# Surprise!  It's a 1943 Huffman.



## iswingping (Aug 27, 2014)

Hello everyone.  My journey to find another bike came from selling a 1948 Schwinn girls bike.  The big fenders and unmatched styling has had me on the search for a new skip tooth cruiser.  With a passion for hot rods, old tools, and of course old bikes, the skip tooth bike speak to me.  Last week I responded to a Craigslist ad selling "Vintage Bikes".  I purchased two.  One was a cool looking Firestone 500, but the second bike, the skip tooth I wanted from the seller's photos, was difficult for me identify.  I was finally able to decipher the rusted over outline of the Dayton "D" head badge and went searching from there.  I was able to pull away 6 layers of paint to read the serial number and "1943" stamped to the bottom bracket.  "Could this be a legitimate WWII bike produced for the war?", I thought.  With the incorrect handlebars, tires, seat, and possibly sprocket, I was suspect to believe otherwise.  My experience with other bikes had me removing the fork to find some original paint.  There it was, the OD green I was looking for.  I feel blessed to have found this piece of American history and can't wait to bring it back to it's original glory.  I will be leaning on the knowledge and experiences of some of the others on this site.  Thank you in advance.  If there are any questions you have for me or if there are any photos I can take for reference, please let me know.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great community.
Sincerely,
Josh


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## baronvoncatania (Aug 27, 2014)

*serial # ?*

Could you post the serial# also?  Nice find!  And get rid of those white walls!


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## iswingping (Aug 27, 2014)

*Serial Number*

Below please see the photo of the serial number and date stamp.

Does anyone know the size and tooth count of the original sprocket?  This one on my bike appears small and only has 4 openings.

Thanks for any information.


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## Oldnut (Aug 28, 2014)

*43 huffman*

Great bike find enjoy bringing it back to 43 standards


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## tripple3 (Aug 28, 2014)

*Cool bike*

Welcome to the CABE. Huffman fork have a stamp on the back side of fork; check that out too. Chain ring or sprocket is Huffman and looks correct. Guard looks right too; at least it's a Huffman one. Great find. Congratulations.


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## Aeropsycho (Aug 28, 2014)

*Don't!!!*



iswingping said:


> Hello everyone.  My journey to find another bike came from selling a 1948 Schwinn girls bike.  The big fenders and unmatched styling has had me on the search for a new skip tooth cruiser.  With a passion for hot rods, old tools, and of course old bikes, the skip tooth bike speak to me.  Last week I responded to a Craigslist ad selling "Vintage Bikes".  I purchased two.  One was a cool looking Firestone 500, but the second bike, the skip tooth I wanted from the seller's photos, was difficult for me identify.  I was finally able to decipher the rusted over outline of the Dayton "D" head badge and went searching from there.  I was able to pull away 6 layers of paint to read the serial number and "1943" stamped to the bottom bracket.  "Could this be a legitimate WWII bike produced for the war?", I thought.  With the incorrect handlebars, tires, seat, and possibly sprocket, I was suspect to believe otherwise.  My experience with other bikes had me removing the fork to find some original paint.  There it was, the OD green I was looking for.  I feel blessed to have found this piece of American history and can't wait to bring it back to it's original glory.  I will be leaning on the knowledge and experiences of some of the others on this site.  Thank you in advance.  If there are any questions you have for me or if there are any photos I can take for reference, please let me know.
> 
> Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great community.
> Sincerely,
> Josh





Dont sell it for less than 2500.00!
Dont strip the paint!
Dont powder coat it!
Dont make it better!

Do go to the G503 web site for info

The sprocket is not correct...

Is the name badge steel?

Jamie


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## Mike G (Aug 28, 2014)

Would a Huffman frame not have the "S" down tube?
Be curious the see the truss brackets closer.
Heck of a find... go buy your powerball tickets, or not you may have spent your luck on this.


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## iswingping (Aug 28, 2014)

*Rusty Dayton badge and truss support pics*

Here is the detail of the head and truss support bracket.  

Do you really think it's a better example covered in 70 years of other people's paint and modifications?  Right now it just looks like another neglected cruiser.  If it were an original paint survivor, there would be no question for me, but under multiple colors I'm leaning towards restoration.  I've got some time to think about it as this won't even be started until after I finish the interior on my truck, tile a bedroom, and finish my Swingbike build.

Thanks all for comments and knowledge on the subject.


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## Mike G (Aug 28, 2014)

JMHO... But I'd say restore!
Got the correct lower truss bracket BTW.
Can somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the Huffman has the "S" shaped down tube, at least as far as the Mil Issued goes?


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## jkent (Aug 28, 2014)

Mike G said:


> JMHO... But I'd say restore!
> Got the correct lower truss bracket BTW.
> Can somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the Huffman has the "S" shaped down tube, at least as far as the Mil Issued goes?




I think most if not all of the Huffman Military bicycles have the straight down tube.
Check this site out. Very good site with lots of very good information.
http://www.theliberator.be/BicyclesImages/MilitaryBicyclesHeading.jpg


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## johan willaert (Aug 29, 2014)

Great bike!

Huffman were made both with curved frames and straight ones for Army contracts...

The D prefix numbered frames were curved while the later H prefix numbered frames were straight...

Examples of both can be seen on this page of my website:

http://www.theliberator.be/militarybicycles.htm

Cheers,

Johan


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## johan willaert (Aug 29, 2014)

I posted a tread about the resto of my 1942 Huffy here:

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?43231-1942-G519-Huffman-Bike-project


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## iswingping (Aug 29, 2014)

Johan,

That is a great site packed with information and thank you for linking that thread.  I have been reading all the information I can on these and comparing photos to mine everyday since purchasing it.  Kudos to everyone who has or had information on these treasures and sharing it since from what I understand, there wasn't much information available until the last few years.

Regards,
Josh


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## johan willaert (Aug 29, 2014)

Indeed, except for the odd article in Army Motors in the late 90s there was hardly any information about these available until I created the webpage about them roughly 10 years ago...

Downside is that with this info, interest and prices have risen... But at least several G519s which otherwise might have been scrapped have now been restored...

Johan


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## izee2 (Aug 29, 2014)

Nice find. What kind of hubs are on the wheels? can you post some pics of them? 
I haven't played with any Huffman bikes so I don't know them that well. But I thought that the truss rod brackets on a Huffman were part of the fork. The ones in the pic look like the ones found on a Columbia. Any info on that would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tom


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## johan willaert (Aug 30, 2014)

Huffman truss rod brackets are part of the front fork on the early models only..
Later 1943? Models have a separate bracket similar to the columbia
The upper bracket is different from the columbia,though


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## izee2 (Aug 30, 2014)

Hello Johan,

  Thanks for the info. I did not know about the forks n brackets. 

  I did know about the upper bracket...I happened to send one to Belgium a little while ago.  

  Thanks Again
  Tom


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## iswingping (Sep 10, 2014)

*Starting to gather*

Well, I'd really like to begin this project now, but I have a few other projects with 2014 deadlines.  In the meantime, I'll be gathering some missing correct parts and riding it as is.  I just received and installed my Torrington bars from Memory Lane today.  A big thanks to those guys.  If anyone find any correct parts, I'm on the lookout for a seat, sprocket, and kickstand.

Any thoughts about the paperboy rack on the back? I'm considering leaving it, but the question is do I paint it white or OD green?  I will strip it to see if either was an original color to this rack.

Thanks guys and please look for my Project page to begin.


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## milbicycleman (Dec 16, 2014)

Nice Huffman! I would look at bergerwerke's website , they have a lot of the parts you are looking for. If you are looking to show the bike and want it to be correct I would leave the paperboy rack off as is detracts from it.

http://www.bergerwerke.com/


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## iswingping (Dec 16, 2014)

Milbicycleman,

Thank you.  I've seen their site and they do have very nice stuff.  I recently found a seat and I should receive my sprocket this week.  Still on the lookout for an original kickstand if any are available.  Also, now that I have the seat, I'm not sure about the correct seat post.  I've seen photos of Huffman bikes with both a curved or a straight post.

Have a great day,
Josh


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## milbicycleman (Dec 17, 2014)

Your welcome. I think all WW2 U.S bicycles came with straight posts. I have a wartime civilian bike with the same size post and I had it custom made by a local metal shop since they are an unusual size. You could go that route if you can not find an original.


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## PCHiggin (Dec 17, 2014)

*Huffman....*

Nice find.They made some cool looking bikes,I don't think they sold many in the Detroit area as I have NEVER  seen one until  the I-net.


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## johan willaert (Dec 18, 2014)

The original seat post on my 1942 Military Huffman is the slightly bent model which I have also observed on a 1943 all original Huffy.
Both straight and net posts were used.

Columbias used straight steel rods for seat posts with Huffmans having tapered tubes...


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## iswingping (Jan 16, 2015)

I'm getting started on the Huffman.  Removing six layers of paint has revealed the OD with what appears to be a red oxide primer beneath.  The original paint is there, but not great.  It is rusty in some spots and missing in others.  I'd like to try to save the original paint on the fenders to see if I can reveal and markings.  Does anyone have any tips on removing 6 layers of paint to unveil the original paint?  Also, any thoughts on if I should start the build thread here or on the Projects page.
Thanks.


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## iswingping (Feb 2, 2015)

*Fork number stamp 113*




Hello all,
While moving along on the prep and clean up, I uncovered a number stamp on the backside of the fork.  So far, this is moving along quite smoothly.  I'd like to have it completed for a show at Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ the first week of March.  I'll have to work quickly without sacrificing quality.  Wish me luck.


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## falcondave (Feb 2, 2015)

I had pretty good luck removing a couple layers of spray paint from my 42 Huffman using carb or brake cleaner.It seemed to soften the cheap paint and not touch the od paint.Good luck and nice find!


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## iswingping (Mar 3, 2015)

*Cleaned up Eclipse*

Looking to apply paint and build a wheel soon.


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## 37fleetwood (Mar 3, 2015)

iswingping said:


> View attachment 194671Hello all,
> While moving along on the prep and clean up, I uncovered a number stamp on the backside of the fork.  So far, this is moving along quite smoothly.  I'd like to have it completed for a show at Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ the first week of March.  I'll have to work quickly without sacrificing quality.  Wish me luck.




the fork is 11 3 or November 1943, which is consistent with your frame stamping.


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## johan willaert (Mar 4, 2015)

37fleetwood said:


> the fork is 11 3 or November 1943, which is consistent with your frame stamping.




So the fork marked 1 2 on my Huffman shown here: http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?43231-1942-G519-Huffman-Bike-project&p=287914#post287914 would be January 1942??


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## 37fleetwood (Mar 4, 2015)

johan willaert said:


> So the fork marked 1 2 on my Huffman shown here: http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?43231-1942-G519-Huffman-Bike-project&p=287914#post287914 would be January 1942??




looked at your bike and would agree. Huffman serial numbers are not cut and dried. often you have to look the bike over and see what characteristics it has, and see if the numbers you get jibe with that. your frame is stamped 1942 and your fork has a 1 2 so I would say it's the original fork and is indeed stamped Jan 1942. you have to be careful with this, sometimes the fork has been changed, or what's stamped on it doesn't jibe with the rest of the bike then all you can do is scratch your head and wonder what it means.
Schwinn kept detailed serial number lists which have survived, what we have about Huffmans has been mostly derived from looking at bikes, and that's not exactly fool proof. I'd say it works 80% of the time, and you'll know when it does like these two, both are stamped unambiguously and the fork matches so I'd go with it.


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## johan willaert (Mar 4, 2015)

Thanks, makes sense and I had always wondered what the number meant....


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## iswingping (Feb 5, 2016)

Hey guys,
Any of you lucky folks out there in original paint?  I'd like to get my saddle ready for my leather that is being prepared.  My question, is you original paint seat pan in OD or black?
Thanks for the help,
Josh


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## johan willaert (Feb 21, 2016)

On Original unrestored saddles I have seen, the seat pan was black with the frames OD..

Example below on unrestored 1943 Huffman H124670


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## Intense One (Feb 21, 2016)

iswingping said:


> Hello everyone.  My journey to find another bike came from selling a 1948 Schwinn girls bike.  The big fenders and unmatched styling has had me on the search for a new skip tooth cruiser.  With a passion for hot rods, old tools, and of course old bikes, the skip tooth bike speak to me.  Last week I responded to a Craigslist ad selling "Vintage Bikes".  I purchased two.  One was a cool looking Firestone 500, but the second bike, the skip tooth I wanted from the seller's photos, was difficult for me identify.  I was finally able to decipher the rusted over outline of the Dayton "D" head badge and went searching from there.  I was able to pull away 6 layers of paint to read the serial number and "1943" stamped to the bottom bracket.  "Could this be a legitimate WWII bike produced for the war?", I thought.  With the incorrect handlebars, tires, seat, and possibly sprocket, I was suspect to believe otherwise.  My experience with other bikes had me removing the fork to find some original paint.  There it was, the OD green I was looking for.  I feel blessed to have found this piece of American history and can't wait to bring it back to it's original glory.  I will be leaning on the knowledge and experiences of some of the others on this site.  Thank you in advance.  If there are any questions you have for me or if there are any photos I can take for reference, please let me know.
> 
> Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great community.
> Sincerely,
> ...



These old bikes are gems to us in any condition...great find!


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## Intense One (Feb 21, 2016)

milbicycleman said:


> Nice Huffman! I would look at bergerwerke's website , they have a lot of the parts you are looking for. If you are looking to show the bike and want it to be correct I would leave the paperboy rack off as is detracts from it.
> 
> http://www.bergerwerke.com/



Man....wish I had a set up like Bergerwerke.....sounds like they do it all


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## rustjunkie (Feb 21, 2016)

iswingping said:


> Hey guys,
> Any of you lucky folks out there in original paint?  I'd like to get my saddle ready for my leather that is being prepared.  My question, is you original paint seat pan in OD or black?
> Thanks for the help,
> Josh





I have a Mesinger Huffman G519 saddle in original paint and the pan is OD. the primer is yellow on the seat rails, but the pan doesn't appear to have been primered:


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## iswingping (Feb 21, 2016)

Thank you all for the information and pics.


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## iswingping (Jun 10, 2016)

Hello everyone,
Progress has been slow on getting the Huffman back together, but my parts list has gotten drastically shorter.  Recently acquired from some Cabers, through EBay are some parts I've needed.  Thanks to those involved.  I didn't want to mention any names, you know who you are, chime in if you'd like the recognition.  I picked up an oem, unused seat spring chassis.  Still has the warehouse stock part tag on it!  Just yesterday, I was the winning bidder on an Ever Best Huffman frame that will donate it's seat post and kick stand.  Normally, I'd be against parting a bike, but this is literally just the frame and two parts I needed.  Thanks for viewing and good day.


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## iswingping (Jul 4, 2016)

Assembled my first rear coaster assembly yesterday.  Went very easy just viewing Morrow diagrams.  I know this has been preserved in grease, but I still can't believe how great the parts look after all these years.


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## iswingping (Jan 29, 2017)

I haven't been very good at documenting the progress on my bike.    Nearing the finish line, I took the bike out cruise today that brought me out to  local Military Vehicle Show.  Please enjoy the pics.


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## New Mexico Brant (Jan 29, 2017)

Congrats!  The bicycle looks amazing!


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## Awhipple (Jan 30, 2017)

Are you taking that on our next rude?


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## johan willaert (Jan 31, 2017)

Great result!


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## iswingping (Feb 1, 2017)

Thank you all for the compliments.  I will have this on a ride very soon.


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## iswingping (Jan 10, 2018)

Just wanted to give this group a heads up.  I may be listing this bike for sale soon.  If/ when I do, I’ll send out a notification here prior to sending out on the classified section.

Thank you to all those who helped with advise and offered knowledge along my Huffman’s journey.


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## iswingping (Mar 21, 2018)

Post for this bike will be up before the weekend.  If anyone in this group would like to discuss prior to posting for sale, please let me know.


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