# 1955 Huffy 20" * Saved from the garbage & restored*



## Wayne Adam (Jun 11, 2012)

Well, I have a good story about this bike. I found this bike about 25 years ago in someones garbage pile on clean up week . I had it hanging in my basement for a few years, and then threw it in a shed for about 20 years. This year I decided to completely restore it. I know I have many other bikes of more value to restore, but I felt compelled to do this one.
 It is a 1955 Huffy Mainliner 20 " girls bike. It has all of its original parts including the tank & rack. I added new tires and a vintage headlight. I completely stipped it down to bare metal, repaired dents & flaws & the repainted it with
single stage automotive acrylic enamel, Dupont & PPG ( no powder coat in my shop, the real thing). I polished every spoke, nipple & metal part. I repainted the stripes, details & headbadge, & hand lettered the chainguard exactly like the original.  I also restored the seat combining parts from the original Troxel & parts from a Mesinger.The first photo shows it in it original unrestored shape, the last photo shows it in size comparison to a 26" bike.
 Anyway, I just thought I would show you guys.................................Wayne


----------



## MagicRat (Jun 11, 2012)

Thats a Honey! ^

I've restored 20" girls bikes too.

Is a little girl gonna get to ride it again?


----------



## Freqman1 (Jun 11, 2012)

That's a nice, clean build--good job. I always like the before and afters. V/r Shawn


----------



## silvercreek (Jun 11, 2012)

Very nice job.


----------



## ridingtoy (Jun 11, 2012)

I always enjoy photo stories about these little guys and gals being restored. She's a beautiful little bicycle once again thanks to your hard work. 

Dave


----------



## Wayne Adam (Jun 12, 2012)

*Thanks!*

Thank you all for the kind words....................Wayne


----------



## jd56 (Jun 12, 2012)

wayne...amazing detail...great job....have you got time to repaint some of mine?

That is a talent that is well sought after.

John


----------



## Bicycle Belle (Jun 12, 2012)

Wayne,
Once again you have done an absolutely beautiful job of giving an old bike new life! I feel the same way..it's not about the value of the bike. I've put in a lot of time and a bit of money on three bikes no one would look twice at. Those three are among my favorites though they have little cash value.
Your little girl is cute as a button and next to redline's little Billy 'possum, the most adorable thing posted on here in awhile.


----------



## silvercreek (Jun 17, 2012)

Those sure do look like big tires for such a small bike.


----------



## Wayne Adam (Jun 18, 2012)

The tires are the correct original size for the bike, 20 x 2.125
 They just look so big because they are on such a small bike............Wayne


----------



## krateman (Feb 22, 2014)

You did a bang-up job on that bike. I am glad you saved it. It should never have been put out with the garbage. I watch Antiques Roadshow where people say they found very valuable items in or next to a garbage can! I'm sorry you didn't go back with the original colors, but it looks wonderful just the same. Keep saving those bikes. Lord knows we don't need another Chinese made piece of doo doo here in America. Our old bikes are better, wayyy better.


----------



## Momo (Feb 22, 2014)

Impressive work... and maybe it's the fact that it's a 20" but that's one of the best looking, most well-proportioned girl's bikes I've ever seen.


----------



## 37fleetwood (Feb 22, 2014)

Hey Wayne,
great job on the bike! hope you have someone to ride it, start the next generation of collectors early.
this is from the 1955 Huffy Customliner catalog, but should be about the same. Huffy had gone almost entirely to middleweights by '55, including the smaller bikes.


----------



## Momo (Feb 22, 2014)

Wayne, can you share some of your knowledge on restoration? 

1. Where do you get your rivets? 
2. Do you use a skim coat of filler for rust pits or just multiple coats of a high build primer and wet sand in between?
3. Did you color sand, and how many coats?
4. What are your air system/gun particulars (working psi, distance from workpiece, airline inner diameter, desiccant dryer etc.)

Thanks... and once again, very impressive work.


----------



## Wayne Adam (Feb 22, 2014)

*Thanks guys...Resto info*

I have been custom painting, bikes, motorcycles, cars and guitars on & off for 40 years.
 I don't use filler unless absolutely necessary.
I use Nason 2K high build epoxy primer ( Nason is a 2 part primer)
I wet sand the primer with 600 the next day.
I then spray with single stage Dupont Centari, or PPG, what ever I have here
I spray with a very vintage DeVilbis siphon feed gun ( No HVLP for me)
I get my rivits from a company in Florida, I believe they are called Florida Fasteners,
They are actually threaded rivets with nuts. It gives you the exact appearance of the original rivits
without damaging the fenders.
* Also on this Huffy, I could not get the decals for the chainguard, so I hand lettered it.
  I am a professional artist as an occupation ( My wife has what she calls a "real job" )
 Here are a couple other of my bikes I restored, a '55 Columbia, and a '51 Higgins Color Flow
I also restore my seats & badges.
 Thanks again for all of the nice comments....................Wayne


----------



## bike (Feb 22, 2014)

*I have a little bike like that*

that needs to be saved by someone who can do it.

$100 bring to copake or ml.
http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?54480-FS-1950s-Huffy-Mainliner-Girls-20-quot
Wish mine looked like that.


----------



## Momo (Feb 22, 2014)

Thanks for the info...  I haven't been able to locate the exact size of tubular rivet and honestly, I do not want to buck rivets on a fresh paint job anyway.  I have not found a suitable rivnut as an alternative either but will keep looking. Maybe Memory Lane has them. The real challenge is going to be locating the right fastener to reassemble the torpedo light. The original tubular rivets are very shallow as you know. 

I'll check out Florida Fasteners.

Do you also wet sand the top coat? Your paint looks like glass.


----------



## Wayne Adam (Feb 22, 2014)

*Momo,*

Yes, I wet sand the finish coat  with three different grits.
First, 800 grit, then 1200, and finally 2000.
 I then polish it with two different grades of polish.
 I am fanatiacl about my paint work to the point of obsession.
 Thanks again  for asking.....................Wayne


----------



## Hoosier Biker (Feb 24, 2014)

Great looking bikes!
You are very talented. If we need to appoint someone to save them all you get my vote!
Tim


----------



## Jennifer Parker (Feb 26, 2014)

That bike is adorable!


----------



## TammyN (Feb 26, 2014)

Whoops-wrong thread


----------



## krateman (Mar 14, 2014)

Wayne, your obsession shows! Glad you color-sand your bikes. It is really worth the while. What do you use to polish it? You use two different ones you said? I love the Colorflow bikes. That Columbia is terrific. Looks better than factory-fresh.


----------



## krateman (Mar 14, 2014)

bike said:


> that needs to be saved by someone who can do it.
> 
> $100 bring to copake or ml.
> http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?54480-FS-1950s-Huffy-Mainliner-Girls-20-quot
> Wish mine looked like that.




Whoever owns that bike, needs to get it out of the elements! I don't collect girls bikes, but if I did, I would save it. I hope someone fixes it up for some lucky little girl.


----------



## HIGGINSFOREVER (Mar 14, 2014)

Top quailty workmanship,wish i had your talent.


----------



## Wayne Adam (Mar 14, 2014)

*Thanks Gene & Krateman*

Thanks a lot for all of the nice comments. I guess I'll see you at Trexlertown in the fall again Gene..........Wayne


----------



## Euphman06 (Mar 15, 2014)

Great job Wayne! I think there's another one on CL just like that but in your "before" photo condition. Can't remember where I saw it.. I have a 2 year old girl and she seems to be in to bikes. She always points mine out when she walks by She's actually really into the colorflow I just picked up. I just tell her she can ride it down the isle on her wedding day without worrying about getting your dress stuck in the rear wheel, lol.

Edit: Just found it again. Actually on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUFFY-MAINL...307?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e888aa84b


----------



## Buster1 (Mar 16, 2014)

Really nice!


----------



## vincev (Mar 16, 2014)

I like a lot.


----------

