# Thoughts on a Colson made (?) Firestone



## AndyA (May 29, 2021)

Sitting sadly in the rain at the local thrift shop. Skiptooth. Repainted by brush. Sales clerk is checking with manager about asking price. Any thoughts from you balooner mavens out there?


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## Archie Sturmer (May 29, 2021)

Looks nice.
Not an expert, but the house paint might have well-preserved the bicycle.  We see the taller steering stem, as this one is not a taller-frame beach cruiser.
Maybe its just me, but sometimes I see more flaws in someone else’s refurbishment efforts, even though they might be on par or better than my own.
So, maybe not a project bike, because it looks fairly nice as-is? 
A little bit of light cleaning and ready to go; looks like someone does not know about the left hand threads.


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## Boris (May 29, 2021)

If it were me, and I needed another seat I'd buy this pieced together bike at $150, part it out and have the seat restored. @fordmike65 knows better than I do about what's incorrect on this bike. If you need a project, consider this will be project that's going to cost you at least a couple hundred (on a good day) above what the seller is asking.


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## Kickstand3 (May 29, 2021)

36 fork possibly


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## fordmike65 (May 29, 2021)

Kickstand3 said:


> 36 fork possibly




Betting the bike is a '38 with a lower-end fork.

See Sentinel below


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## rustjunkie (May 29, 2021)

handlebars, stem, carrier, crankset, pedals, chain guard look to have been changed.
that saddle is nice, Troxel, too good to recover imho
the schwinn in the bg looks good, work a deal for both


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## Kickstand3 (May 29, 2021)

How about those fender braces


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## Kickstand3 (May 29, 2021)

rustjunkie said:


> handlebars, stem, carrier, crankset, pedals look to have been changed.
> that saddle is nice, Troxel, too good to recover imho
> the schwinn in the bg looks good, work a deal for both



Yeah do it 
I’ll take the seat and complete fork


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## srfndoc (May 29, 2021)

fordmike65 said:


> Betting the bike is a '38 with a lower-end fork.
> 
> See Sentinel below
> 
> View attachment 1420294



Ridged fork so I’m with MIke on being a 38.


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## fordmike65 (May 29, 2021)

Kickstand3 said:


> How about those fender braces



Correct for 38. Last year of the straight flat braces. First year of peaked fork crown.


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## Boris (May 29, 2021)

rustjunkie said:


> that saddle is nice, Troxel, too good to recover imho



You're right. I'd probably end up keeping the seat as is too, once I got it in my hands.


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## AndyA (May 29, 2021)

Wow! I came to the right place. You guys rock! I'll report back as the story unfolds. Thanks.


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## AndyA (May 30, 2021)

...and it came home with me. A shallow archaeological dig on the BB shows that the serial number is 6807 FS  with an 8, or possibly an 18, underneath. Also, original paint appears to be red. Early good news: the seat post slid out like it was put together yesterday. The rear rack was definitely cobbled together; it didn't fit the seat post clamp and was only attached to the bolt on one side.

The humble student asks "Oh wise ones, do you have any further wisdom to impart regarding model and year?"


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## Archie Sturmer (May 30, 2021)

September 1938, for Firestone.
Ninth letter (I) and ninth month.
Eighth digit (8) and 1938th year.

I believe that the 1938 Colson catalog is posted on this site; (but that would be for the Colson-badged bikes).

Westfield 4-beans sprocket (peculiar) or Consolidated Yale?


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## HARPO (Jun 2, 2021)

How well did you do on price?


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## fordmike65 (Jun 2, 2021)

Posted this here a few days ago



fordmike65 said:


> Betting the bike is a '38 with a lower-end fork.
> 
> See Sentinel below


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## Balloonoob (Jun 2, 2021)

I have not had the pleasure of removing house paint or spray paint from a bike yet. I too would have been compelled to take this bike home regardless of incorrect parts, but the housepaint and abundance of Kentucky chrome would have slowed my excitement a bit. To those who have taken the journey in hunting for original paint, does the picture of the bottom bracket provide ample hope to embark on this journey?
If this were mine I would not leave the light blue or the silver paint, so the question would be to bring it down to bare metal and repaint or to go hunting down the rabbit hole for original paint. 
Thoughts?


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## AndyA (Jun 4, 2021)

HARPO said:


> How well did you do on price?



I think that I did very well. Wife may hold a different opinion.


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## AndyA (Jun 4, 2021)

Balloonoob said:


> I have not had the pleasure of removing house paint or spray paint from a bike yet. I too would have been compelled to take this bike home regardless of incorrect parts, but the housepaint and abundance of Kentucky chrome would have slowed my excitement a bit. To those who have taken the journey in hunting for original paint, does the picture of the bottom bracket provide ample hope to embark on this journey?
> If this were mine I would not leave the light blue or the silver paint, so the question would be to bring it down to bare metal and repaint or to go hunting down the rabbit hole for original paint.
> Thoughts?



Option A: repaint. Option B: try to uncover original paint. Seems to me the logical sequence is to start with Option B. If that doesn't work or the result is unsatisfying, go on to Option A. Little is lost but a some labor and some solvent. On an earlier project, I was able to remove flat black paint from a Dyno Glide cruiser with some acetone and 0000 steel wool. The original yellow paint with black trim was fine except that the perpetrator of the black paint job had tried to "prepare" the surface by waving around some 50 grit sandpaper here and there and left ugly scratches. I ended up sanding and rattle-canning.

On this bike, I haven't decided how to approach the paint. The lumpy, hand-done, brushed paint job has grown on me a bit. I'll wait for inspiration.


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## ian (Jun 4, 2021)

Balloonoob said:


> I have not had the pleasure of removing house paint or spray paint from a bike yet. I too would have been compelled to take this bike home regardless of incorrect parts, but the housepaint and abundance of Kentucky chrome would have slowed my excitement a bit. To those who have taken the journey in hunting for original paint, does the picture of the bottom bracket provide ample hope to embark on this journey?
> If this were mine I would not leave the light blue or the silver paint, so the question would be to bring it down to bare metal and repaint or to go hunting down the rabbit hole for original paint.
> Thoughts?



I'm fixin' to try to remove some kind of overpaint on my Colson with acetone and steelwool. Fingers crossed!


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## fordmike65 (Jun 4, 2021)

Keep in mind the early Colson paint did not hold up well. Most I've seen are weak, thin and almost powdery unless they were well taken care of. It's still worth a shot, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up. Good luck!


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## ian (Jun 4, 2021)

fordmike65 said:


> Keep in mind the early Colson paint did not hold up well. Most I've seen are weak, thin and almost powdery unless they were well taken care of. It's still worth a shot, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up. Good luck!



Thanks. I'm thinking it will take a light touch, perseverance, and lotsa time.


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## AndyA (Jun 4, 2021)

ian said:


> I'm fixin' to try to remove some kind of overpaint on my Colson with acetone and steelwool. Fingers crossed!



Start underneath and go easy. Acetone evaporates very quickly, so rub a little bit with the steel wool (use 0000) then wipe with a rag before it dries.


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## AndyA (Jun 4, 2021)

Update: I broke the bike down, lubricated, and reassembled (without some bits and with some additional bits from the Parts Department). Always surprised that these oldies come apart as easily as they do. Makes me think that this is due to better metallurgy. Just wanted to get it on the road and continue to ponder the ultimate vision. That 1938 steel rides solid. I need a higher seat for better ergonomics, but that's as high as that L seat post will go. However, I found an old 3/4" tent stake in the Miscellaneous Metal Bin that fits the frame. I should be able to adapt that.


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## Superman1984 (Jun 4, 2021)

AndyA said:


> Update: I broke the bike down, lubricated, and reassembled (without some bits and with some additional bits from the Parts Department). Always surprised that these oldies come apart as easily as they do. Makes me think that this is due to better metallurgy. Just wanted to get it on the road and continue to ponder the ultimate vision. That 1938 steel rides solid. I need a higher seat for better ergonomics, but that's as high as that L seat post will go. However, I found an old 3/4" tent stake in the Miscellaneous Metal Bin that fits the frame. I should be able to adapt that.
> 
> View attachment 1423881
> 
> View attachment 1423882



Spray it down with Heavy Duty Easy Off oven cleaner; give it say 5-10 minutes & hit it with 0000 steel wool. Peek under the house paint; if it's latex or enamel it's Not Tough. If it is tougher than that 10+ mins but no more than say 20.


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## AndyA (Jun 5, 2021)

New seat post from 3/4" tent stake.  Saddle fitted with a shim fabricated from 1/16" aluminum (3/4" post, 7/8" seat clamp). Ergonomics improved greatly.


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## AndyA (Jun 21, 2021)

fordmike65 said:


> Keep in mind the early Colson paint did not hold up well. Most I've seen are weak, thin and almost powdery unless they were well taken care of. It's still worth a shot, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up. Good luck!



Uncle Fordmike, you hit the nail on the head. I tried taking off the blue paint with acetone and steel wool. What was underneath could not be saved. The original paint was red, as you can see most vividly under the head badge. My thinking about painting has ranged widely, but I have settled on red because 1) the original color was red and 2) I saw my grandson's red '32 Ford coupe Hotwheels. Red hot rods (cars and bikes) are the real thing. Next steps are wet sanding, clean up, rattle can red primer, and Krylon Satin Pimento (like the fork, stem, and HB on the Sun 24-incher below).


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## Archie Sturmer (Jun 21, 2021)

Archie Sturmer said:


> Westfield 4-beans sprocket (peculiar) or Consolidated Yale?



Looks like an easy-pedaling 24-tooth chain ring sprocket, versus the big 26-T?


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## AndyA (Jun 22, 2021)

Archie Sturmer said:


> Looks like an easy-pedaling 24-tooth chain ring sprocket, versus the big 26-T?



Precisely. Pedals easier uphill; goes just as fast downhill. Back end is 10.


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## AndyA (Jun 27, 2021)

Progress report: Frame sanded, primed, and painted.


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## AndyA (Jul 1, 2021)

Final result! Well, as always, I reserve the right to modify if inspiration strikes. Switched out the crank, which wasn't quite wide enough for the BB. Painted the chain wheel, which appeared to be painted black originally. Touched up the goopy silver paint on the rims. Rides solid.


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