# My old 1968 Orange Krate rat rod



## sworley (Jan 23, 2021)

I recently dug up an old computer that had some photos from around 2014 on it. I thought I'd share the story of this '68 Orange Krate that I stupidly sold.

A few years ago my buddies and I were intrigued by a massive bicycle auction in a nearby small town. There were all kinds of various bikes from completes to frames and tons of parts - mostly low-end junk and some Schwinns sprinkled in. Of course, the Krates were highly publicized but I was surprised by the relatively low hammer price. Pic 1 shows our haul with the '68 only being what I bought, the rest belonged to my friends. There was a complete Lemon Peeler that sold for $600 but was very bodged. I was more intrigued by this thick housepaint-covered starting point (pics 2 and 3) as it at least had all Schwinn parts. I didn't buy it at the auction but later I got the '69 parts bike from a friend who bought it there for parts (pic 5).

So I began using nail polish remover and paper towels with pretty good success - I'd just dab it on and let it soak, then it would wipe off pretty easily. It was time-consuming but I wasn't looking for perfect right away - it was summer and I wanted to ride it! My thought was to get it up and running and clean it up further over winter if I wanted. I kind of liked the idea of a rough patina rider anyway as I feel so many Krates are overrestored.

I tracked down a matching condition '68 seat and sourced some parts as needed. I took what I needed off the '69 and parted it out. Then I installed a big 'ol tall sissybar for attitude. It was a really fun project and the bike rode well. However, at the time I was living in a small apartment where space was a premium. Stupidly I sold it quite cheaply. In hindsight, I should have screwed some hooks in my storage unit and hung it in the rafters until I had a bigger place. Unlikely I'll find such a ratty, cool '68 ever again but this was a fun adventure! Thanks for reading!


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## stoney (Jan 23, 2021)

'68 orange is my favorite of the Krate series.


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