# Colson built Firestone Super Cruiser is coming together nicely!



## hcdsign (Dec 19, 2011)

After about a year of collecting, i finally have enough correct parts to have her dressed in the correct tin, and standing on her own 2 wheels.  Shes not perfect, and some parts are place takers for now, but at least i can ride it!!  still looking for the correct pedals and grips to match the patina of the bike, used, but not used up, if you know what i mean

Any input on how I can tint the rear fender/rack/headlight to match the rest of the paint patina?  I was thinking Old English furiture polish/stain may darken things up to match nicely

A big THANK YOU goes out to Jason & George over at Broken Spoke Bike Studio here in Manitowoc WI for helping me get this far!!  Thanks for letting me bend your ear & get the much needed input on getting this project going.



Thank you, Howie.


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## frankster41 (Dec 19, 2011)

*nice*

The headlight looks good on the front fender. Frankster41


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## jpromo (Dec 19, 2011)

I love the headlight too. That's also probably my favorite looking springer. It's one you don't see every day of the week  beautiful bike


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## Nickinator (Dec 19, 2011)

One of my favorite bicycles is the (bullnose) always have loved them, awesome bike.

Nick.


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## popawheelie (Dec 19, 2011)

*What a great bike*

I've always wanted one of those too. Glad to see it coming along, getting more air blown in it's lungs. Great job, you lucky collector.

Mike


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## 37fleetwood (Dec 19, 2011)

Great bike, and looking good!
now you need to get your little helper a cool ride and get out there and ride them!!!


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## OldRider (Dec 19, 2011)

I love those Colson Bullnosers, one of the best looking vintage ballooners in my book.  Don't you dare blast and paint it!!


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## hcdsign (Dec 19, 2011)

I attached another photo of the FSC from the front, showing off franks headlight he sold me.  Also attached a picture of my little guys project / ride.  I think its a columbia frame, but i bought a mish-mash of parts off of a girls bike to finish it as a balooner, even has pre-war wheels (skip-tooth).  I dont have alot of money in it, and dont want to either, that way he can ride it without me hovering, and telling him to be careful.

Yes, thats also a early 50's Shelby Supreme in the back along with the FSC.  The Shelby is pretty rough, but the wife isnt into the old bike thing anyway.  a mechanical restore & some tires, not to metion a healthy dose of rust remover on the fenders, and it will be all good.  That is back burner as i recently picked up a 1960 schwinn for her as well.

As far as the FSC goes, i wouldnt touch anything.  The bike came from a guy i work with, it was his dads bike, and full of history.  There was a dent in the tank that he pointed out to me that happened when they took a big crash & knocked his front teeth out. OUCH!!  I was able to remove 98% of the dent with a body hammer, but it will always be there as a reminder of past history.  Who knows what other stories different scratches & dents can tell.

I am also a firm believer that if you want a shiney bike, you shoud just go buy a new one,  Save the old ones for us who love the history!
Yeah, as you can see i like the crusty stuff!!

Thanks for the positive input!!
Howie.


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## hcdsign (Dec 19, 2011)

There was some interest in the springer.  I purchased this colson cushioner to complete the fork on my bike. (all of the rockers & bushings were missing at the bottom of the fork)  it seemed to be a shame to let the rest of the fork go to waste, so i had a freind of mine who has a small shop reverse engineer the parts i needed.  So now I have the correct vintage parts on my bike, and this complete, all be it quite crusty & toasty cushioner fork with the remanufactured pivots & bushings.  The complete fork has been apart, down to the rubber torsion pack  The head tube is AFU & will be replaced as well.

Is there any kind of market to try and sell this thing??  The fork it self is rusty, and as stated the hardware is custom made but identical to OEM.  Not sure if I am going to sell it, but the right price may change my mind.

Thanks, Howie.


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## 55tbird (Dec 20, 2011)

*Looks great!!*

Howie, Glad to see you got that bike back on the road. Looks great!!   I may have an interest in that springer if you decide to sell.  Thanks! Mike


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## hcdsign (Dec 20, 2011)

Mike, i am thinking in the $175-$200 range, now that everything was apart, descaled of heavy rust, moving freely, and complete.  I probablly have 5-6hrs in tear down & cleaning alone.  Let me know.


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## 55tbird (Dec 20, 2011)

*pm sent*

Thanks!  Mike


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## npence (Dec 20, 2011)

These are some awesome bikes that seem not to get the attention they need in the hobby for only making this bike one year in 41 and selling for nearly $50 New there cant be many out there. Im working on Two myself and also have 2 ladies Cruiser models in the works. Your bike looks great and ride the heck out it.


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## hcdsign (Dec 30, 2011)

Just fitted the FSC with some new shoes for christmas...  New-used vintage correct Firestone tires, and hopefully some new-used grips will grace the handlebars 2morow.

By the way thanks to all who inquired, but the parts fork was sold to the 1st bidder, who was the previous owner. 

Thanks, Howie.


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## Vintagebikenut (Jan 19, 2012)

*Cushioner Drop Out Help*

Hey Howie,

I could use some help. I purchased a mens and womens set of colson clippers.  The mens has a cushioner front end but I ran into the same problem as you did with no front drop outs!! I spent many hours on the net trying to find info on them with no luck only hard to see pics. I saw your post and it looks like you nailed it.  They look great.  I have posted some pics of what I came up with.  So far they are close but not correct.  If there is any way you could shoot me some dimensions, even if they are rough dimensions, of the front drop outs I would greatly appreciate it.  I am so close and refuse to quit now.  I could not fit all the pics on one post so I will send the rest on another reply.


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## Vintagebikenut (Jan 19, 2012)

*Cushioner Drop Out Help*

Here's the rest of the pics.


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## hcdsign (Jan 20, 2012)

Thanks, my reproductions were an exact knock off of the original cast pc.  As far as the bushings go, they are hardend, while the pivot is soft.  So i flame hardened all of the bushings to stay as tru to stock as possible.  I see that you had one side of your fork assembled, it looks to be wrong, as to the way mine was set up.  The fine thread bolt is threaded thru from the inside of the fork, which you have.  But then the pivot is placed & the bushing is placed thru it with the hex to the outside.  The bushing with the hex head will tighten up on the fork, allowing the pivot to move freely.  Then for the wheel mount there is the smaller button bushing which also is a slip fit to the pivot.  the small wheel mount bushing will also be slightly taller than the pivot, so that the wheel axle will tighten up on the bushing, not on the pivot.

Attached are some pictures of how my fork is assembled, any questions please ask.  As far as dimension, i believe that all items had about a .005 slip fit.  I made the wheel bushing to match the same diameter as the mount bushing, and the head was made just small enough to clear the step in the pivot.  

I will try to find my chicken scratching hand drawn prin that these were made from.  If i cant find it i can pull the bike out of storage & measure some stuff up.

Hope this helps a little until then.

Howie.


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## Vintagebikenut (Jan 21, 2012)

*Colson dropouts*

Hey Howie,

Thanks for getting back to me I really appreciate it. If you ever get a chance to get a closer look at them I'am really  interested in the over all length and center to center of the holes  and maybe the size of the offset. Are they made of one piece or two piece's welded together to create the step I see on them. I saw in a earlier post you my be interested in selling the bike. If so I'am interested. Thanks again!!


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## hcdsign (Jan 21, 2012)

You got lucky my friend!!!!  I found my chicken scratch print I had drawn up to re-make these, in my tool box, hopefully the picture will not degrade too bad when posted.  The dimensions are from the original 1939 pcs, except for the small wheel bushing, that was made for fit & from visual reference from the truss rod.  There are some locations that are double dimensioned because i put my fork together with the original parts, before the new ones were made. (i didnt want to leave anything out)  The dimensions highlighted in blue are the critical, all others are reference  The original pivot was one pc, made from cast steel or iron.  Like i said earlier, both bushings are hardened, while the pivot i made was machined out of regular CRS.  I had to file my parts for slip fit once attached to the fork because the fork was not square.

if you need clarification on anything please let me know, and good luck!!  If you cant read the print, I could make a CAD drawing if needed

Howie.


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## Vintagebikenut (Jan 22, 2012)

*Cushioner dropouts*

Howie,


Thanks for all your help you went over and above. I will keep you posted on the progress if things work out I think I will make a couple of extra sets for others that run into the same problem. It's nice to have such a cool front end but s**k's when you need parts.


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## hcdsign (Jan 23, 2012)

Not a problem, just using my engineering background to pass it forward.  Just like the seasoned collectors helped me get started with the dos & donts of the hobby.  i forgot to mention it before, but the FSC is not for sale, it too much of an oddball to get rid of.  not to mention the style is super cool.

maybe you can help me out, i am looking for a drop stand for my 1939 elgin toolbox tank bike, and possibly a head light as well.  It doesnt have to be perfect, and the dropstand could be a repop as I plan on doing a mechanical restore only.  The plan is to remove all of the black spray bomb off if possible.  If it ends up to be too much missing paint, i will repaint, but still make it look like its 73 years old, to match the rest of the patina


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## scrubbinrims (Feb 5, 2012)

Howie,
In looking over your FSC after some intimate knowlege working on mine over the weekend and referencing the scans Nate has provided of the 41 Firestone catalogue, are you aware that this model did not have a dropstand?
Under the delta rear refector there are holes for a clip as well as drop out tangs/holes in the frame to accomodate a dropstand, but it must have been a transition period without modifying the frame...curious did you get your rear fender and dropstand separately?
Mine came with a Miller kickstand with a flat square securing plate.
Chris


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## hcdsign (Feb 6, 2012)

Chris, that was an awesome catch!!.  the frame had the holes & ears for the drop stand so that is how i put it back together.  I had the opertunity to talk with the gentleman who purchased this bike new, earlier today, and he stated that it must have had a side stand, because the bike leaned really far to the side & he worried about it tipping over.  

His parents were farmers & he bought the bike to go between the 2 farms the family owned.  I take it they were well off as farmers buying a high end bike like this.

Again great catch, i will have to find a Miller stand!!
Howie.


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