# Was given an antique Schwinn and don’t know where to start



## Webby_Dean (Jul 21, 2022)

I was given an antique Schwinn by a family member and they have relatively no info on it. I’m new to the Schwinn world, but after digging through catalogs, it appears to be a 1941 BA37-1. I looked for a serial number, but couldn’t find one; then again, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to be looking. If anyone could help provide some insight into what exactly I have I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!


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## SJ_BIKER (Jul 21, 2022)

Looks like a tankless model. Pretty basic .


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## rustNspokes (Jul 21, 2022)

The serial number should be on the underside of the bottom bracket shell.


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 21, 2022)

SJ_BIKER said:


> Looks like a tankless model. Pretty basic .
> 
> View attachment 1666487



Is that the BA37-1, or is there another name for that model?


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## Freqman1 (Jul 21, 2022)

Yep find the serial and we can give you a year. That bike has a whole lot of wrong parts on it so I wouldn't spend a lot of money. Should make a decent rider if you plan to keep it. V/r Shawn


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## bloo (Jul 21, 2022)

Yeah, look on the bottom bracket (under the crank). The frame and fork does look like it could be from around 1940-41. Most of the other parts are newer. Post a picture of the serial number and we can probably get close on the year of the frame if it is really a Schwinn (I think it is). Also post the tire size, both front and rear.

Welcome to the CABE!


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## HEMI426 (Jul 21, 2022)

Welcome to the Cabe.


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## rustNspokes (Jul 21, 2022)

I have to wonder why this frame didn't get the lead filler on the joints filed down. Typically Schwinns had a very nice and smooth finish. Maybe it was built first shift on monday, or last shift on friday?


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 21, 2022)

rustNspokes said:


> I have to wonder why this frame didn't get the lead filler on the joints filed down. Typically Schwinns had a very nice and smooth finish. Maybe it was built first shift on monday, or last shift on friday?



Someone on a different forum mentioned that and said maybe it had to do with WWII. I noticed that and wondered the same as you.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Jul 21, 2022)

rustNspokes said:


> I have to wonder why this frame didn't get the lead filler on the joints filed down. Typically Schwinns had a very nice and smooth finish. Maybe it was built first shift on monday, or last shift on friday?



I did not see that, it looks more like a repair.


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 21, 2022)

I really appreciate how helpful and welcoming everyone has been!


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## rustNspokes (Jul 21, 2022)

It's tough to see but in the third photo all the joints look pretty rough.


coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> I did not see that, it looks more like a repair.


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## Rivnut (Jul 21, 2022)

I’d say repair because Schwinn did very little in the way of bike production during the war.


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## GTs58 (Jul 21, 2022)

Rivnut said:


> I’d say repair because Schwinn did very little in the way of bike production during the war.




No Balloon models were produced during the war. Only Cycle Trucks and New Worlds. 

Schwinn's Total Annual Production 

1942 - 112,859...........6364 were Cycle Trucks
1943 - 16,385.............10,214 were Cycle Trucks
1944 - 18,929.............10,214 were Cycle Trucks
1945 - 98,185.............No Cycle Trucks produced


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## Nashman (Jul 21, 2022)

Welcome with your new project. If you search the site you will see what others start with and decide how you want to proceed. If it has family sentiment then it's worth fixing up. It would be considered a somewhat plain frame Jane ( as in basic gals model) so doesn't have much of a collector following, BUT if you dig it, and it rides well after some fixing up, it's a good start. Gals bikes are generally not as abused as the guys rides so more of them remain more complete and original. Therefore more of them out there. Many folks ( especially elderly) prefer a step through frame ( no top bar) so "gender" specific is not a HUGE factor. The CABE has all types of levels of what people like so there are no rules or "bad bikes" just whatever makes you happy and helps you enjoy the hobby.


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## Jeff54 (Jul 22, 2022)

It's pretty much, mainly a frame. On the side: Waz-sup-wit-dat color? Ebay photo has it, I have a 41 girl CWC Western Flyer and yours too. Must have been like, an over stock paint sales in the 50-60's. 

Anyway, the wheels, front is probably from a CWC the rear maybe a Huffy or Murrey drop center or, because that Bendix is wrong for year and I expect the rim is from another manufacture potentially from the 60's.

Seat I guess U no already, fenders, chain guard handlebar don't belong. The goose neck, (Stem) can't say for sure but looks like a late 40-50's Wald that is found on Schwinn occasionally and CWC . Pedals appear to be 60's. Kind of thinking the chain wheel and crank may not be pre-war.. Fork is not period either and IDK for sure for the size but, the fork could be a post war Schwinn or CWC.

So, if you intend to restore this frame, ya got quite a task. And yeah, that weld on seat post is strange. The color looks like it may be lead but not all Schwinn have lead to make em smooth. Yet, very strange B/C it looks like it was molten and squished on for the oozing up like it is. . Probably just grind that down unless it's cracked.

As far as the model goes, at this stage, it can be any model you chose it to be. Moreover, get her to ride, and getty-up!


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 22, 2022)

Nashman said:


> Welcome with your new project. If you search the site you will see what others start with and decide how you want to proceed. If it has family sentiment then it's worth fixing up. It would be considered a somewhat plain frame Jane ( as in basic gals model) so doesn't have much of a collector following, BUT if you dig it, and it rides well after some fixing up, it's a good start. Gals bikes are generally not as abused as the guys rides so more of them remain more complete and original. Therefore more of them out there. Many folks ( especially elderly) prefer a step through frame ( no top bar) so "gender" specific is not a HUGE factor. The CABE has all types of levels of what people like so there are no rules or "bad bikes" just whatever makes you happy and helps you enjoy the hobby.



Considering it isn’t anything special, it’s actually kind of a relief. I’d love to take a shot at restoring it, and since it isn’t rare/valuable, that means whatever I do to it won’t really change anything. I’m definitely going to give it some new paint, clean it up, and probably present it to my fiancée since she loves retro stuff like that. Thanks for the help!


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## Nashman (Jul 22, 2022)

Webby_Dean said:


> Considering it isn’t anything special, it’s actually kind of a relief. I’d love to take a shot at restoring it, and since it isn’t rare/valuable, that means whatever I do to it won’t really change anything. I’m definitely going to give it some new paint, clean it up, and probably present it to my fiancée since she loves retro stuff like that. Thanks for the help!



Great gift idea. Unique and means something after you have spent time on it. 1 of a kind. Cheers!


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## Rivnut (Jul 24, 2022)

After everyone had chimed in with their 2 cents, I took another look at the picture.  Someone probably had a difficult time putting that rear wheel on.  It appears that the fender braces were put on the rear axle then the entire “unit” was put on the bike.  Fender braces do not go inside the drop outs.  The front edge of the fender should be attached to the frame at the bottom bracket.


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## Archie Sturmer (Jul 24, 2022)

The wheels or proportions look a bit off.

The rear wheel, with the 1960’s or later Red-Band, looks like a very-tight fit, (too big?).

The front wheel looks undersized for the forks, (or are the forks a larger size?).

The fender braces (front, rear, right, left) all look okay to me.


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## GTs58 (Jul 24, 2022)

Archie Sturmer said:


> The wheels or proportions look a bit off.
> 
> The rear wheel, with the 1960’s or later Red-Band, looks like a very-tight fit, (too big?).
> 
> ...




It's definitely a completely pieced together prewar frame that needs a new makeover.


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 27, 2022)

rustNspokes said:


> The serial number should be on the underside of the bottom bracket shell.



Finally got a chance to bring it from my mothers house to mine, and found the serial number: H80232


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 27, 2022)

Freqman1 said:


> Yep find the serial and we can give you a year. That bike has a whole lot of wrong parts on it so I wouldn't spend a lot of money. Should make a decent rider if you plan to keep it. V/r Shawn



Sorry for the late reply, it was over at my moms house still. Serial number is H80232


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 27, 2022)

Just want to give an update, even though it’s a little late. I found the serial number! It was at my moms, and I finally had a chance to bring it to my place. I looked on the bottom of the hub and there it was: H80232. Funny enough, that seems to indicate it was produced in 1953. It certainly seem as if someone Frankensteined this bike together. It seems Schwinn discontinued the cross bar between the top tube and down tube by then, since the 1953 model would have had an open gap.


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## bloo (Jul 27, 2022)

Not 1953. Did you get a picture of your H80232 serial? Sometimes the font and the way and where it was stamped mean more than the number itself. I am not that well informed, but some of the people around here will really surprise you with how much they know.

Based on my admittedly limited knowledge, and assuming it is really a Schwinn, and I think it is but I can't be 100% sure, here is what I see:

Your rear forks on the frame look like prewar Schwinn. They do not look like 1953 Schwinn. Postwar, those would have been dropout style on a Schwinn, no question about that. Also I think the number would have been stamped on the left dropout in 1953, but someone else will need to confirm that.

H" and 5 digits fits for a late 1941 Schwinn if stamped under the bottom bracket. My 1941 (I am calling it a 1941 due to the crank stamping) Schwinn boys straightbar has "F71444". That really should be a 1940 serial number I think, but Schwinn did supposedly stamp the bottom brackets before they welded the frames. H and 5 digits should be one of the last things stamped before Schwinn shut down ballooner production for the war.... I think. Someone please correct me if that's wrong.

What I am unsure about is what makes a frame different (if anything) at the "DX" price level if it is a girls frame. On a boy's frame it is obvious. The middle tube is curved on a most DX frames.

I think your frame and fork came together originally and are prewar Schwinn, probably 1941. As for everything else.....

Nobody typically got ballooner bikes with a mattress type seat before the war. I mean you COULD have, they existed, but it would have been an uncommon request. In any event the one in the pictures is decades newer, probably 60s or 70s.

The fenders are not prewar Schwinn, probably not Schwinn at all, and would not have been chrome. You could make them look less out of place with paint and maybe some different stays if you wanted to, but they are not that much like the originals.

The back wheel has a "drop center" rim similar to what would have come on a cheaper Schwinn in 1941, I think(?), but the Bendix coaster hub is postwar. The front wheel looks mismatched and newer.

The pedals, crank, and chainwheel look to be Schwinn. They are probably from the early 60s if they came together from the same bike. I suspect your bike probably had a skiptooth chainwheel and a Morrow or New Departure rear hub originally.

Your chainguard is identical to a Western Flyer one I bought at Western Auto in 1976 for my 1941. People here tell me the actual maker is Wald. I painted it years later and filled in the extra holes to make it look less universal, but when new it looked exactly like yours.

Here's my 1941, also with some wrong parts (including that Western Flyer chainguard).


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## GTs58 (Jul 27, 2022)

The frame is 1941 and most everything else is later. There were some 1942 I serial balloon models made before the government restrictions were implemented.


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## Webby_Dean (Jul 27, 2022)

bloo said:


> Not 1953. Did you get a picture of your H80232 serial? Sometimes the font and the way and where it was stamped mean more than the number itself. I am not that well informed, but some of the people around here will really surprise you with how much they know.
> 
> Based on my admittedly limited knowledge, and assuming it is really a Schwinn, and I think it is but I can't be 100% sure, here is what I see:
> 
> ...



Here’s a pic! I used the serial number lookup on bikehistory.org, but like you said, placement matters quite a bit, and I know relatively nothing about serial numbers as it is. Thanks for all the helpful info!


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## Rivnut (Jul 28, 2022)

Opps, wrong thread.


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## bloo (Jul 28, 2022)

That cannot possibly be correct. It is a guessing game to some extent, especially for bikes built before the war, but the information in the Schwinn serial threads right here on the CABE are as good as it gets. This frame is prewar due to it's lack of dropouts. The fork is likely prewar too because Schwinn girls bikes had a longer headtube before the war. This frame has the longer headtube. An Ashtabula fork like the one shown but from a postwar bike would have a steerer tube too short to fit this frame in most cases. Also, if you look closely it has the "new for 1940" (according to the Schwinn parts catalog) deluxe headset. If you look closely at my 1941, you will see one like it. Apparently not all Schwinn ballooners got those, but any that did are likely 1940-42. The deluxe headsets looked different after the war, first with hex flats on the outer diameter and later with a complete change in the shape of the top cup and a return to knurling. I'm sticking with 1941 for @Webby_Dean 's frame, fork, and headset. The stem might be original too(?) but the pictures don't show enough of it to tell. I don't believe anything else is from 1941. There could be some original parts in the bottom bracket, but I doubt it. That looks like it was stuck in whole from another bike. A look inside might tell the story.


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