# Crusty '41 Hawthorne back together



## BWbiker (Aug 1, 2012)

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       Maybe this belongs in the project ride section but the bike is done so I am posting here. I picked this '41 up a couple years ago. The bike was really crusty, nasty battery rot in the tank, dripping down the frame on to the chain wheel. I was considering replacing the tank, which meant matching it to the bike or saving this one with lots of little pin holes, when cleaning can lead to even bigger holes. I completely disassembled the bike and cleaned everything. It took many, many hours of cleaning and de-rusting (mostly inside the tank) using Oshpo rust remover and ultimately a high metals content aluminum epoxy filler from the inside to save the tank.  After thoroughly cleaning and glass beading inside the tank I taped off the outside of the rust holes after smoothing them with pressure from a smooth metal tool. I used the metal epoxy from the inside in a thin layer. This stuff is meant for industrial use for rebuilding shafts on equipment and can be machined, so it is hard!  What resulted was clean dull but bright smooth metal where the holes were! No more holes, and it goes tink when you tap it! I was thrilled I went this route. Where it shows is low on the tank and looks just like where other paint is missing. The bike was so low hours the presumably original white wall Wards Air Cushin Mates were melted onto the rims. I had to replace the grips with the same style new from Memory Lane, install the only close to period white walls I have - Carlisle Lightening Dart's, and replaced the bent Meteor pedals with period Torrington 10's. The Blue Dot tail light is original to the bike, I repaired the red portion and re-installed the real glass blue dot. The headlight lens and wire are also original. Geoff Green did a great job truing the rims, thanks! The bike rides great! Brad


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## Buster1 (Aug 1, 2012)

Nice work, looks great!


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## fatbike (Aug 2, 2012)

Looks good Brad. Can't wait to see it at the local ride soon.


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## MagicRat (Aug 2, 2012)

Hey Bender,Im diggin' it!

Is that Blue Dot tail light really original to that bike?

Just askin'

(I got them on my Harley)


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## BWbiker (Aug 3, 2012)

*Blue Dot*



MagicRat said:


> Hey Bender,Im diggin' it!
> 
> Is that Blue Dot tail light really original to that bike?
> 
> ...


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## Larmo63 (Aug 3, 2012)

Similar to my '40 Hawthorne......


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## BWbiker (Aug 4, 2012)

*Similar Hawthorne*



Larmo63 said:


> Similar to my '40 Hawthorne......



 Yes it is similar. Yours is at least a year earlier. I have the same earlier bike like yours too.


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## Adamtinkerer (Aug 4, 2012)

Yours is less crusty than mine!


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## BWbiker (Aug 5, 2012)

*Crusty....*



Adamtinkerer said:


> Yours is less crusty than mine!



 Yep, yours is rusty red too 
One of things that took me so much time was bringing the color back up through the rust. I scrubbed with SOS type steel wool soap pads, and then light car compound and wax. It really helped the rims, they looked bad. Brad


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## Boris (Aug 5, 2012)

This bike will need to be inspected. Your appointment is next Sunday August 12th, 12:30 PM at the Lucky Lab.


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## RMS37 (Aug 6, 2012)

Be aware that there is some "Apple and Orange" stuff going on here. BW's bike is a CWC built Hawthorne while the other two pictured are Snyder sourced bikes. They bear similarities as MW essentially sold them as the same basic bike but the frames and much of the sheet metal is different.


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## BWbiker (Aug 6, 2012)

*'41 Inspection*



Dave Marko said:


> This bike will need to be inspected. Your appointment is next Sunday August 12th, 12:30 PM at the Lucky Lab.



Yes Boris I plan to be there!


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## BWbiker (Aug 6, 2012)

*Apple & Orange?*



RMS37 said:


> Be aware that there is some "Apple and Orange" stuff going on here. BW's bike is a CWC built Hawthorne while the other two pictured are Snyder sourced bikes. They bear similarities as MW essentially sold them as the same basic bike but the frames and much of the sheet metal is different.



So the Snyder guys are trying to pull one over on me, is that what you are saying Phil?
Certainly all of the CWC people are offended as am I! Silly Snyder guys!


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## RMS37 (Aug 6, 2012)

BWbiker said:


> So the Snyder guys are trying to pull one over on me, is that what you are saying Phil?
> Certainly all of the CWC people are offended as am I! Silly Snyder guys!




Just apples and oranges, both have their place and some like both, for others there is a clear favorite. I wasn't suggesting a conspiracy, more that this is a good place to look and observe the differences. Anyway I have to go clean up an accidental hot oil spill that occurred earlier today from the ramparts of one of my ivory towers.


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## squeedals (Aug 7, 2012)

Nice bike.......and that "patina".........

This was my 1st resto (Wards Hawthorne) ........and .....since this pic was taken,  I've replaced the light with a more period one and repainted the fenders a deep gloss black and added some gold pin-striping, stripped the chain guard down to bare metal and clear coated it.....I know......all this is not original, but what the hey, it still looks cool and better than the complete rust bucket it was (up in the barn loft when I bought my house).  Looking for tank, which might have not come with the bike, but looking anyway......like looking for hen's teeth  

I'm guessing 1940's by all I know, which isn't a lot....maybe the CABE can get more specific?


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## MagicRat (Aug 7, 2012)

Hey Adam,What came first?

The bike or the tree? (heh)



I see potential in your bike.

That'll buff out.


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## videoranger (Aug 7, 2012)

Your '41 looks great. I've used the same type of epoxy based metal repair on bikes and motor vehicles and the results are very strong and long lasting. Here is a picture of my Snyder built '39 Wards Hawthorne Comet that I bought from a gentleman that received it for Christmas way back when. I even have a picture of Gip and his brothers with bike and tree and presents on Christmas morning. Took this one out for a ride last Saturday and it's always fun to ride. I rebuilt the two speed hub and really like that setup. The bike is all original except the pedals. I think it's a real looker. Check out the Christmas pic, same bike when new.


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## RMS37 (Aug 7, 2012)

I think it is interesting how different the 1939, 1940 and 1941 Snyder bikes are. 

*The 1939* has upswept stays, a curved down tube a la CWC, and a seat binder that pinches the stays. It uses a smooth sided no-door/no groove “bent-tank” which may or may not (I’d like to know) be the same pressing as the one on BW’s CWC bike.


*The 1940* has un-curved chain stays and a straight down tube. (An entirely different and marginally larger frame than the 39) It retains the seat stay pinch design for seat post retention but the tank is based on a version of the Snyder/Harris crescent tank, (probably McCauley stamped) it mirrors the general shape of a CWC 3-gill tank with no kink toward the rear.


*The 1941* is very similar to the 40 (and I believe will use the same tank) but the curved down tube has returned. The new feature is the return to a more common (for the period) use of a welded on seat post binder clamp.


  I won’t go into the rest of the sheet metal save for the fact that the Snyder bikes all use essentially the same fender and stay stampings while the CWC bikes have their own, proprietary units.

  The CWC Shockmaster springer was standard on some Hawthorne models and could be ordered as an option on many more. It was used all sprung Hawthornes, both CWC and Snyder, before Hawthornes began also using the Snyder designed/built plunger type springer. The evidence so far suggests that the Snyder unit was only used on Snyder built bikes and the contemporary Hawthornes from CWC continued to use Shockmasters.

  I’ll dig up a picture, from LeMay of one other prewar “Comet” variant, the CWC 3-Gill Comet and post it for comparison later.


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## BWbiker (Aug 7, 2012)

*'39*



videoranger said:


> Your '41 looks great. I've used the same type of epoxy based metal repair on bikes and motor vehicles and the results are very strong and long lasting. Here is a picture of my Snyder built '39 Wards Hawthorne Comet that I bought from a gentleman that received it for Christmas way back when. I even have a picture of Gip and his brothers with bike and tree and presents on Christmas morning. Took this one out for a ride last Saturday and it's always fun to ride. I rebuilt the two speed hub and really like that setup. The bike is all original except the pedals. I think it's a real looker.




Thank you, it is just cool for me to have a prewar CWC that is very original, that is why I wanted so much to save the tank. Great to see you have tried this approach to save a bike too. It is a looker! Brad


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## BWbiker (Aug 7, 2012)

*CWC VS. Snyder*



RMS37 said:


> I think it is interesting how different the 1939, 1940 and 1941 Snyder bikes are.
> 
> *The 1939* has upswept stays, a curved down tube a la CWC, and a seat binder that pinches the stays. It uses a smooth sided no-door/no groove “bent-tank” which may or may not (I’d like to know) be the same pressing as the one on BW’s CWC bike.
> 
> ...




Thank you Phil, you been a great source of information for all of us on both CWC and Snyder built bikes. All joking aside I really appreciate your help and friendship! Brad


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## videoranger (Aug 8, 2012)

Nice rundown on the Hawthornes Phil. You did a great job of noticing the differences and similarities of these bikes. This kind of forum thread is very helpful for us enthusiasts and collectors. Note: I included a copy of a picture in my previous response of my '39 Comet on the day the original owner received it on Christmas morning. It's really cool to be able to obtain this kind of documentation from the original owner. It looks like young Gip sure got a better Christmas gift than his brothers!


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## RMS37 (Aug 8, 2012)

videoranger said:


> I included a copy of a picture in my previous response of my '39 Comet on the day the original owner received it on Christmas morning. It's really cool to be able to obtain this kind of documentation from the original owner. It looks like young Gip sure got a better Christmas gift than his brothers!




The brothers definitely look a bit glum... and that picture certainly predates the advent of Christmas Tree farming!


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## MagicRat (Aug 8, 2012)

*Hey Vid*

I like the Christmas pic with the Charlie Brown tree.


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## videoranger (Aug 8, 2012)

That tree cracks me up. I suppose eating the popcorn strings was the best part of that tree. I get a big kick out of the boys expressions with their gifts. I think Dad must have liked Gip best.


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## bricycle (Aug 8, 2012)

..love to have that "Red Rider" item......


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## fuzzyktu (Aug 12, 2012)

Great job on the bike.  It  looks great!


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