# Rusty, Crusty, Cool



## scrubbinrims (Sep 13, 2013)

A friend and "brother of the wheel" called me over this past weekend with a recent find (I have been in search of a model in the super streamline class actively) and we came to a good deal on this '38 Firestone Fleetwood Supreme.
Made the journey for pickup last evening.
It is borderline restoration and missing a key part in the chain guard, but I do have the generic feather guard listed in the Firestone catalog as a placeholder.
I took some pics this morning before I start a sympathetic restoration and I do have the components other than that ribbed short guard to get it together and presentable.
Black is one of the more forgiving colors, so we will see how things turn out and I will update the thread as I go....I am in no hurry for professional restoration since I don't have it complete.
Really excited about this one!
Chris


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## bricycle (Sep 13, 2013)

I LOVE the bloated, cracked grips.... reminds me of cauliflower


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## bikesnbuses (Sep 13, 2013)

F***ing A W E S O M E !!!NOW Im jealous! Nice score!!!


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## bricycle (Sep 13, 2013)

bikesnbuses said:


> F***ing A W E S O M E !!!NOW Im jealous! Nice score!!!




you couldn't say that on RR bikes....


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## bikesnbuses (Sep 13, 2013)

bricycle said:


> you couldn't say that on RR bikes....




F*** em'...THAT bikes the cats meow!  Thats the kinda bike that makes me loose sleep...Thanks Chris!!


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## Oldnut (Sep 13, 2013)

*Huffman*

Killer find most parts should be easy except for the guard great bike


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## dfa242 (Sep 13, 2013)

Cool find Chris - good for you!
 ('Course, if you were a little more patient, Scott could have just made you one...)


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## willswares1220 (Sep 13, 2013)

It's amazing how that original tank survived intact after all these years!


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## slick (Sep 13, 2013)

Wow that's a great looking banana seat on there! Oh wait, that's just the rack.  Just messin with you out of jealousy buddy. Great bike. Leave it crusty. They are much more fun that way. No need to worry about scratches, and the best part.....wait for it................you can't even tell when it's dirty! 

I love my crusty snaptank Colson. I haven't washed it or cleaned it since i got it.


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## videoranger (Sep 14, 2013)

Love the styling on the Fleetwood Supreme. The long tang and swept back frame is  "Supreme". Extra nice to find in such good condition. Looks like it's found a good home. Congrats!


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## scrubbinrims (Sep 14, 2013)

Thanks for the comments guys.
This thread has a decent amount of views and I thought an original Fleetwood Supreme would have drawn more feedback...maybe Huffman mania has reached its peak and on the decline.
I should have created a new user account and launched this as a fresh barn find outside of the hobby, woulda been fun. 

Cleanup is revealing respectable frame/fork paint, the fenders don't have a dent or tear in them (neither does the tank) but only a little greater than 50% paint.

This bike is calling out for whitewall tires, but I only have one set available...do I break the seal...are they too nice?
Probably best for a shiny Spangler type of bicycle, but it's what I got.






Chris


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## kingfish254 (Sep 14, 2013)

That tank (and the whole bike) are sweet!
Nice score!


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## ZOOK (Sep 15, 2013)

Those bikes do have some clean lines.


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## ZOOK (Sep 15, 2013)

I too can hear those whitewalls crying out!


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## scrubbinrims (Sep 15, 2013)

Updated pics all cleaned up attached.
Most likely will keep and appreciate it as is...maybe more Firestone 37-38 streamline frames/paint pattern than any other in this class of Huffmans, yet few and far between *unrestored* copies around.
Chris












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## slick (Sep 15, 2013)

The bike came out great Chris. I love it as is. Original is better in my opinion. Great job.


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## RJWess (Sep 15, 2013)

Wow the bike came out great. What did you use to remove the surface rust?


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## scrubbinrims (Sep 15, 2013)

RJWess said:


> Wow the bike came out great. What did you use to remove the surface rust?




This bike was barn fresh so I went over it with a finishing scuff pad initially so not to have ferrous slop, then 0000 steel wool and a rust remover called whink (not at big home improvement stores, but local hardware), finished with a couple of gun oil rubs.
Chris


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## fatbike (Sep 15, 2013)

That is a nice find. Sure looks really close to this find in 2007 but with stainless fenders.http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showth...leetwood&highlight=1937+Firestone+streamliner


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## cyclingday (Sep 15, 2013)

That's a super nice find Chris.
 It's pretty ironic, that after all of the dealing we did over that 3 rib chainguard last Spring, that you would end up with a similar patina bike that just happened to be missing the chainguard.
 I picked up an original paint 39 Firestone Twin Flex awhile back, and guess what? It's also missing the 3 rib chainguard.
 There must be a bicycle graveyard somewhere, and it's full of Firestone 3 rib chainguards. Those things must have sucked bad, because almost every og. Firestone is missing its chainguard.
 If someone out there in TV land has one of those guards to sell, do yourself a huge favor and throw it on e-bay and let it ride, because there's a bunch of us out here, that are desperately looking for them.

 I've almost come to the conclusion, that since it is so common for those bikes to be missing their chainguards, that an original patina bike looks better without the guard, than to put an aftermarket place holder on it. 
 Afterall, the early Bluebirds never had a guard, and nobody misses them on those bikes.


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## Freqman1 (Sep 16, 2013)

Looking good Chris! Regarding the guards. I think part of the problem is how close the crank is to the guard. It only takes a small tweak before the guard gets into the crank. Same as with the mesh guards and they are even more fragile than the three rib. While the mesh guards have now been reproduced it would be nice to see someone do a few three ribs but I don't know if you could cover ROI becuase I see the market as being maybe 10-15 max. V/r Shawn


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## scrubbinrims (Sep 16, 2013)

Thanks, I am pretty happy with how it all turned out and not down about the missing guard and having sold one a few months back in the color I need (which funded my twinflex along with the other bits pulled from the restoration queue).
I was talking to Sam Fitzsimmons about it and he said in order to find a rare part you need, you have to get rid of the bicycle you need it for (or vice-versa)...how true.

Not sure if I am going to keep the aftermarket guard on it, but it isn't that many degrees of separation wrong being in the Firestone catalog that year.
There is still a lot to appreciate for what is there and the frame is art.

I wonder who has the best known original 37-38 Fleetwood Supreme?  I'd like to see it as there are not many examples in cyberspace.

Chris


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## ohdeebee (Sep 16, 2013)

I've owned two of the 3-rib guards in the past couple of years. Both had rear braces that were no longer attached. The weld that attaches that wimpy brace to the guard seems to be the culprit.


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## cyclingday (Sep 16, 2013)

I agree, on the cheesey little spot weld, being the demise of these guards. Once that broke loose, it was off to the trash bin.

 In my opinion, the best original is the Alan Schmit 1937 Seafog/foam green one. Even though, there's been some repaint, it is the best looking one that I've seen pictures of.

I'm sure there's a near mint one in hiding out there somewhere, but until that one shows up, my vote is for Alans bike.


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## Freqman1 (Sep 16, 2013)

cyclingday said:


> I agree, on the cheesey little spot weld, being the demise of these guards. Once that broke loose, it was off to the trash bin.
> 
> In my opinion, the best original is the Alan Schmit 1937 Seafog/foam green one. Even though, there's been some repaint, it is the best looking one that I've seen pictures of.
> 
> I'm sure there's a near mint one in hiding out there somewhere, but until that one shows up, my vote is for Alans bike.




I'll second the motion for Alan's bike until someone shows me something better. V/r Shawn


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