# Help in identifying bicycle



## morleron (Mar 23, 2010)

Hello,
    I am new to this forum, so if I'm asking this in the wrong place please let me know.  I have searched the forum for information on this topic and have found no threads on it.  I'm trying to find out more about a bicycle that my father, now 81, bought in the early 1940s.  The name badge on the bike says "Ambassador, Louisville, Kentucky".  There is also a serial number of "A40300".  Dad bought this bike new from a Schwinn dealer in Flint, Michigan.  The price was $65, which was pretty steep back then.  The bike has balloon tires, is a single speed, and has a pedal-operated rear brake and a hand-operated front brake.  It also has a battery operated headlight and a springer front-end.  I don't have a picture of the beast and have no good way of getting one anytime soon. 

    I have several questions about the bike:
        - was the Ambassador a Schwinn brand name?  I have not seen it listed on any of the websites dedicated to Schwinn so I suspect it was not,
        - if not a Schwinn was the Ambassador both a company and a model name?,
        - is there any chance of being able to restore the bike?  The wheels still turn, the chain is good, the crank turns.  The headlight would need replacing as the front half of the housing is missing.  The front brake still operates as does the rear brake.  In my, admittedly amateur, opinion it really seems to need only a new paint job, new tires, and a general cleaning/polishing of the chrome.

Thanks for your help,
Ron


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## BIKE AT THE MOON! (Mar 23, 2010)

Do not paint it!!!


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## rustyspoke66 (Mar 23, 2010)

I sure am willing to wait for a picture to see what kind of shape the paint is in. If the paint is intact and could be very gently cleaned the bike would be much more desireable. If the paint is completly waisted and cant be saved do your research to make sure it's done right. If you look under the bike restoration tips part of this forum you can learn a lot. Good luck, cant wait for pictures!


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## militarymonark (Mar 23, 2010)

well if you can't produce a picture you might possibly be able to point us in the right direction of what you have from the picture database of daves vintage bikes. http://www.nostalgic.net/


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## morleron (Mar 24, 2010)

I'll see what I can do about getting a picture of the beast.  I don't own a digital camera, but I'll see what favors I can call in.   I've searched every photo archive and antique/vintage bicycle site I've been able to find and there is no mention of an Ambassador bicycle that I've been able to find.  Searching on eBay brings up nothing under "Ambassador bicycle" and if I leave off the bicycle qualifier there are thousands of things ranging from Ambassador drum heads to the old AMC Ambassador cars.  I'll keep looking and if I can get a picture I'll post it asap.  Thanks for the suggestions about leaving it in "as found" condition.  It was pretty rough cosmetically the last time I saw it (a couple of years back as it resides in the uncharted depths of my Dad's garage).  Would putting new tires and tubes on it hurt from a value standpoint?

Thanks for the replies,
Ron


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## old hotrod (Mar 24, 2010)

That is why the pictures are so necessary...bikes are typically identified first by manufacturer then by the badge since the manufacturers often used different badges for different distributors.


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## morleron (Mar 24, 2010)

*Pictures of the beast*

OK, here are some pictures of my Dad's old bicycle.  I've tried putting them in a zip file as I din't want to take up a lot of space with them here, but the zip file is larger than the max file size.  The result is that only a few pictures were able to be uploaded and those I had to crop severely to meet size limitations. If anyone wants all of the pictures, or any subset, just PM me with your email and I'll send them that way.  I hope that the pictures I was able to upload are of help in ID'ing the bike.

 I asked my Dad about the details of his purchase and it turns out that he bought the bike in 1946 from a Schwinn dealer in Flint, MI.  The bike has 26" wheels.  The name badge indicates that it was manufactured by "Louisville Cycle Supply Co.".   The bike has a locking fork.  The bike was originally brown with cream colored highlights, as can be seen in some of the pictures.  The pedals are original, FWIW.  

As a couple of people mentioned I told my Dad not to do anything other than wash the bike, put new tubes and tires on it, and grease whatever bearings are accessible.  With any luck he'll listen to me. 

Thanks for the help,
Ron


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## rustyspoke66 (Mar 24, 2010)

It's a Schwinn!!!! Nice bike! I think you might have a candidate for a restoration and definatly worth it. I'm sure someone here will have a lot of info on that one. Good luck!


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## DonChristie (Mar 24, 2010)

Shes a beauty! Not sure if you can save that paint or not. In a discreet place on the bike, use steel wool xxxx and WD-40. Lightly rub the rust to see what kind of paint is left. At that point, you will know to leave it original or to do something else. No crime in restoring it, but it is only original once. Schwinn made bicycles for alot of stores across the nation, Ambassador was just that. The body style is referred to as a B6. Front fore-brake was an upgrade. Do tell what you end up doing.


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## morleron (Mar 24, 2010)

Hello again,So it is a Schwinn after all?    Is this a bike that was OEM'ed by Schwinn and remarketed by Louisville Cycle Supply?  So far as the paint goes I suspect it's in pretty rough shape as there is a lot of surface rust on the bike.  If the paint is too far gone would it be a problem to have the paint matched and get the bike repainted?  Also, since this is a Schwinn is there any chance of getting a replacement headlight, handgrips, etc.  I noticed today that the front brake cable is broken, but it looks like a standard motorcycle brake cable could be made to work.  Am I missing anything on that or are replacement stock cables available?  Is there anything about this bike that makes it special or did Schwinn OEM a lot of this model under other names?

One of the things that is floating around in my head about this is to fix it up in time for my Dad's 82nd birthday in August.  He actually rode this bike within the last ten to fifteen years and I can tell he's getting antsy to get on it again.  Dad's one of those octogenarians who is convinced that he's still 18 years old, and he acts like it.   I appreciate all the help you folks have given me.  I'll send pictures if/when we get it back in running condition.  I suspect it's more when than if at this point after having had a chance to take a closer look at it this afternoon.

Take care folks,
Ron


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## JOEL (Mar 25, 2010)

Headlight parts are reproduced, try Memory Lane Classics. The correct front brake cable is very difficult to find but new cable housing will work (someone will buy the old one if usable). Paint and decals are reproduced, grips too. Original parts can be found if you prefer to clean it up and leave it as is.

Schwinn bikes were sold through 100s of distributors with their own name badges. Some badges are rare, some common. Louisville Cycle Supply was a big distributor.


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## morleron (Mar 25, 2010)

Hi Joel (and everyone else),
    Thanks very much for your information.  I'll contact the Memory Lane folks and see what I can find from them.  Where would be a good place to try to find original parts for the bike?  If we do go ahead and restore it I'd like to have it as original as possible.  Any ideas as to value as it is now vs. just cleaned up vs. full restoration?

Thanks again,
Ron


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## DonChristie (Mar 25, 2010)

prices are tricky...here in Cali, I would guesstimate, as is 400-600$, restored original 600-1200$, fixed, cleaned up and tuned for your Dad - priceless! Im telling you, alot of color will come back with fine steel wool and WD40.


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## morleron (Mar 25, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, Schwinndoggy.  I'll give the steel wool a shot.  I' appreciate everyone's comments.  They almost make me wish I had a bunch of old bikes to ask about.

Take care,
Ron


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