t really done anything to the saddle but clean it since I got the bike.  I dug around on the Cabe and got some good ideas about improving the seat and killing the noise.  I removed the vinyl outer covering and the inner foam from the seat pan.  I cleaned all the parts except the foam and dried them.


I sprayed all the places where metal touching metal could move, like where the springs hit the pan, with WD-40 Dry PTFE.  


And also sprayed the places metal tabs went through slots and all the pins connecting stuff.


I found an old closed cell foam pad in my rags bin and traced the carpet foam pad that was inside the seat.



Using our Thanksgiving turkey carving knife I shaped the foam until I got a shape close to the foam I removed from the seat. 





I kept carving until it was about the same size as the old one and fit well inside the cover.



After some vinyl spray on the Monogram S, I reassembled it and took it for a late night test ride.




There were no more sqeaky sounds and the ride was significantly improved with the new foam.    Glad I finally got this done since I have been riding so much.  A better seat will be nice.


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## GTs58

As many miles that you have logged so far I'm surprised you haven't slapped on a Brooks. These are said to be nice and bouncy but not a road biker's pick. B135, and it has that old style look.


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## Miq

@GTs58 I’ve been looking at the Brooks since I started this project. They are beautifully made, look the part, and are supposed to be comfortable, but it just wouldn’t be Grandpa’s bike. Kind of like putting lipstick on a pig.  I like how ratty the bike is.

I’ve been trying to be patient, and have been keeping my eye out for an original “Lightweight” saddle that would have been on the bike when it was sold.  The war-time Worlds mickeyc found last week had them but I’m not interested in buying a whole bike or 2 just to get the beat up saddles.



Others have said this saddle is not comfortable at all.  But really, how much worse could it be than the old compacted carpet foam version of the Monogram S seat I just rocked for over 100 miles, or my MTB seat that has NO padding?  I’d like to spend some time restoring a Lightweight saddle with good closed cell foam and new fake leather if it needed it.  Might be good enough for me.

Still looking and thinking while I ride my restored Monogram S in matching maroon...


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## Alan Brase

I think if Gramps stumbled onto a reasonably priced Brooks, Ideale, or Wrights leather saddle back in the day it would have been his favorite. I think good old ones can be found, then softened back up before riding with generous applications of leather lube of Brooks Proofide. 
My favorite would be an Ideale Daniel Rebour logo saddle. (anything that says "Daniel Rebour" is good enough for me.)  My 1940 Superior came with one of the cheesey Superior mattress saddles. Sorry, That's not gonna be good enough. 
How will you keep the bare metal from rusting? Perhaps you can apply some hard wax, then buff it out?


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## Alan Brase

BTW, thank you for the good write up and pictures. I recently bought an almost identical New World, but perhaps 1942 built. And in very incomplete form. Your photos and explaining your work will make mine easier.


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## Miq

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the saddle info. I am still learning what might make sense for my bike and keeping an eye out for something I can bring back to life.  The 60s S seat sticks out like sore sore thumb, but it’s my bike. 

Your 1942 New World sounds interesting.  You need to PM more info or just join in the discussion of these war time bikes here: War Time New Worlds. I want to add it to the list even if it is just a frame. 

Glad you are digging this thread. I was hoping people like you would bring more of these bikes back to life after seeing that it is possible to DIY.  When it is rolling, you won’t be disappointed.


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## Miq

I cleaned my chain this week and was looking closely at it.  It is a Diamond 65 1/2” pitch chain that was normal for this bike and the ND coaster hub that it was equipped with.  The chain is 104 joined links + 1 master “hear it pop” link.  Gramps added 4 extra links made by “Renold” to the chain to extend it’s length to work with the not standard 24 tooth rear sprocket that is on the bike.  Have other people run into this 24 tooth rear sprocket before?  I have not seen anyone mention this odd size (seems like 22 teeth was common).  The 24 tooth sprocket it Cad plated too.


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## Allrounderco

@Miq - I've seen so much of this bike in the "what bike did you ride today" thread, and I'm thrilled to come across this thread for the first time. I had no idea of the provenance of the bike, nor the amount of effort you invested to get it to this point. So well done!


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## SirMike1983

My experience with both American coaster and British internal gear cogs is that 24 is less common than 22, which in turn is less common than 20 or 18. They certainly made the larger cogs and the cogs were an option, but they seem to have been much less common than an 18 or 20.

24 would give you quite low gearing, even if you have a 48 front sprocket. It would be really, really low with a front 46. But if you are just concerned about getting uphill, and you coast coming back down, it's something you might do. On the three speeds, Sturmey advised not going lower than 2:1 (front to back).


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## Miq

@Blackbomber Thanks!  I’ve had a lot of fun getting here.

@SirMike1983 Thanks for adding that info.  I figured they were not as common. The bike was ridden in the steep rolling hills (they say “mountains” back east) of Pennsylvania, so Gramps geared it down to 52/24 = 2.17. It pedals great on the AZ flats even with this low gearing. My legs do have to spin a little fast when it’s zooming though


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## Miq

Wash and Wax Beauty Shots today:
















I hardly ever post pics of the kickstand side of my bike.  Chainguard to the camera is the traditional way.  I think seeing the mechanics is sexy too...  Miller 3 piece kick, Big Arm = Brake ND, bottom bracket body lead fillets, second year rear dropouts...why not??






This is about as clean as this alley rat ever gets, and it won’t stay this way long on the dusty canal.


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## Miq

I have been doing a 2000 mile tune up over the past few days.  Last night I replaced a couple of broken spokes on the rear hub.

The S-6 rim and New Departure Model D coaster combo uses the same length spoke on both sides of the wheel.  I was able to measure an old spoke that broke right at the J-bend at 290mm.  I ordered some Chinese carbon steel spokes from Amazon in black to blend in better with the other original rusty spokes. 



The 36 hole wheel/hub was laced using the common cross 3 pattern.  Getting the replacement spokes inserted in the hub is harder than it looks even with the slot in the sprocket.    You have to be able to rotate the spoke freely once the J-bend reaches the hole in the hub.  Slight bending of the spoke is necessary as you guide it into place, but I was careful not to kink the spoke.  Over two under one...



The new spokes look a little thicker than the originals but they threaded perfectly with the old nipples.  Correct length even when tight.





I mounted the bare wheel on the bike and trued it using the “popsicle taped to the frame” method.  The wheel was already pretty true so it didn’t take a lot of adjustments.  

The spoke tape that came with the Kenda tires I ordered on line was too narrow for the S-6 rims offset spoke nipples.  I had already made correct width tape using a blown out Chinese inner tube cut to the correct width/length when I replaced the tape in the front wheel a few months ago.  I finally got a chance to install the new tape in this wheel since it was apart. 



The combo of correct spoke tape width - Goodyear 26” x 1-3/8” Bicycle Inner Tubes - and Kenda K-23 tires has proven to be pretty durable this summer.  You get what you pay for with tubes and tape.  The Goodyear tubes are WAY better than the Chinese tubes that came with the online Kenda tire package.  The tires seat easier and stay inflated longer since I’ve started using them.


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## Allrounderco

One of my favorite bikes on the Cabe - even without the great back story. Love that it’s getting so much attention from you!


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## Miq

Thanks BlkB!!  It's a personal treasure and I want to keep riding it for thousands of miles to come.  I hope other people will take the time to get these lightweight diamond frame bikes rolling too.  Worth it IMHO, especially since they are so affordable when they need a little love.


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## rollfaster

Easy to love these pre and early Postwar Schwinn Lightweights!


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## Miq

^^^^Love your NW!!^^^^  Stealth Bike looks ready for night time operations


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## Miq

Pedal clean and re-ball pics from my tune up. Torrington 8 








Not much different than when I cleaned them up in Jan.



The balls are 3/16” diameter.  There are 7 balls per cage, 2 cages per pedal, two pedals on the crank = 28 balls to replace after scrubbing the empty cages.  






Greased them and reassembled.  The part you actually have to concentrate on is when you tighten the cone and lock nut.  Like all the cone - caged ball - cup arrangements in a bike, you need to pay attention when you lock it in place.  It’s really easy to tighten the nut down against the cone slightly too much as you seat everything.  It’s a game of very slightly pre-loosening the assembly, then tightening it down to the right spot.  You shouldn’t be able to move the axle in and out of the assembly, but it shouldn’t feel tight and bound up either.  It doesn’t take that many tries with the small blade screw driver adjusting the cone and cinching down the nut to get it right.  But if you don’t screw with it a little, I bet it won’t be smooth and as sealed as it can be.


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## Alan Brase

Now good for another 75 years? What's the green solvent?


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## rollfaster

Looks like Simple Green? I love your passion in keeping the memory alive of your Grandpa with his machine, he would be so proud the way you ride and take care of it!


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## rollfaster

Miq said:


> @GTs58 I’ve been looking at the Brooks since I started this project. They are beautifully made, look the part, and are supposed to be comfortable, but it just wouldn’t be Grandpa’s bike. Kind of like putting lipstick on a pig.  I like how ratty the bike is.
> 
> I’ve been trying to be patient, and have been keeping my eye out for an original “Lightweight” saddle that would have been on the bike when it was sold.  The war-time Worlds mickeyc found last week had them but I’m not interested in buying a whole bike or 2 just to get the beat up saddles.View attachment 978707
> Others have said this saddle is not comfortable at all.  But really, how much worse could it be than the old compacted carpet foam version of the Monogram S seat I just rocked for over 100 miles, or my MTB seat that has NO padding?  I’d like to spend some time restoring a Lightweight saddle with good closed cell foam and new fake leather if it needed it.  Might be good enough for me.
> 
> Still looking and thinking while I ride my restored Monogram S in matching maroon...



The original saddle for my dark red 53 is like this one, it looked cool but like said horribly uncomfortable. It was switched out for a very comfortable Brooks B-72. Still have the original on my parts shelf’s though.


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## Miq

@Alan Brase - Rollfaster nailed it with Simple Green.  I'm pretty sure the bike will wear me out before I wear it out.  

@rollfaster I'm keeping my hopes up that I can find a crusty men’s Mesinger B6 that I can afford and can make comfortable.  They are out there.  We'll see...


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## Miq

TROXEL TRANFORM IN TWENTY SEVEN

I won a “Prewar Messinger Long Spring Saddle” on eBay this week and it came in the mail yesterday around 3PM.  I kicked off the weekend a little early and started transforming the rusty cobweb infested kootie saddle.  Once I tore into it, I realized it was actually a 1930s Troxel Long Spring.  Nice too, really nice.






First trip through cleanup.



Reassembled and went for a ride last night on the bare metal pan.  It was super comfy.    That was a really good sign.  



Broke it down again this morning and attacked the yellow over-spray paint.  It was a formidable foe.  I put a lot of love into the carriage using paint thinner, wire toothbrush, and steel wool.  It always does wonders.


The ‘tornado” springs were looking a little short on altitude.  More like a southwest dirt devil.  Last night I could feel the pan flopping when I unweighted it.  It made clacking noises too.  I’m not cool with that.
I threw a figure 8 stopper knot on the end of some rope and made a figure 8 on a bight for a foot loop.  I hung the spring from a sky chair hook we have on the porch and put a little weight on the spring to stretch it a little.  The moccasin insured I didn’t put too much weight on it.  









Peened out some of the stuff I didn’t like at the nose of the pan and around the side where it must have crashed a little.


Painted the top of the saddle to try to stop it from rusting further and preserve it as long as possible, as well as give the adhesive a clean layer to bond to.




Time to recover...


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## Miq

After visiting a couple of upholstery shops in Tempe and two fabric stores looking for closed cell foam.  I finally just repeated what had worked for restoring the maroon Monogram S seat Gramps threw on the bike when he wore the 41 equipped seat (whatever that was??) out.  Just use a stadium pad or knee board.  When I was out in Tempe looking for automotive upholstery shops I ran into a very cool cat named Richard who runs an upholstery/custom fab shop.  He showed my some of the custom long fat tire bikes he makes and sells on line.  He is a very creative and cool guy that helped me figure out how to attack the saddle recover.  Sadly I couldn’t invest in more than a few minutes of his time despite how fair his rates are, but his tips and ideas were key to making this work today. Check out this rear trailing link suspension bike he designed and fabs.  He puts 1000W electric motors in both hubs too!!



Big Vintage Bicycle
He has a bunch of other neat bikes on that site.

Along with the closed cell foam knee board, Ace also had the contact cement that will have the best chance of actually making the leather stay put over time.

I sketched out the basic placement then spay adhesived the foam onto the top of the saddle being careful to start in the center.  I had read @the tinker ’s thread on quick saddle refurbing and had PM’d @piercer_99 about it when he hooked me up with the leather.  I’m following the basic steps but adding my own ideas.








This kind of foam is a serious pain to work with.  It doesn’t cut easily and it keeps wanting to spring back to flat, but it is SOO SOFT and CUSHY.  I put contact cement around the edges and kept pressing it together.






Scissors (kitchen shears) and a brand new blade in the razor knife helped shape the foam into a realistic shape.  Shears were key.




Time for leather....


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## Miq

@piercer_99 had sent me some sweet black leather he reclaimed from a bank executive’s high roller chair and it was perfect for this recover.  It has some inherent wrinkles and a natural worn look that is perfect for this rat bike application. Much thanks!
I spray glued the foam top after lining the leather up on the seat and then wrapping it around my hand and wrist as I grabbed the nose of the saddle.  This kept the leather lined up how I wanted it when I stared to place it on the dried glue covered foam.  It’s important to try to work from the center of the seat in the fold of the pan out to the edge to keep it as tight to the foam as possible.  It’s really a mess to be honest, and it is almost impossible for a beginner to get it as perfect as they want.  You are trying to take flat leather that was intended for a chair and conform it to a complex multi-dimension curved object.  Good luck getting that perfect with out some steam stretching leather know how. ??  







Now the fun begins with contact cement, clamps, and wedges cut out of the leather.  You need to stretch the leather as you work in different sections, trying hard to keep it as smooth as possible.  It sounds easy but it takes a ton of time and trial and error BEFORE you slather with contact cement.  




The nose of the saddle is especially difficult because a ton of material needs to be stretched into a small, very tight, cupped area.

When I see the seats that @rustjunkie  or @STRADALITE lovingly restore and ones that Bob U has sold, I’m blown away at how nicely done the edges are.  Smooth and perfect.  I tried hard, but I’m not even in the same ballpark, and not having a “pinch pan” makes it harder.  I still love it and think it looks perfect on my alley rat.  It doesn’t suck, and I don’t mind your critical vintage bike eye seeing it.


One of the great ideas Richard had at the shop was to make a flap for the back that would cover the back of the pan.  When you get it mounted on the seat post, you can see some of the folded up underside of the back of the pan.  He said he would stitch and bind the back edge.  It would have been sick and looked great.  I did an easier and not as nicely crafted version using some of the bound edging on the leather.  I glued the stitched edge right up against the bottom rim of the pan.  This covered a bunch of the leather ears I had made and gave it a much better look.  It also covers where the suspension bar touches the pan.  This will keep that point quiet as the bar moves around.  Same deal, clamps and razor and time before you glue.



I marked out where the bolts needed to pass through the leather and punched them.  Needed to use the HDPE block.  Wooden block just mushed the leather and never cut.:eek:









Its cheap and dirty, but you glue it all down and carefully make slices with a new part of the razor knife in the ares where the leather overlaps itself.  You then remove the loose pieces and the two pieces that are left will line up perfectly (theoretically) .  I rolled a cheesy edge on the pieces and glued them down.  Yes I see it not perfectly straight.  Ughhhh!  Beginner mistakes rushing and wanting to ride as the storm rolls in.  If you’re looking that far under my butt when you see me, you get what you deserve. 






I made a little nose cone cover and glued it in place .  There’s a wrinkly mess under there.


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## Miq

Another thing I noticed last night when the seat got unloaded, was the tab on the frame rattled a little in the wire Y shaped nose spring piece.  I spray glued a little leather tab at this interface.  I hope it lasts for a while.  It was dead quiet on the ride tonight.








I sprayed some TriFlo PTFE lube on the parts of the frame/springs that touch.  I wiped it all down before I put it on the clean leather.  It is starting to look legit.


Sprayed leather conditioner on it and wiped all the little adhesive residues off.  I love it wrinkles and all!!






Kooties to Killer in Twenty Seven

Tonight on my sunset ride, it felt like sitting on Grampa’s Leather Recliner going 18 mph.  Unreal the comfort compared to any other bike seat I’ve owned on any bike.  Worth the sweating on my 106 degree porch today.  This thing will be sweet for decades I imagine.  Time to ride it more and find out.


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## GTs58

X10! Perfect! 

And I'm sure Gramps would've stamped it Gramps Approved.


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## Miq

Some better next day pics.


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## Miq




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## sam

new worlds were seamless tubing but not chromoly. (superiors and paramount were cro-mo) You can straighten the bent steer tube. Use blocks of wood and a vice. I think all Schwinn (USA)cranks interchange but you will need to pay attention  to the dogleg or offset to clear the chainguard.And it would be best to change out the top headset cone as it's scored(you can get by but it will eat the barrings)


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## Miq

@sam I think you may have missed some of the follow up posts I made in the 10 pages after the initial post.   I’ve been working on making it a solid rider and have put over 2000 miles on it since Jan.  Great usable bike!


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## Miq

Troxel Before and After Comparison Pics    ………………………………………………   (I love the cobwebs)


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## Miq

When Gramp’s replaced the rear sprocket with a 24 tooth one, he needed to add 4 Renold brand links to the stock Diamond 1/2” x 1/8” roller chain.  He came up with a strange bolt and nut arrangement to create a master pin that joined one end of the additional links.  There’s always been some strange behavior, when I push relatively hard on the cranks, as this section of the chain engages or disengages with both the front and rear sprockets.  It feels like a small step in the smooth rotation of crank and can make a small noise if I push hard.

Additionally, the nut and bolt’s head were quite a bit wider than the regular chain links.  This meant that even a small misalignment in the hockey stick chain guard resulted in a tapping noise as the nut nicked the chain guard.

I bought a Diamond snap link on eBay and it arrived today.  The packaging that the snap link came in is neat but wrong for these parts.  Someone penciled in the correct size.  








I cleaned and lubed the chain, and used a Dremel to grind off the head of the pin at the end of the extra Renold brand links.  I replaced these plates and pin with the Diamond snap link.









You can see how it will fit together now.  Two Diamond “Hear It Snap” master links with 3 Renold links between them:




There is still an offset link (like a half inner plate and half outer plate link all in one) at the far right side of this pic:


This is at one end of the Diamond 65 chain.  This is the only “different” link in the chain and I can still slightly feel this differently shaped link.  Maybe the roller doesn’t move right.  ???

The whole chain is quite a bit better feeling than with the worn bolt/nut pin and is very quiet.  With the thin-ish S-6 wheels/tires pumped up and a tail wind tonight, it was nearly silent, even with the cranks spinning.





It’s starting to seem like most of the issues with the bike are worked out.  It’s now DAMN close to this 1941 Catalog pic ...only 78 years of love and use later.  






Should be riding and maintenance from now on.  My Rat Rod Bike is done.   

Like a true Rat Rod it’s almost no “Show” and all “Go”.  It rides like a leather recliner strapped to an arrow.  Comfy and fast.  

Catch me if you can...


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## Alan Brase

Well done. Keep at it till you have it right! This gets me thinking about my own. I've got a 1942, that I bought for a bargain basement price on Ebay, getting only the frame fork and front and rear fenders. the seller had sold off the good stuff. (Probably mentioned this here, before. Like yours it is different badged New World. Either BF Goodrich or Excelsior, I'd guess.)
New Worlds seemed to have more different ways of being equipped than most Schwinns. So, even though mine came with 1" pitch blackout chainwheel  and crank, I guess I feel I can pretty well equip it with most anything and be happy riding it. My first adult bike was a 1954 Traveler with a 3 speed. so I might build this as a tribute, with 3 speed or even 4 speed S-A. 
I guess what I'm getting at is what crank and chainwheel I should look for. Then  I gotta think about wheels. 
And paint. Are original 1942 decals available?
WRT the headbadge, I am also undecided. I guess, with all the Schwinn brands, I could badge it as something that never left the Chicago factory.


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## Miq

@Alan Brase 

42 would have a prewar dog leg ladies crank. 6.5” offset. Part number was 502. Sprockets are up to you. There were many parts available for these prewar bikes as you mentioned. Decide what you want to try and can find. 

No idea about decals but I imagine someone has that stuff. Start your quest and a thread on your New World!  You won’t be disappointed.


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## Alan Brase

Thanks. I wonder why they went to the shorter crank? Lower bottom bracket, maybe? Or maybe they figured it was so light riders didn't need the extra leverage? Pictures of parts sold before I bought it showed my bike had a black painted skip tooth chain wheel. Seems the skip tooth would be more problems. 
Now I think of it, I've been wrenching on bikes since about age 11, 1960. In that time, I NEVER  had a skip tooth chain bike. Of course the 1954 Traveler was 1/2" pitch and it was my main bicycle. 
I guess the skip tooth chainwheel is prettier.


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## SirMike1983

The reason I've always seen given was the lower bottom bracket. The beauty now is that the shorter crank is cheaper to buy than the longer crank because the big-ticket men's ballooners usually take the longer crank. 

The New World had a ton of variation. Even the pre-war bikes with the 502 crank can come with a standard pitch sprocket - version with the four peg holes. You see a mix of standard pitch and inch-pitch variations with the one-piece crank. And even the post-war bikes can come with inch-pitch. And that's just the one-piece cranks. There was so much choice the buyer had with these bikes - it's a shame they didn't catch on more.

And as much cachet as inch-pitch has in the vintage bike world, my preference is 1/2 inch pitch for parts availability, smoothness, and quiet running.


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## Miq

@SirMike1983 Nice!  I still catch a pedal every few weeks even with the 502 crank.   That BB is low and coaster brake foot positioning in turns is slowly getting to be second nature now...  

Loving my 1/2”x1/8” chain now that its clean and smooth with the new master link.  Less wear in the parts when you use 1/2” compared to inch pitch too.  Its spread over more area.


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## Miq

*How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Kenda K23?*






About 3000 miles of skidding stops and off road adventures.  The thorn proof liner I added last year has been saving my tube the last couple of short rides.  :eek:   My duct tape outside patch didn’t last long. 

New Kenda K23 went on this morning.  Seated the first try. 



Time for another 3k miles of fun!


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## GTs58

You're living on the edge riding on tires that were that worn! lmao


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## 3-speeder

Ridden not hidden!


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## Miq

3-speeder said:


> Ridden not hidden!




For sure, and it will wear me out, long before I wear it out.


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## Balloonoob

Miq said:


> *How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Kenda K23?*
> 
> View attachment 1144625
> 
> About 3000 miles of skidding stops and off road adventures.  The thorn proof liner I added last year has been saving my tube the last couple of short rides.  :eek:   My duct tape outside patch didn’t last long.
> 
> New Kenda K23 went on this morning.  Seated the first try.
> View attachment 1144626
> Time for another 3k miles of fun!



Roll that thing through the desert for another round of tires and enjoy every minute.  You're blessed to have your grandpa's old bike. I'm sure he's thrilled.  Keep on pushing!


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## Miq

I got a New World saddle from @whizzer1 yesterday and cleaned it up today.  Turned out perfect for my rat.

Before:







After:













Test ride in the hood.  




It's not nearly as plush as the Troxel long spring I had on it before, but it looks like an original New World.






Gonna put some miles on it and see how it feels...


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## piercer_99

now you need another bike for your other saddle.

 

looks good @Miq


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## jimbo53

I just got a 1941 New World! Your build log is very inspirational and your detailed descriptions with photos are almost a manual for me to take mine from Rags to Riches. One good thing is I don't have any paint to strip off and it looks like all the original parts are there, right down to the Mesinger saddle you added at the end. The serial number info was very helpful. I thought mine was a 39 or 40 but with a serial # of H07717 mine is definitely a 1941. I did luck into a pair of NOS Uniroyal Tourist 26 x 1.375 tires. I've rebuilt a bunch of ND mod D hubs which are to me he gold standard in coaster hubs for ease of service and dependability. I'll flip the bars in their correct orientation. Not sure if they were original but they sure look cool flipped. Happy riding!


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## Miq

Thanks for the note @jimbo53!  Looks like another sweet 41 New World you have put back on the road. Your black beauty is identical to mine but in much better condition. I’m sure you will love riding it on those USA made tires.  These bikes are great.


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