# Spaceliner Restoration



## kenspaceliners (Feb 4, 2014)

I've got a Deluxe tank forward Spaceliner, I'm getting ready to put it back together. I would like to make it as close to original as possible. 
Here are some questions I've come up with.
1 Should this bike have the rims with M.O.MfG.CO. engraved in the rims, or should they be plain?
2 I have a woman's tank, what color should the tank be painted for a mens bike? 
3 I'm missing the battery box for the rack, does the chrome rack use a different battery box than the painted racks?
4 I have original tires, the white walls have some mildew on the white, can it be removed or what are my options for       cleaning up these old tires?
5 Is it normal for the tank halves not pull up tight? See picture. 
6 What should I use to remove the turquoise paint on the tank?  

Thanks for all the help.
Kenny


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## BrentP (Feb 5, 2014)

Hi Kenny.  I haven't worked on any of the 66-68 Spaceliners, so I can't answer most of your questions but I can give you the benefit of my experience when it comes to cleaning up the Allstate whitewalls.

Step 1:  To get rid of the mildew, I give them a good cleaning with a brush and spray cleaner that contains bleach (like Fantastik with Bleach).  That should get rid of all the mildew as well as most of any other marks.  For tough marks I use citrus hand cleaner, with pumice, if needed.

Step 2:  I apply a couple of good coatings of John Deere Ultra Guard tire & rubber preservative.  This stuff is amazing, and I've been using it on all my rubber parts since I first read about it in a post by videoranger HERE.

Step 3:  After the Ultra Guard treatment has been completely absorbed, I wash the tires to remove any residual surface coating and then dress the tire to make it look brand new again.  For that, I use Kiwi Sport Shoe Whitener (it has a built-in applicator that works perfectly).  After the first coat dries I will apply a second coat if the tires were really yellowed or discolored.  Once it has completely dried, you can reapply the Ultra Guard preservative at your discretion in the future to maintain the condition of the rubber.

Here's a photo showing two of my Spaceliner Allstate tires, one before treatment and the other following treatment.


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## kenspaceliners (Feb 5, 2014)

Wow Brent you made me a believer.


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## jd56 (Feb 7, 2014)

*Ahhhh.... a nice 7bar!!*

Nice Kenny, very nice.

I too have not had the pleasure of having a 7bar to work on or even inspect closly.
But here is what answers I can give regarding your questions:

1 Should this bike have the rims with M.O.MfG.CO. engraved in the rims, or should they be plain? 
A: Yes I believe the rims should be MO stamped

 2 I have a woman's tank, what color should the tank be painted for a mens bike? 
A: The mens tank is flamboyant red. But these are plastic tanks and may not be painted.





1966  Sears Christmas catalog





 3 I'm missing the battery box for the rack, does the chrome rack use a different battery box than the painted racks?
A: The battery trays should be the same for all racks like yours, painted or chromed. I haven't ever had my hands on one to inspect though.

 4 I have original tires, the white walls have some mildew on the white, can it be removed or what are my options for cleaning up these old tires?
A: Seems Brent has the solution to this question....nice work Brent!!

 5 Is it normal for the tank halves not pull up tight? See picture.
A: Not sure of the tight fit but, what I have surmised is that the halves should fit tightly together. I do know that there was a black or chrome trimmed molding strip used on the forward top half of the tank that houses the battery tray. There are dowel line up pins to fit the halves together...just can't find a good reference picture of the top of the tank.
Here is a picture of the underside of a girls tank showing the line up pins to join the two halves together.





And a top view





 6 What should I use to remove the turquoise paint on the tank? 
A: Because these are plastic tanks I would guess the color is in the plastic, not paint.....but, I could be wrong.


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## kenspaceliners (Feb 8, 2014)

Thanks John for the information. I'm pretty sure the tanks were molded in white.  Both the girls and the boys tanks are white where the paint has been scratched off.
Kenny


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## Mikeeebikey (Feb 9, 2014)

*beautiful*

You guys have beautiful liners, Mikeee want.....


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Feb 9, 2014)

I have two spaceliners both boys frames.One is the forward thrust frame and the other is the more commom style.Both are complete except tanks.Are the boys and girls forward tanks interchangeable.


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## BrentP (Feb 11, 2014)

HIGGINSFOREVER said:


> I have two spaceliners both boys frames.One is the forward thrust frame and the other is the more commom style.Both are complete except tanks.Are the boys and girls forward tanks interchangeable.




They aren't interchangeable on the 1964-65 straight tank models.  I'm not sure about the 66-68 forward thrust models.


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## Andrew Gorman (Feb 11, 2014)

For taking paint off of plastic I usually use easy off oven cleaner- spray the heck out of the part, put it in a plastic bag and wait overnight,  Or find a cleaner/degreaser like Purple Power or SuperClean that contains butoxyethanol.  You'll have to check the MSDS to make sure, and soak the part overnight.  FOr both of these you will have to do some scrubbing to get the last of it off.  For a bike tank, though, I'd just scuff sand the existing paint and paint over it.


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## BrentP (Feb 12, 2014)

Andrew Gorman said:


> For a bike tank, though, I'd just scuff sand the existing paint and paint over it.




I agree with this.  I'd be very concerned about the effects of any kind of paint remover on the plastic of the tank.  The last thing you want is a 'melt down'.  Just give it a light sand to make sure everything is smooth and that you'll have a good bond, then spray the red over the blue.


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Feb 12, 2014)

BrentP said:


> They aren't interchangeable on the 1964-65 straight tank models.  I'm not sure about the 66-68 forward thrust models.




Thanks, it is the forward thrust tanks for the boy and girls bike that I am concerned about.If they are interchangeable I have a better chance of finding one


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## kenspaceliners (Feb 12, 2014)

The tanks are the same, but the chrome instrument panel is different between the boys and the girls. If you notice my picture the instrument panel had to be cut out to clear the top bars on the boys bike. It sill looks nice but I would like to find a boys panel to replace it with. My tank has a gap but it's because the pins are loose in the holes. I'm going to put some tape around the pins to tighten up the holes.
Kenny




A boys instrument panel has a lip around the hole.


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## kenspaceliners (Feb 12, 2014)

The reason I wanted to strip the tank, is if it happens to get scratched, I don't want the turquoise color to show that's  a dead give away  it started out as a girls tank.
Kenny


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## kenspaceliners (Feb 23, 2014)

Made a little progress on the Spaceliner today. I went with the rims with M.O.MFG.CO. engraved on the rims. From all the pictures I've found the Spaceliners with the 7 tank had the engraved rims. What I don't understand is the rear rim has a Komet hub instead of a Bendix red line hub, once I get the bike sorted out I'll switch the rear hubs. Tires are original Allstate tires.


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## jd56 (Feb 24, 2014)

Looking good Kenny. Actually I have seen many later models with that Komet rear hu. So its not incorrect.....imo

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## BrentP (Feb 24, 2014)

Looking nice, Kenny.  You're going to have a real beauty when you're done.


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## kenspaceliners (Feb 24, 2014)

Thanks guys for the great comments. I'm planning on working on it again this weekend, get the rear tire centered in the fender, get the chain cut, and a good detailing, maybe get the tank scuffed and ready for paint.
Everything hinges on how I make out on my first sky trip tomorrow, hopefully I'll come back in the same condition I went. 
Kenny


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## Andrew Gorman (Mar 1, 2014)

This is the potion that model making folks use to strip the paint off of plastic-styrene/ABS kits:
http://www.micromark.com/easy-lift-...keting&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=14WS013R


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## kenspaceliners (Mar 1, 2014)

Thanks Andrew, I'll see if my hobby shop carries it, if not I'll just order from your link.
Kenny


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## kenspaceliners (Mar 10, 2014)

It's coming along, the rear fender and rack has been aligned, rear rim centered in fender opening. 
Is there any way to align the front tire in the fender, it's way off and I don't see any way to correct it.
Thanks, Kenny


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## BrentP (Mar 11, 2014)

kenspaceliners said:


> Is there any way to align the front tire in the fender, it's way off and I don't see any way to correct it.
> Thanks, Kenny




Hi Kenny.  It sounds like you just need to adjust the bearing cones on the axle in whichever direction is appropriate.

She's looking beautiful.  It will be a real showpiece when you're done.  The only thing it's missing is the correct padded seat.  What you have on yours is the version from the '64-'65 Deluxe model.  If you decide to swap it off for the correct one, let me know because I'm looking for a good condition '64-'65 seat.

Here's the correct version.


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## kenspaceliners (Mar 12, 2014)

Brent was the original seat a Troxel or a Parsons? I have a Parsons seat I got from JD56. 
The deluxe seat on my Spaceliner was bought for my deluxe Flightliner, I put the seat on my Spaceliner so it wouldn't get damaged, since I do ride the Flightliner. 
I still need to find a battery box for the chrome rack, it's different from the one used on the painted racks.
Kenny


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Mar 12, 2014)

*Skinny looking tires*

Has anyone tried putting the 26x2.125 tires on a spaceliner frame.I just cant get used to those skinny looking 26X175 tires.


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## BrentP (Mar 12, 2014)

kenspaceliners said:


> Brent was the original seat a Troxel or a Parsons? I have a Parsons seat I got from JD56.




I've always assumed they were Troxel seats on all the Spaceliners, but I've never been able to get a close look at a '66-'68 seat to look at the branding.  You should message someone on the forum who has one, and ask.  It seems like there's lots of them around.

Did you get the wheel alignment sorted out?


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## kenspaceliners (Mar 13, 2014)

The front wheel is centered in the fender from side to side. But when you look at the tire from the side the fender doesn't maintain the the same radius around the tire. After doing a little research I've found other Spaceliners with the springer forks with the same issue.
Kenny


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## BrentP (Mar 14, 2014)

Ahhh... okay.  I thought you were talking about lateral centering.

Can you send me a high res pic of the front fork and linkage?  I want to take a close look at it to see if there's anything funky there,  but the pic you posted isn't high enough resolution.  Is the fender the original that came with the bike, or did you source it from something else?


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## BrentP (Mar 14, 2014)

deleted double post


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## jd56 (Mar 14, 2014)

HIGGINSFOREVER said:


> Has anyone tried putting the 26x2.125 tires on a spaceliner frame.I just cant get used to those skinny looking 26X175 tires.




Hey Gene....The balloon tires are a real tight fit on these middleweights. I have tried and have only found one manufacturer tire that is doable even though it is a real tight one.
And for the life of me I can't remember which they are. 
I have a set of these tires on my Huffy Eldorado. But the rub the fender stays so I had to tweak the stays by adding a slight bow in them. Also the clearance is so tight because of the height of the balloon tires it will rub the fender tips. Had 5 tweak them too.
As I recall h our Spaceliners have the older style springer front forks and that could create a clearance issue as well.

Because I have fallen in love with the balloon tire look lately, riding on the middleweight tires just feels like it's not meaty enough.
I'll post the name of the aftermarket tires once I remember them. 
Sorry for the brain fart.


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## jd56 (Mar 14, 2014)

They might have been "Sunlites".
I know I used them on my middleweight Schwinn Starlet.


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## kenspaceliners (Mar 16, 2014)

Here's a close up of my front fender.
Kenny


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## MaxGlide (Mar 16, 2014)

Mu Spaceliner has the same spacing on the front tire/fender…. probably to allow for the springer to work and tire not to rub.

As for the tires….what if you tried a 2' tire instead of a 2.125…..might work…?

Wayne


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## kenspaceliners (Mar 16, 2014)

Your probably correct on the fender clearance, I didn't even think about the springer. It just looks weird to me. 
Bigger tires would help the look, it has the original 1.75 tires.
Kenny


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## BrentP (Mar 16, 2014)

kenspaceliners said:


> Here's a close up of my front fender.
> Kenny




Linkage looks good.  I agree, it must be to provide clearance for the motion of the springer.


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## jd56 (Mar 19, 2014)

jd56 said:


> Hey Gene....The balloon tires are a real tight fit on these middleweights. I have tried and have only found one manufacturer tire that is doable even though it is a real tight one.
> And for the life of me I can't remember which they are.
> I have a set of these tires on my Huffy Eldorado. But the rub the fender stays so I had to tweak the stays by adding a slight bow in them. Also the clearance is so tight because of the height of the balloon tires it will rub the fender tips. Had 5 tweak them too.
> As I recall h our Spaceliners have the older style springer front forks and that could create a clearance issue as well.
> ...




Gene they were Kenda's 2.125 that I used on the middleweight. If you have a set try mounting them.
I don't have the bike anymore but I'm pretty sure they worked with a little tweaking to the fender stay braces.


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Mar 19, 2014)

Thanks jd,i think i am just going to leave it as is.THEY LOOK SO PRETTY


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