# Crusty Western Flyer



## Lance Vangraham (May 6, 2017)

Next project is this western flyer. Not sure on a year for it. Also forgot to get a pic of the serial number. Can anyone tell me a year on it with out serial number? Planning on cleaning it up and polishing rust away. And then sell it, but I always seem to keep them after I'm done hahaha. Thanks guys!


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## Adamtinkerer (May 7, 2017)

60s Huffy built, w/a Schwinn chain ring, and newer seat. First digit of serial is the year. '5H12345' would be a '65.


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## Lance Vangraham (May 7, 2017)

Thank you for the info!


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## partsguy (May 10, 2017)

The fork is also not original either.


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## Lance Vangraham (May 11, 2017)

This one will be a fairly quick project and I'll be selling it as a "bar bike". Going to try clr on that rust and see if the og paint comes back to life


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## Lance Vangraham (May 11, 2017)

Got it in the shop tonight. Soaking it down with penetrant. Took a few more pictures, crank hits the frame a tiny bit, so I may change that out for a diff one. Super light so I am thinking it will make a great bar bike for someone. Here are a few more pics.


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## partsguy (May 17, 2017)

Lance Vangraham said:


> Got it in the shop tonight. Soaking it down with penetrant. Took a few more pictures, crank hits the frame a tiny bit, so I may change that out for a diff one. Super light so I am thinking it will make a great bar bike for someone. Here are a few more pics.
> 
> View attachment 465508
> 
> ...




 What is a "bar bike"?

I MIGHT have a spare crank for this exact style of Huffy. I will have to check when I get home Friday night though.


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## Lance Vangraham (May 18, 2017)

partsguy said:


> What is a "bar bike"?
> 
> I MIGHT have a spare crank for this exact style of Huffy. I will have to check when I get home Friday night though.



 A bar bike is a bike that would be used as transportation when you go bar hopping. I got the crank set in good working g order and cleaned up now. Thanks though!


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## Lance Vangraham (May 18, 2017)

Here is an update on my progress. Waiting on tires to show up and that's about it. There was chrome under that rust!


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## partsguy (May 18, 2017)

Looking good man!!

Thanks for the info too!


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## Oilit (May 18, 2017)

partsguy said:


> The fork is also not original either.



The fork is not original? The patina matches (I was going to say "paint" but thought better of it), so I would have never guessed. What's the tip-off?


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## Lance Vangraham (May 18, 2017)

Oilit said:


> The fork is not original? The patina matches (I was going to say "paint" but thought better of it), so I would have never guessed. What's the tip-off?



Some one painted this bike, so that's why it matches color wise. Not sure on how to tell the difference of what was stock for this guy. I will be waxing the paint so it shines a bit, I have already steel wool and wd40'd the frame.


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## Scribble (May 19, 2017)

That cleaned up beautifully !!


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## Lance Vangraham (May 19, 2017)

Scribble said:


> That cleaned up beautifully !!



thanks! still more to do but its coming along!


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## Lance Vangraham (May 29, 2017)

Finally got it all finished up. Came out great and it rides amazing. Hate to sell it but it's up for sale. Need to move on to the next one now.


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## Lance Vangraham (Jun 1, 2017)

Sold and in to it's new home.


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## partsguy (Jun 2, 2017)

Lance Vangraham said:


> Sold and in to it's new home.




AWESOME! Now go find and save another!


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## partsguy (Jun 2, 2017)

I need to show you how my rat rod started out. Man, it was a rusted, broken, and bashed POS and now it's badass!


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## Lance Vangraham (Jun 2, 2017)

partsguy said:


> AWESOME! Now go find and save another!



I have 40 bikes right now. Next resurrection is a 61 Schwinn co-ed already sold just gotta restore it.


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## Lance Vangraham (Jun 2, 2017)

partsguy said:


> I need to show you how my rat rod started out. Man, it was a rusted, broken, and bashed POS and now it's badass!



I'd love to see it!


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## partsguy (Jun 2, 2017)

Lance Vangraham said:


> I'd love to see it!




Here it is before. A spray-painted and high-mileage 1966 Huffy Silver Jet. When I got it, the headlight, rear rack and rear fender were gone too. Both wheels were junk and beyond all hope. The crank was bent, the seat tube had seperated from the bottom bracket and was sloppily repaired before. The fork was slightly bent, the offset hole for the chain ring was worn out, and the bearings shot all around.

Took me a while to build it. Once I found out it was a Silver Jet and restoration would be in the thousands, I wasn't sure what to do. The bare metal rat rods in the 2012 ZZ Top music video for "I Gotsta Get Paid" gave me inspiration.

The bike was cleaned and stripped to bare metal. What was left of the chrome was polished. Michelin Country Rock tires, a hub shiner made from a vintage two-stone shiner strap and a Spaceliner reflector, vintage decals, Spaceliner grips, ratty pedals, and 1960's baseball card in the spokes. The frame bullets were painted Limelight Green, a color used on 1970s Chrysler muscle cars.

I'll be adding to it this year hopefully. A different seat, shorten the rear fender, add a springer, and maybe go with a multi-speed of some kind. But, my Radiobikes come first. Only if I have time.







*MUSIC!!








 

After emblems were rechromed at work, and bullets and baseball card added:



 

*


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## Lance Vangraham (Jun 2, 2017)

partsguy said:


> Here it is before. A spray-painted and high-mileage 1966 Huffy Silver Jet. When I got it, the headlight, rear rack and rear fender were gone too. Both wheels were junk and beyond all hope. The crank was bent, the seat tube had seperated from the bottom bracket and was sloppily repaired before. The fork was slightly bent, the offset hole for the chain ring was worn out, and the bearings shot all around.
> 
> Took me a while to build it. Once I found out it was a Silver Jet and restoration would be in the thousands, I wasn't sure what to do. The bare metal rat rods in the 2012 ZZ Top music video for "I Gotsta Get Paid" gave me inspiration.
> 
> ...



That came out amazing! Good job! I love the ratty bikes. It's fun to take a old rusty hunk of metal and make it a rider again!


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## partsguy (Jun 2, 2017)

Lance Vangraham said:


> That came out amazing! Good job! I love the ratty bikes. It's fun to take a old rusty hunk of metal and make it a rider again!




I think those kinds of builds are the most rewarding. Most of my bikes were not on their "death bed" when I got them. This certainly was. Anyone else would have crushed it for recycling. I finished up a '69 Huffy Camaro and a '76 Roadmaster 10 speed. Both were worn out. I turned a good profit on the Camaro. The roadbike not so much, the buyer is picking it up at the Fairborn swap meet tomorrow morning. It is an awesome feeling 'tho, to ride that which was dead. The first ride gives me a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Here is the Roadmster: http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/before-and-after-wow.108511/#post-712554
Here is the Camaro: http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/69-huffy-gets-a-second-chance.83847/

The lady who bought the Camaro fell in love at first sight. That is why I love this hobby.


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## partsguy (Jun 2, 2017)

Another one...

'65 Huffy Silver Jet. The headlight was tied on with chicken wire. The tank was gutted. I tracked down original bars and put the original grips on them. jd56 found a mint original rack with the tail light and all the trim to match the bike. I fixed and touched up the chainguard, and replaced the foil chrome trim. The entire bike was taken apart for an extremely thorough, nut and bolt cleaning. The undersides of the fenders were cleaned and clear coated to prevent future rust.

The bike was a garage sale left over in a small town just north of me. The original seat (on the ground) was in the box of junk under a table. The undercarriage was broken in half, I found a donor seat at Links n' Kinks and swapped it over after repainting it and drilling the holes for the crash rail studs.









Here he is today, and is one of my favorites! I even found a 1965 license plate to match!


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## Lance Vangraham (Jun 2, 2017)

partsguy said:


> Another one...
> 
> '65 Huffy Silver Jet. The headlight was tied on with chicken wire. The tank was gutted. I tracked down original bars and put the original grips on them. jd56 found a mint original rack with the tail light and all the trim to match the bike. I fixed and touched up the chainguard, and replaced the foil chrome trim. The entire bike was taken apart for an extremely thorough, nut and bolt cleaning. The undersides of the fenders were cleaned and clear coated to prevent future rust.
> 
> ...



You do some amazing work sir!


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## Lance Vangraham (Jun 2, 2017)

partsguy said:


> I think those kinds of builds are the most rewarding. Most of my bikes were not on their "death bed" when I got them. This certainly was. Anyone else would have crushed it for recycling. I finished up a '69 Huffy Camaro and a '76 Roadmaster 10 speed. Both were worn out. I turned a good profit on the Camaro. The roadbike not so much, the buyer is picking it up at the Fairborn swap meet tomorrow morning. It is an awesome feeling 'tho, to ride that which was dead. The first ride gives me a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
> 
> Here is the Roadmster: http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/before-and-after-wow.108511/#post-712554
> Here is the Camaro: http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/69-huffy-gets-a-second-chance.83847/
> ...



I also agree that these kind of builds are the most rewarding. I recently received did a ratty Schwinn varsity ladies bike, and the lady who bought it loved it. She didn't even try to haggle on price. There is a thread in the Schwinn light weights section on here you can see the progress. I'm on my phone and don't know how to tag the link in here.


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