# Ben Hur Mistery apears solved



## scooter_trasher (Nov 23, 2015)

I'd like thank everyone who took the time to help me on my search to ID the Ben Hur Rat Rod I recently purchased. 
Turns out to be a 37-42 Snyder built v-900 frame, apparently  according to The Classic Rollfast Bicycle Book,  37 was the first year for the v-900 witch is identified by the straight downtube and would have followed the earlier straight downtubed  v-700 , the 1937  v-900 was the first Snyder model to debut the 1/2" pitch diamond chain, it ran from 37-42 and was followed by a curved downtube model witch had a four number model number with no prefix letter, I have a nice Troxel in the mail and I know witch way I can go with paint, chainguard and fenders, it may never see a tank but it may get ape-hangers
here are some pics
Rat rod




1940




 
41 model change



thanks to
cds2323, adamtinkerer,rustjunkie,mrcolumbiaman and those who posted info on here , ratrod forum, daves vintage bikes,luxlow and others
Scooter


----------



## cds2323 (Nov 23, 2015)

Thanks for the thanks


----------



## fordmike65 (Nov 23, 2015)

I'd say your's is 39-40. '41 went to the curved downtube.

Hey! That's my bike('41 SamScocool:


----------



## Robertriley (Nov 23, 2015)

What's the serial number?  Here's a 42


----------



## scooter_trasher (Nov 23, 2015)

cds2323 said:


> Thanks for the thanks but I kinda dropped the ball on this one. With the Columbia crank and fork I got fixated on Westfield even tho I pointed out the crank had been changed. When you posted the serial number the K fit with my preconceived idea that it was Westfield. When I was thinking of Snyder, all I could see in my head was the CWC bent tank frame. Forgot one of the first rules of iDing a bike, focus on the frame, not any of the parts that can be changed over the years.
> 
> I realized my mistake when I researched 1946 K serial numbers for Westfield. The stamping on a Westfield is much smaller. By that time rustjunkie had already corrected me and pointed to its Snyder manufacture.
> 
> ...



That's the whole thing it's not a Columbia crank & fork , Mr columbiaman pointed out that isn't a Columbia fork,Iv' seen them on Snyder and CWC made bikes, maybe a Ashtabula, and the chain ring is on backwards, most likely so the chain doesn't come off due to the tweaked chain-stays


----------



## scooter_trasher (Nov 23, 2015)

your on google 







fordmike65 said:


> I'd say your's is 39-40. '41 went to the curved downtube.
> 
> Hey! That's my bike('41 SamScocool:


----------



## scooter_trasher (Nov 23, 2015)

Robertri[ATTACH=full said:
			
		

> 252733.vB[/ATTACH]  ley;512931]What's the serial number?  Here's a 42



heres a pic


----------



## cds2323 (Nov 23, 2015)

scooter_trasher said:


> That's the whole thing it's not a Columbia crank & fork , Mr columbiaman pointed out that isn't a Columbia fork,Iv' seen them on Snyder and CWC made bikes, maybe a Ashtabula, and the chain ring is on backwards, most likely so the chain doesn't come off due to the tweaked chain-stays





The crank is post war Westfield/Columbia, on backwards or not. The fork doesn't appear to be Snyder or CWC either. Post a pic of a Snyder or CWC bike with that fork if you've seen one, I can't seem to find one with that fork. If you can, post a better pic of the inside of the fork legs. Are they fluted/tubular? They do seem to resemble a post war Schwinn tubular fork without the built in truss supports.


----------



## scooter_trasher (Nov 23, 2015)

I wouldn't be so sure the chainring is post war Westfield, ben hur has chainrings like that dating to the 19th century
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjG3qK7wajJAhUBwiYKHR2XAPkQjhwIBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F84838181%40N00%2F43800543&psig=AFQjCNHKcrkNGKKER8C5pZV7MOEV8csG1A&ust=1448435020040132


as for the forks there out there try Google


http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/my-20-ben-hur.88935/
as far as forged forks, stampings, wheels,handle bars, fork stems,cranks,bearings,chrome, hubs, seats,,  grips, virtually everything except frames & fenders were pretty much jobbed out, to third party factories,as big as Schwinn was they did not have the capacity to do their own forgings for cranks & forks and we are talking about the great depression here when assets were being bought for pennies on the dollar and everyone was trying to stay afloat, if a company could buy parts on the cheap, or was stuck with an order someone could not take, you can bet that stuff got used! Oh did you notice the forged forks on the 19th century Ben Hur


----------



## cds2323 (Nov 23, 2015)

scooter_trasher said:


> I wouldn't be so sure the chainring is post war Westfield, ben hur has chainrings like that dating to the 19th century
> https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjG3qK7wajJAhUBwiYKHR2XAPkQjhwIBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F84838181%40N00%2F43800543&psig=AFQjCNHKcrkNGKKER8C5pZV7MOEV8csG1A&ust=1448435020040132View attachment 252757
> as for the forks there out there try Google
> View attachment 252758http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/my-20-ben-hur.88935/





Neither picture you posted reflect what is on your bike. The chainring you show on the TOC bike is 1" pitch and perhaps for a block chain. The chain ring on your bike is 1/2" pitch and appeared on Westfield bikes post war. Ben Hur badged bikes may go back a ways but that doesn't make your chain ring older. Show a picture of a prewar 1/2" pitch ring with that pattern.

The red bike is a 38-39 CWC bike. The fork is the swan style with attached truss arms. Again, nothing like the fork on the black bike of yours that you pictured.


----------



## scooter_trasher (Nov 24, 2015)

I believe there are three bikes just in this thread with star patterns and 1/2" pitch, they may not be the exact same star pattern, but again just because Westfield used the same pattern post war, doesn't make mine wrong for my bike,(my chainring holds no patent or copyright stamp), (or that it did not exist in 38 or 40) any more than Westfield using a sweetheart chainring during the war makes a sweetheart wrong for a Schwinn,  or is a CWC springer wrong for a Snyder built Hawthorne, just because it's a CWC part,( I don't think so), just because a part doesn't look right for a Snyder to you, doesn't make it wrong for a Snyder built Ben Hur.
Your not the curator of some museum that I'm trying to get my bike into and I'm not trying to sell it to you, so I really don't feel the need to prove anything to you. If your so sure my parts are wrong for my bike show me, show me some pics or scans from a Ben Hur catalog,  from say 38 through 40, so we can all see what the right parts are


----------

