# Green Hornet



## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 4, 2017)

I ended up with this unusual colored Hornet from my BFF CABER @ZE52414. Took it all the way apart, soaked hubs, bearings-pretty much everything metal. Still have to clean spokes and nipples. Started piecing it back together. Looks yellowish in the pics, it was getting dark.


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## ZE52414 (Dec 4, 2017)

Dude looking killer!! Can't wait to see it all together.


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## ZE52414 (Dec 5, 2017)

Well??? Can we see more yet


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 5, 2017)

ZE52414 said:


> Well??? Can we see more yet



After today I’m off til the weekend so I’ll get more done.


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## rollfaster (Dec 5, 2017)

Looking pretty sweet!


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## Kickstand3 (Dec 5, 2017)

rusty.kirkpatrick said:


> I ended up with this unusual colored Hornet from my BFF CABER @ZE52414. Took it all the way apart, soaked hubs, bearings-pretty much everything metal. Still have to clean spokes and nipples. Started piecing it back together. Looks yellowish in the pics, it was getting dark.
> 
> View attachment 719026View attachment 719027View attachment 719028View attachment 719029



This is going to be GOOD


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## Saving Tempest (Dec 5, 2017)

Sorta like THIS but not very good in the quarter mile...


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 5, 2017)

Saving Tempest said:


> Sorta like THIS but not very good in the quarter mile...



Nice!


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## Saving Tempest (Dec 5, 2017)

I've never forgiven a kid who tore a black color Demon with white trim to shreds in a head on collision with a Chrysler minivan...he was fleeing the police and if not for the airbags the elderly couple in the van would have died. He was stupid in more ways than two. He spent a long while in jail and was drunk or on something at the time.


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## Saving Tempest (Dec 5, 2017)

Kato never had one of these...have to feel for him there.


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 6, 2017)

Got a little more progress done, finished the fenders and the tedious, not so glamorous job of nipple and spoke cleaning. It’s 38 degrees over here today, yesterday I didn’t even need a jacket. I don’t know how y’all up North do the long Winters. Anyway, straightened and hammered a few tiny dents out as best as I could, but didn’t get any close up after shots. Here’s before though,






Braces were a bit crudded up.


 

 

Before and after of my nips. Usually soak the nipples, then use an old spoke and polish one by one on a wire wheel. Takes the plating off and turns em goldish, but I can live with it.

 

Not sure if anyone has a better way of cleaning spokes, but I’ve been soaking them, then cleaning em one by one with steel wool and WD40. 

 

Spokes before and after.

 



One wheel done.

 

I love painted wheels. Gonna lace up the front tonight.



Done for today.


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## Cowboy in NC (Dec 6, 2017)

Get `em "Kato" Kirkpatrick !!!-------------Cowboy
`Looking Sharp !!!


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 6, 2017)

Cowboy in NC said:


> Get `em "Kato" Kirkpatrick !!!-------------Cowboy
> `Looking Sharp !!!



Somebody gotta fill me in, who’s Kato?


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## Cowboy in NC (Dec 6, 2017)

rusty.kirkpatrick said:


> Somebody gotta fill me in, who’s Kato?



Kato was the Green Hornet`s sidekick  from first the Comic Book, then Movies, and the Green Hornet TV Series of the 1960s.
Bruce Lee starred as "Kato". I never realized how much You remind me of him... Get` em Rusty !!!------Cowboy


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 6, 2017)

Cowboy in NC said:


> Kato was the Green Hornet`s sidekick  from first the Comic Book, then Movies, and the Green Hornet TV Series of the 1960s.
> Bruce Lee starred as "Kato". I never realized how much You remind me of him... Get` em Rusty !!!------Cowboy



Haha, I see now. Thanks for clearing that up.


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## Scribble (Dec 6, 2017)

Nice bike love the color, how to you get the old spokes and nipples to come apart? When ever I try and true or disassemble old wheels the spokes are alway rusted/stuck in place.


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## island schwinn (Dec 7, 2017)

Now I know who ended up with the bike.I was next in line if the deal didn't go through.the 3 day wait was torture,but glad it's in such capable hands.


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## Kickstand3 (Dec 7, 2017)

rusty.kirkpatrick said:


> Somebody gotta fill me in, who’s Kato?



Bruce Lee


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 7, 2017)

Scribble said:


> Nice bike love the color, how to you get the old spokes and nipples to come apart? When ever I try and true or disassemble old wheels the spokes are alway rusted/stuck in place.



These weren’t too tough, they weren’t rusted just crusty. If I’m having trouble, I WD40 each nipple from both sides. If they’re really stuck, a mix of acetone and transmission fluid. Found that tip on here and it worked like a charm. If that don’t work then chop em off. Also, it’s easier when you use an actual spoke wrench instead of just a screwdriver and pliers like I used to do.


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 7, 2017)

Had another productive day off. Got both wheels laced and trued up and tires mounted. Was debating on getting new tires, but the old Typhoons cleaned up pretty good. 



 

 

 



Also installed chain and rack but no pictures yet.


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## ZE52414 (Dec 7, 2017)

Looking great rusty!


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## Jeff54 (Dec 8, 2017)

digging those colors! What year is that?


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 8, 2017)

Jeff54 said:


> digging those colors! What year is that?



Thanks, I believe ‘52 or ‘53, it has an “A” serial # that shows up twice.


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## Shawn Michael (Dec 8, 2017)

That is looking sharp. Wheel rebuilding is an art I haven't been willing to tackle yet. Great work there.
-Shawn


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## Phattiremike (Dec 8, 2017)

Great looking bike, killer color combo and a fantastic job bringing it back!


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## gkeep (Dec 8, 2017)

That's a beauty! Is the serial number on the drop out, post 52? That is going to be a serious head turner going down the road!

When I was working on my teens Pierce I thought I was going to break all the spokes due to rust and crust. I hit them all once of twice a day with liquid wrench for about a week and then warmed them up a bit with a heat gun. Before using the spoke wrench I went around with a nail set and tack hammer and gave the end of each spoke a couple taps. I was able to get them all turning and trued the rims with only one broken spoke. The one that broke had an area where the rust was half way through, it was a goner anyway.

Gary


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 9, 2017)

Shawn Michael said:


> That is looking sharp. Wheel rebuilding is an art I haven't been willing to tackle yet. Great work there.
> -Shawn





Shawn Michael said:


> That is looking sharp. Wheel rebuilding is an art I haven't been willing to tackle yet. Great work there.
> -Shawn



I avoided it for a while, but it’s definitely easier to clean the rims, spokes and nipples separately. I learned a lot from this post from @militarymonark 
http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=413&page=2
Also from different videos on YouTube. It gets easier after about 10 wheels lol.


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 9, 2017)

gkeep said:


> That's a beauty! Is the serial number on the drop out, post 52? That is going to be a serious head turner going down the road!
> 
> When I was working on my teens Pierce I thought I was going to break all the spokes due to rust and crust. I hit them all once of twice a day with liquid wrench for about a week and then warmed them up a bit with a heat gun. Before using the spoke wrench I went around with a nail set and tack hammer and gave the end of each spoke a couple taps. I was able to get them all turning and trued the rims with only one broken spoke. The one that broke had an area where the rust was half way through, it was a goner anyway.
> 
> Gary



Must be a ‘53 then, number’s on the dropout. Good that you got to reuse the spokes, I try to reuse everything also, unless it’s totally trash.


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## 30thtbird (Dec 9, 2017)

Beautiful bike. Great work.


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## GTs58 (Dec 9, 2017)

rusty.kirkpatrick said:


> Must be a ‘53 then, number’s on the dropout. Good that you got to reuse the spokes, I try to reuse everything also, unless it’s totally trash.



I'm not sure why some think that the 52 numbers were on the BB and not the dropout.

Nice job on clean up!


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## Saving Tempest (Dec 9, 2017)

Shawn Michael said:


> That is looking sharp. Wheel rebuilding is an art I haven't been willing to tackle yet. Great work there.
> -Shawn





I'm not ready for it right now either but I can use a pair from my hornet of DX chromed replacements from Sun if I need to, cold setting to work on my Rollfast ballooner Beryl. And the rims, tires and fenders from that DX project Frank71 parted should be here around Tuesday.


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## mfhemi1969 (Dec 10, 2017)

rusty.kirkpatrick said:


> Got a little more progress done, finished the fenders and the tedious, not so glamorous job of nipple and spoke cleaning. It’s 38 degrees over here today, yesterday I didn’t even need a jacket. I don’t know how y’all up North do the long Winters. Anyway, straightened and hammered a few tiny dents out as best as I could, but didn’t get any close up after shots. Here’s before though,
> 
> View attachment 720497
> 
> ...



Looking real nice! Love the colors...


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 11, 2017)

Got the pedals done and installed. Blocks were pretty chewed up. I try to only replace something if absolutely necessary, so I replaced the blocks with some I had on hand. Bike is now complete.


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## rusty.kirkpatrick (Dec 11, 2017)

Finished product moved to Schwinn forum.

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/green-hornet-complete.122478/


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## stik70 (May 25, 2018)

Very nice!


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