# 1940's Shelby Traveler Input??



## Antney (Jan 10, 2010)

Hello, I'm new to this so I thought I would ask for some simple advice. I purchased the bike in the pictures last summer, I'm in the process pf restoring it now. The question I have is...should I leave the bike the original colors or can I change it without killing the value? I know in the collector car world it really depends on the vehicle and whether or not you refinish it in a color that was available on that particular car, does this apply to the bike hobby? Thanks for any input...Tony

Also, can someone give me an idea of the exact date of this bike??


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## jwm (Jan 10, 2010)

Someone passed this bit of wisdom on to me: It's only original once.
IMHO- Your best bet would be to keep the paint that is on the bike (provided, of course that the paint is original). Clean it carefully, W-D40 & 000 steel wool for the chrome, grease it up, and learn to love the small imperfections that time and wear have given the bike. They are part of its history, and personality. It looks like it's darn near all original as it is. I'm sure that someone here who knows about Shelbys  will have some feedback on the bike. Good luck

JWM


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## blasterracing (Jan 10, 2010)

*Shelby Traveler*



Antney said:


> Hello, I'm new to this so I thought I would ask for some simple advice. I purchased the bike in the pictures last summer, I'm in the process pf restoring it now. The question I have is...should I leave the bike the original colors or can I change it without killing the value? I know in the collector car world it really depends on the vehicle and whether or not you refinish it in a color that was available on that particular car, does this apply to the bike hobby? Thanks for any input...Tony
> 
> Also, can someone give me an idea of the exact date of this bike??




To possibly find the date, look at the bottom of the housing for the pedal crank.  If it has an aluminum plate with no. folowed by a 2 digit number on it, that is the year.  If it has a bunch of numbers stamped directly into the housing, it is virtually impossible to tell the year by that.  My guess is that it is an early 50's Shelby.
Everyone has opinions on whether changing the color ruins the value.  It depends really on who you sell it to.  Someone that is after factory type stuff with not be interested, while others that like hot type stuff may be more interested in a variation of colors.  It is really a lot like the car hobby.  The colors that are on that Shelby are an original color combination, so odds are it is original.

Good Luck,

Tim Newmeyer 
B'laster Racing
Shelby, Ohio


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## Antney (Jan 10, 2010)

Looks like it is a 1951 model, What paint is on it is blistered and flakey, someone painted the fender tip, lots of surface rust, it came from Pennsylvania so the chrome parts are rough. If this is like the car biz...nobody wants a rusty car either. I think the best thing to do here is keep it the original colors, I bet it will be a beautiful bike with new paint, I've already spent a small fortune on chrome work...


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## Freqman1 (Jan 10, 2010)

I agree with JWM on this one. You would be surprised how well this bike will probably clean up. While I'm relatively new to bikes I have been into cars for a long time and can tell you that bikes and cars are two different things. Here's why; on a car you usually have a trim tag and the VIN and between the two you can normally tell the model, build date, exterior color, interior color, trim levels, and other options. A bicycle, on the other hand, normally only has a serial number and depending on the manufacturer you may be lucky to determine the year and not much else. That is why to me I prefer original paint bikes. As an example I can take any Schwinn cantilever frame from 1949-1959, paint the frame like a Phantom put the Phantom pieces on it and no one can ever say for sure whether it was a real Phantom or not. Another factor is the cost to truly restore a bike. Paint, chrome, cad plating, seat restoration, and other stuff can easily set you back $1000-1500--most bikes do not justify this kind of investment. Just my 2c but like JWM said they're only original once and I enjoy the character of the nicks, dents, scratches, and rust! v/r Shawn



blasterracing said:


> To possibly find the date, look at the bottom of the housing for the pedal crank.  If it has an aluminum plate with no. folowed by a 2 digit number on it, that is the year.  If it has a bunch of numbers stamped directly into the housing, it is virtually impossible to tell the year by that.  My guess is that it is an early 50's Shelby.
> Everyone has opinions on whether changing the color ruins the value.  It depends really on who you sell it to.  Someone that is after factory type stuff with not be interested, while others that like hot type stuff may be more interested in a variation of colors.  It is really a lot like the car hobby.  The colors that are on that Shelby are an original color combination, so odds are it is original.
> 
> Good Luck,
> ...


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## pedal alley (Jan 10, 2010)

jwm said:


> Someone passed this bit of wisdom on to me: It's only original once.
> IMHO- Your best bet would be to keep the paint that is on the bike (provided, of course that the paint is original). Clean it carefully, W-D40 & 000 steel wool for the chrome, grease it up, and learn to love the small imperfections that time and wear have given the bike. They are part of its history, and personality. It looks like it's darn near all original as it is. I'm sure that someone here who knows about Shelbys  will have some feedback on the bike. Good luc
> 
> JWM




patina is a good thing.
 just clean the bike,
and keep it original.


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## blasterracing (Jan 10, 2010)

*Shelby Traveler*

Guess I am outnumbered on this one.  Maybe the bike can be cleaned up and look really nice, and if so, that is great!  I have just seen too many "original" bikes that look like they belong in a scrap yard somewhere.  For me, they just don't serve a purpose that way.  Just as the rest of you have said, it is just my opinion though.  I had a bunch of original Shelby's for years, but I was afraid to take them to too many shows and ride them too much because something might happen to them.  It just wasn't fun for me that way.  
Whatever you decide to do, I am sure it will be great either way.

Tim


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## Strings-n-Spokes (Jan 11, 2010)

I like a rusty ride  Don't get me wrong, I am far prouder, and hold closer to my heart the bikes that have alot of shiny original paint.  My advice would be to clean the remaining paint with polishing compound being careful to keep it off the bare metal if possible as it will turn whitish.  If it does, no big deal, as this will go away with a waxing.

Crome polish is amazing stuff, but it can also turn bare metal white but that can be fixed with some WD

It is at least worth giving it a shot.  I would be hesitant to do a repaint on a bike that hasn't been rattle canned or repainted already


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## old hotrod (Jan 11, 2010)

It is your bike and in the end, you should do what will make you happy...but understand that by restoring (even changing color), you will spend money that you may not get back and you will narrow the potential market for the bike in the future. If you plan on keeping it a while, then then the cost can be spread out over the miles-and smiles, and it is less of an issue.
For me, I have an appreciation for original paint, whether it is a classic car or bike. Typically, I do not like restored bikes (and there are always exceptions of course) and can spot them a mile away...colors look too bright, too shiny, pin stripes too perfect, chrome too perfect...etc...and some bikes, once restored, begin to look like their imported bretheren and get lost in the bike rack while there is never a doubt that an old bike with old paint is, well, old. 
But that is just my opinion and you need to decide for yourself. I do not believe that if you are going to paint it, that changing the color will affect the "value" in any way as long as you stay with a factory color sheme...which creates another problem, how do you determine the correct color scheme for a 60 year old bike when all samples are faded and all print lit is muted and no good color pictures?


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## eazywind (Jan 11, 2010)

*I need truss rods and triple delta rear light in 9+ chrome*

I have that exact bike and need the truss rods and rear triple delta light ( chrome, not painted, I know Memory lane has the painted ones ) in 9+ condition. Marc

http://www.easywind2.com/images/shel1.JPG


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## jawon (Jan 13, 2010)

blasterracing said:


> To possibly find the date, look at the bottom of the housing for the pedal crank.  If it has an aluminum plate with no. folowed by a 2 digit number on it, that is the year.  If it has a bunch of numbers stamped directly into the housing, it is virtually impossible to tell the year by that.




So did the stamping stop and the aluminum plate with "no." start in a certain year? So for a Shelby with just numbers stamped, you could at least guess it was before that year? If so, what would that year be?


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## JOEL (Jan 14, 2010)

If your plan is to keep it, do what you like and enjoy it. If you plan to sell it, do as little as possible to make it look as good as possible.


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## blasterracing (Jan 14, 2010)

*Shelby*



jawon said:


> So did the stamping stop and the aluminum plate with "no." start in a certain year? So for a Shelby with just numbers stamped, you could at least guess it was before that year? If so, what would that year be?




I have never seen an aluminum tag before 1948, so 1949 is my guess for the 1st year of the aluminum tag.  It is honestly hard to pinpoint things like this for sure though.  Growing up and still living in Shelby, I have had many opportunities to speak with a lot of former employees.  I have been told many stories of them using whatever parts they could find laying around to finish a bike.  These parts could have been from many years before.  This is what makes pinpointing the years of Shelby bikes so difficult in my opinion.

TIM


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## eazywind (Jan 14, 2010)

*I have a NO 49 aluminum tag bike*

This bike has an aluminum tag with NO. 49, then a serial number on this bike. Thought it was a 50 since that is the only catalog I saw that had this bike. Glad to know it is earlier. Must be the first year for that front light.

http://www.easywind2.com/50shelby.html


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## BIKE AT THE MOON! (Jan 14, 2010)

*pictures?*

Have any pictures of the Shelby after cleaning?


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