# First Project, Many Questions.



## wrongway (May 1, 2012)

I began my first project last week and last night I would say the bike is completely dismantled. This is a Western Flyer from 1961-1963 based only on a parts breakdown of a Red Band brake hub. I have yet to find any serial numbers on it anywhere. I've probably went about all this the wrong way, but....you learn. I've played around with and partially restored old cars all my life so I understand working with rust, painting, that sort of thing. I'm getting ahead of myself on some of this I'm sure, but a I do have a few questions.
  How do I get the 'Western Flyer' logo put back on the chrome chain guard? Silk Screening? Is pin-striping hard to learn? If I take the spokes out to clean the wheels is it real hard to re-assemble the spokes and get them 'trued-up'? My bike has a rear package shelf of sorts that has a round hole in it at the back. Is this a drink holder?  I am thinking it may have been for a tail light based on what I've seen here. Did these bikes have tanks? 
  Sorry for all the questions. I'm really enjoying working on this! It makes me want to get more of them, but I should finish this one first. I'll post some pictures here when I can, but I did post some on the 'Birds Of A Feather' section under 'Greetings From Iowa'.   Thanks,Scott


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## PhattCatBicycles (May 1, 2012)

Maybe I can help you out.  Memory Lane Classics http://www.memorylane-classics.com/ is a great place to order parts and DECALS for your bike so check out the web site for what you might need.  When adding Pin-strips I've found Painters Paint Markers by Elmers work great and come in 3 line sizes fine, med, and thick.  It's real paint but so much easyer then trying to pin-strip. I'd leave the spokes to somebody who knows what they're doing becouse rethreading them is VERY tricky. I added a pic or two of the pin-striping I did this the "Painters"

Just injoying the ride

Brooks


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## wrongway (May 1, 2012)

Thanks for the info! Very helpful!!  Scott


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## Stingman (May 3, 2012)

Post some pictures if you can. This will help give me a better idea of what your working on. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you tear them down and have allot of cleaning and scrubbing of rust. Sometimes you can feel like your never going to get it done! What I have learned is to take your time and do it right! Rushing and cutting corners never pays off in the long run. As far as parts, Memory Lane Classics is good,Blue Moon bikes, swap meets, bike forums, etc. This forum is a good place for advice and tips! Have fun and best of luck!:o


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## partsguy (May 3, 2012)

The last time I completely dismantled a set of wheels was a long time ago. It is a pain in the ass and takes a long time to do. So only in extreme and unusal circumstances do I do it. The last and so far only time was on one of my Huffys. The whole bike was covered in oil. To get the nice original wheels, spokes, nipples, and hubs cleaned, I HAD to disassemble it. I got them back together right for the most part, though the guy that did the truing had to swap some spokes around but not too many I hear. I just about destroyed one of the wheels, maybe both of them trying to true them myself. To this day I leave wheel truing to a well qualified and experienced professional.


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## wrongway (May 4, 2012)

Let's see if I can get these pictures to post. I am wondering is this bicycle had a tank? What year is this? I am thinking about having the fenders, chain guard, crank and sprocket re chromed. All else looks like it will polish up. Did this have a tail light? Something else on the rear carrier? Would you tear into the brakes?   Thanks, Scott


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## Adamtinkerer (May 5, 2012)

Yours is a Murray built bike, and Western Auto's version of the popular "Spaceliner" model, originally debuted as a Seras bike in 1963. I believe there is a fancy tailight that fits in that space on the rack. As far as the fenders and crank/chainring, these are common Murray parts, which they made a bazillion of! It's be MUCH cheaper to find replacement parts on ebay. In fact, you could probably buy another whole bike for that kinda $$, even a girls' bike would have the same essential parts in this series.


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## wrongway (May 6, 2012)

I have found what I think is the serial number. It reads: 64x10 24076. Any help?  Thanks,Scott


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## wrongway (May 7, 2012)

...........also, does someone have pictures of what I am missing? Such as tank, light, tail light? Anything else?  Thanks,Scott


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## BrentP (May 8, 2012)

wrongway said:


> ...........also, does someone have pictures of what I am missing? Such as tank, light, tail light? Anything else?  Thanks,Scott




I don't have any info on the Western Flyer variants that Murray built, but here's a page from the 1963 Murray bike catalog that shows some of the detail on those bikes, which will probably be pretty much identical to your Western Flyer.  To my eye it looks like your bike is intact, with everything it's supposed to have, with the exception of the rear light (shown in this attachment).





Yours looks very close to this Murray Strato Flight, but without the tank.


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## wrongway (May 8, 2012)

Do you think mine had a tank? If it didn't I'm ok with that, but if it did I will want to find it. On the second row of braces down from the top it has a small, almost rusted away tab of metal laying horizontal between those braces. It would appear that something could have been screwed in there. I suppose the light and tank would be very hard to find? The other thing would be pedals that are on it now. Guess I have some looking to do on ebay!   Thanks,Scott


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## BrentP (May 8, 2012)

I'm not a Western Flyer expert so I can't say for certain whether or not yours originally had a tank.  Murray made lots of minor little specification changes between the bikes they made for different retailers, so the Murray Strato Flyer pic I posted might not correspond exactly to a Western Flyer version.  Murray also had another model almost identical to yours (lacking a tank) called the Shift-O-Matic, but it had a different style rear rack and lacked the plastic chain ring cover.  Minor spec. changes like these were made between similar bikes to create unique configurations for each specific retailer.  Spend some time on Google and maybe you'll be lucky enough to find images from a Western Flyer catalog that can shed some light on your original bike specs.

Here's the Murray Shift-O-Matic


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## jd56 (May 9, 2012)

If there is a tab on the underside of the double cross tubes then the tank should look like what Brentp has indicated. The rear liight assy is what is pictured in the ad he posted.
Being a painted bike frame it could be a Sonic Flyer or a Cosmic Flyer. here is a picture on my Sabre Flyer that has a different tanklight assy but the rear rack is aslo different. I don't have the catalog listing to pin down your serial number, sorry. 
Brentp or someone else like classicfan1 might help you with that.
Usually I find if the tank is a "spaceliner" styled tank then there should be a metal tab welded to the backside of the headtube so the tank can rest on it. The bezel would then be mounted on the front side of the head tube...hence the term "forward thrust tanklight".
My Sabre Flyer is a unique tank that I have never seen before and dates 1969 as I recall. The rearward tab is not there to mount the rear of the tank but, a tab that is incorporated in the tank with a bracket that attaches to the bottom set of tubes.











or it could look like this "spaceliner" style tank ...This is a Foremost / retailer is JC Pennys






BUT...I think is your bike Cosmic Flyer...note the same rear rack and chainguard


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## wrongway (May 10, 2012)

Yes, I have the metal tab welded onto the underside of the double cross bars although it is nearly rusted away and I'm going to see if I can have it duplicated. Anyone have any good pictures of it? I also do have the tab welded onto the head tube so it looks like I'll be keeping my eye out for a tank!  I'll go ahead and restore the bike and put it together and I can add the tank later. 
  The tanks I'm seeing posted here are red on a black bike. Is that the way they were? Could they/should they be the same color?  Thanks for all the help! This is starting to come together.   Scott


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## jd56 (May 10, 2012)

*Murray Tanklight tabs*

Here are some picture of three frames, all Murrays. The Chrome and Red bikes frames take the tanklight assy pictured at the bottom. These 2 examples have head tube rest tabs and underside rear tank inserted tabs, the Black frame is a western flyer frame also a Murray built bike that has a different style tank (shown in the pictures I posted earlier. This frame only has the from tank rest tabs welded to the head tube.
Hope this helps.

Foremost











Astro Flite















Western Flyer Frame...only tabs are on the headtube






Murray Sears / JC pennys tank


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## wrongway (May 10, 2012)

That helps a lot!! Mine is very much like the Foremost (red frame). This explains a lot. Now, I just have to find someone that can make that for me......and later a tank of some sort.   Thanks,Scott


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## wrongway (May 10, 2012)

Sorry to ask this, but what is the length of the part with the round cut-out in it? I have most of the measurements on mine,but I didn't know how far out it extends.   Thanks,Scott


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## BrentP (May 10, 2012)

wrongway said:


> The tanks I'm seeing posted here are red on a black bike. Is that the way they were?




Yes... black frame with red tank.


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## wrongway (May 24, 2012)

What is the name of that red color on the tank and tray? Where can I get it?   Thanks,Scott


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## jackomeano (May 24, 2012)

*rebuild wheels/ pin stripping*

Well , about the wheels I dont think its hard to do! So My advise is to do one at a time and take a few pictures of the wheel first, then if you can remove the old nipples do so slowly one full turn a piece all the way around until they areall lose/ so you done damage the rim or hub. clean relace ,
 Have them trued up at your local shop.


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